Tooned! Talk Show To Launch On TV Tropolis This Spring

Breakthrough Films & Television's live-action factual series, TOONED, is scheduled to debut on Canada's TV Tropolis on Friday, March 19, 2010 during the 11:30/19:30/22:00 time slots, it was announced today by Ira Levy and Peter Williamson, executive producers and founders of Breakthrough.

Press Release from Breakthrough Films & Television

TORONTO (March 4, 2010) - Breakthrough Films & Television's live-action factual series, TOONED, is scheduled to debut on Canada's TV Tropolis on Friday, March 19, 2010 during the 11:30/19:30/22:00 time slots, it was announced today by Ira Levy and Peter Williamson, executive producers and founders of Breakthrough.

TOONED! (13 x 30') is a half-hour "docutainment" series all about your favorite cartoon shows and the stars, voices and visionaries that filled your Saturday mornings and shaped your childhood.

TOONED! pays tribute to the cartoon creators who gave life to our animated heroes, explores the myths and mythmakers then tops it off with a sugary frosting of fans, factoids and celebrity cameos.

Every episode of TOONED! is driven by a theme (Love, Sidekicks, Superheroes and of course Villains & Bad Guys), which informs the feature stories, intimate interviews and behind the scene profiles. We'll hear from comedians, cartoon moguls and Hollywood stars: voice legend June Foray, Howie Mandel, William Shatner, Nancy Cartwright, Gilbert Gottfried, Lo Bosworth, Leonard Matlin, Stan Lee, Vivica Fox, Andrea Martin, Janeane Garofalo, Shannon Tweed, Don Hahn and Cheech & Chong to name just a few. We also pay tribute to legends like Mel Blanc, Hanna & Barbera, Chuck Jones and Jay Ward - cartoon geniuses who in many ways gave us our funny bone and whose characters live on and on.

Howard, the hilarious host of TOONED! Is a bit of a cartoon character - literally. After years of slogging it out, as an Animated Extra (that's Background Performer buddy!) He's finally landed his first "marquee gig". Hey, it's not like he didn't earn it: he can do every character, and catchphrase, act out every cartoon cliché and talk (endlessly!) about cartoon trivia. Howard combines an insider's knowledge with the bitter insights of a perennial wannabe in an animated personality that is anything but 2-Dimensional.

TOONED! reintroduces us to a world where logic plays second fiddle to laughs, where reality is elastic and death a temporary inconvenience. Viewers will be tickled at how many lines they remember - and like a reunion of old friends, the characters, stories and memories will all come tumbling back.

The series is produced by Breakthrough Films & Television in association with Dale Burshtein Productions and Canwest Media.

"So many of us had this shared experience - waking up early to watch a marathon of Hanna Barbara, Jay Ward and Looney Toons, and the rest of the line-up - we all had the same references and iconic catchphrases growing up; we were all in our pajamas, eating sugar cereals and seeing shows that stayed with us forever. This show is very nostalgic and it's cool to see that no matter who we talked to, we all have those shared memories. The work that was created then was hilarious, irreverent and obviously has enormous lasting power. Superstar cartoon shows of today continue to pay tribute to this time and these characters," said Dale Burshstein, the series creator and co-producer.

About Breakthrough Films & Television

Headquartered in Toronto, Breakthrough Films & Television is a leading global producer and distributor of acclaimed prime time comedy and drama series, as well as factual entertainment and documentaries. Breakthrough Films & Television is also a world leader in the production and distribution of children's animation and family entertainment. In addition to its dedicated program development, production and distribution divisions, Breakthrough's new media division ranks among one of the industry's most respected developers and marketers of the highest quality digital entertainment including videogames and mobile applications. Breakthrough is located on the Web at www.breakthroughfilms.com.