Zula USA, producer of ZULA PATROL, has completed a DVD and home entertainment deal with Liberation Ent., C21 MEDIA reports. The agreement for the computer-animated series covers all English-speaking markets, with distribution set to begin by spring 2008.
Chapman Ent.'s FIFI AND THE FLOWERTOTS is branching out from its U.K. roots and moving into Eastern Europe, reports KIDSCREEN. The move is facilitated by merchandising deals inked by U.K. licensing agent/distributor Target Ent.
Additionally, licensing agency One2Play is combing the former Yugoslavian territories for Fifi licensees; distribution outfits Modell and Hobby have signed with French toy company Jemini and Corgi to get Fifi into Hungary and Romania; and Target has made an exclusive toy distribution deal with Edutoys in Latvia and Estonia.
Canada's Corus Ent. Inc., parent company of Nelvana and its YTV and Treehouse channels, has announced its fourth-quarter and year-end financial results, led by continued revenue growth from its broadcasting businesses.
TV-Loonland has secured a raft of new content deals for its cross-platform series THE OWL (52x1), which was recently picked up by the BBC.
Toronto-based Breakthrough Films &Television has announced the promotion of Stephanie van Bruggen to Supervising Producer, Breakthrough Animation. Reporting to Executive Producer/Managing Partner Kevin Gillis, van Bruggen will oversee the company's animated projects including ATOMIC BETTY, MISS BG, CAPTAIN FLAMINGO, the new children's animated series JIMMY TWO SHOES and the new prime-time adult animated series PRODUCING EMILY.
Nintendo of America has announced the hiring of two new exec vice presidents. Cammie Dunaway will serve as the company's new EVP, sales & marketing, reporting to President and CEO Reggie Fils-Aime, and Shigeyuki Takahashi will serve as EVP, special assignment, reporting to Chairman and CEO Tatsumi Kimishima. Both executives will work from Nintendo's new Silicon Valley offices in Redwood Shores, Calif.
HIT Ent. has announced that the U.K.'s Five and Cartoonito have licensed a mix of new and existing FIREMAN SAM programming, which is scheduled for broadcast in Spring 2008.
Los Angeles-based Grasshorse Technologies, Inc. announced its decision today to relocate and expand its services to the state of Iowa. The production company's decision comes in response to recent legislation providing tax incentives to attract the film industry, job diversity, and talent to the state.
"The Iowa Film, Television and Video Project Promotion Program (IFTVP) has created fertile ground for companies to relocate to Iowa. It lays the foundation for a very exciting and burgeoning industry," stated Stephen Jennings, co-president and founder of Grasshorse.
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) wrapped up MIPCOM 2007 -- the best-attended edition since the audiovisual market's founding -- with a rich array of sales of new animation, as well as titles from the board's extensive archives. Multi-award-winning MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI was snatched up by Canal + France, ARTE, and Swizerland's TSR. Canal + Spain and TSR also acquired the audience favorite SLEEPING BETTY, while YLE (Finland) bought three shorts from the NFB's TALESPINNERS children's collection: ASTHMA TECH, THE GIRL WHO HATED BOOKS and JAIME LO, SMALL AND SHY.
Dutch distributor Telescreen has joined with WMG Beheer, the holding company of Holland's CNR Entertainment, to develop and produce new children's animation properties, C21 MEDIA reports. Their first venture will be WESTERN MACARONI, described as "an anime-style Western fairytale." The alliance also includes the production of FROG & FRIENDS (26x7), based on the acclaimed children's books by Max Velthuijs.
Cartoon Network's indefatigable BEN 10 series continued its inexorable march toward planetary dominion as the most recent BEN 10-themed game, SAVAGE PURSUIT, racked up a record-breaking 4.18 million game plays (based on internal Turner Broadcasting statistics) in its debut week on CartoonNetwork.com.
Playhouse Disney, the new multiplex channel from Family Channel launching November 30, 2007, today announced its programming lineup for the fall 2007 and winter 2008 seasons. The channel will offer exclusive, first-run programs from Disney together with celebrated Canadian series to create an environment of fun and learning for younger children.
Following on the heels of Disney's mega-successful HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL, Raven Moon Ent. announced today that it is producing GINA D'S PRE-SCHOOL MUSICAL, an eight-hour TV miniseries and DVD box collection for preschool kids. Raven Moon co-founders and executive producers Joey and Bernadette DiFrancesco have written and produced the first one-hour installment. DLT Entertainment, Ltd. in New York is handling worldwide distribution.
Interactive publisher/distributor Ubisoft has announced that some of the leading actors from Paramount Pictures and Shangri-La Entertainment's upcoming BEOWULF film will participate in the BEOWULF video game. Academy Award-winner Anthony Hopkins, Ray Winstone, Brendan Gleeson and Sebastien Roche will all provide their voices and likenesses for the video game. The reprisal of their film roles in the game marks the actors' first-ever appearance in a video game, and further demonstrates the close collaboration between Ubisoft, Paramount Pictures and Shangri-La Entertainment.
Bindass, India's new youth channel, will join in the campaign to prevent AIDS by playing the acclaimed THREE AMIGOS spots, a series of twenty award-winning PSAs designed to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. The channel will play the animated condom spots -- which feature three humorous characters who deliver the message that condoms are our friends or "amigos" -- ten times a day.
Toronto-based Marblemedia and US/Canadian producer Blueprint Entertainment have partnered to produce the prime-time series THE DATING GUY (13x30), reports C21 MEDIA. The show, which is slated to premiere in late 2008, will be broadcast on Teletoon's teen/adult programming block The Detour.
THE DATING GUY was created by Marblemedia partners Matt Hornburg and Mark Bishop (THIS IS EMILY YEUNG, ADRENALINE PROJECT). It explores the struggles of a twentysomething male as he seeks the elusive Holy Grail of love (or a reasonable facsimile thereof).
France's Marathon Media has concluded several new deals for its leading kids shows MONSTER BUSTER CLUB, FAMOUS FIVE ON THE CASE and TOTALLY SPIES, reports C21 MEDIA.
MONSTER BUSTER CLUB (52x56), which was pre-sold to Super RTL in Germany, has been picked up by RTVE (Spain), RTV (Slovenia), RTE (Ireland), LNK (Lithuania), Arabic network MBC, Radio Canada and Denmark's TV2. Additional negotiations are in progress in the U.S., Italy, Turkey, Singapore, South Africa and Brazil.
Imagi Animation Studios today announced that it has entered into a licensing relationship with Hot Toys Ltd. for collectors' action figures based on the studio's next two CG-animated feature films, GATCHAMAN and ASTROBOY. Under the agreement, Hot Toys will design, manufacture and globally distribute highly detailed 12-inch models of the principal characters in the two movies.
Kidtoon Films has hired veteran kids marketing expert Jill Newhouse Calcaterra to secure promotional and marketing opportunities for their growing theatrical distribution program. Newhouse Calcaterra will be focusing her efforts on securing regional retail promotions, advertising partnerships and membership organizations.
Cookie Jar Ent. has reached an all-rights agreement with Tele München Gruppe for the company's newest boys action-adventure series MAGI-NATION. Tele München's Licensing and Merchandising arm, CTM, will serve as the exclusive agent for the show in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Benelux.
