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Television

Four Stars for Four Legs

And yet more MIPCOM stuff, this time out of China by way of Canada. Got that? Here, this is from Animation Magazine: “Canadian kids’ & family entertainment company WildBrain has partnered with Tencent Video and animation studio Miaow’s House as the exclusive worldwide distributor outside of mainland China of the new animated series, Pet Hotel. The series follows the comedic antics of Lili the dog, Bubu the guinea pig and cats Nai Nai and Vicky as they welcome new animal friends to their home at the Pet Hotel. Unlike other hotels, the Pet Hotel — which has been converted from an old grocery store — is filled with high-tech inventions created by the pets’ caregiver and hotel owner, Robin; from massage tables to automatic feeders! The animal buddies and their young owner face various quirky customers and their wacky pets every day, giving rise to numerous entertaining stories. It’s no question that every guest at the Pet Hotel will leave happy, having made a new set of friends.”  Have a look at the article.

image c. 2023 Wildbrain

Talent, Kid, Talent!

Here’s something else we recently found at Animation Magazine: “Two Ireland-based animation houses, Lighthouse Studios (The Bob’s Burgers Movie, The Cuphead Show!) and Dog Ears (Puffin Rock and the New Friends) are partnering to co-produce an all-new animated adventure series for kids ages 5-7, dubbed Stage Struck!” The description goes like this: “Creatures large and small — including Coco the crocodile and her friends — are welcomed to Showtime School, founded by the much-loved Miss Feathers. At Showtime School, everyday classes present extraordinary performance challenges! In classrooms full of pianos and crash-mats, even the ‘normal’ subjects have a theatrical spin — from the history of puppetry to the science of sound waves! Showtime’s students get a taste of music, movement and razzle-dazzle from all over the world — drumming circles, beat-boxing, fox-trotting, monologues, card tricks, Beatniks, and up-tempo Bhangra. Every day is a creative adventure!” Currently it’s seeking world markets at MIPCOM. (Are we the only ones getting a severe Richard Scarry vibe out of that illustration? We can’t be.)

image c. 2023 Lighthouse Studio

Ted Talks

Here’s what we got from Animation World Network: “Seth MacFarlane’s hugely popular – and funny – Ted film franchise gets its own Peacock series to ring in the new year. The prequel kicks off in a special streaming debut with all seven episodes on January 11, 2024, giving ‘Ted Talks’ a whole new meaning. In the show, it’s 1993, and Ted the bear’s (MacFarlane) moment of fame has passed. He’s now living back home in Framingham, Massachusetts, with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett (Max Burkholder), along with John’s parents, Matty and Susan (Scott Grimes [The Orville] and Alanna Ubach) and Cousin Blaire (Giorgia Whigham). Ted may be a lousy influence on John, but at the end of the day, he’s a loyal pal who’s always willing to go out on a limb for friendship.” The article has a link to the official teaser trailer too.

image c. 2023 Peacock

Yip, Yip, and Away!

More interesting MIPCOM stuff, thanks to Animation Magazine: “Kids’ entertainment specialist CAKE has partnered with Polish-based producers Animoon [Even Mice Belong In Heaven] and Letko on new the preschool animated series Toru Superfox… Toru Superfox is an adventurous fox on a quest to face the most puzzling of creatures: His emotions. Along with his best friends Bunio, a wild boar who loves napping and eating; Zoja, a resolute chick with an attitude; and shy hedgehog Fenio, they imagine that the forest where they play is inhabited by the characters from their favorite comic books — including Supervixen, the legendary guardian of the forest based on Toru’s Grandma! Toru’s super power is empathy and whenever someone is in trouble, Toru puts on his superhero mask and comes to their rescue!” Read the article to find out more, and see the trailer for the original European series over on YouTube.

image c. 2023 Animoon

Book Buddies to the Rescue

We found this in Animation Magazine, looked it up, and followed along to their web site… Atomic Cartoons present a new animated special for young folks, coming to PBS Kids right before New Years. “Rocket Saves the Day is a fun-filled adventure for preschoolers and their parents, based on the New York Times bestselling Rocket book series created by Tad Hills and published by Random House… The movie is a hero’s journey in which an enthusiastic young pup, Rocket, and his new best friend, Little Yellow Bird, embark on a quest to save their town through the power of reading. Throughout the journey, Rocket and his friends learn how to put letters and sounds together to make words – the building blocks of reading. Its animation style embodies a unique and distinctive hand-drawn look that mirrors Hills’ textured illustrations.” Look for it on December 26th.

image c. 2023 Atomic Cartoons

Light The Lights

More interesting stuff showing up at MIP-COM and MIP-Junior. This time we came across a press release from The Jim Henson Company, talking about several new shows they’re offering for young viewers — at least two of which are especially furry-friendly. First off there’s Wowsabout: “Roxy the Hedgehog and Ronald the Piglet are on a walking-adventure to find the ‘Wows’ on this gorgeous planet they call home… Our heroes will experience the beauty of the northern lights, a hot air balloon festival, the magnificence of the world’s tallest building, and so much more!” And maybe not as quiet, there’s Monster Jam: “Get ready to stomp and roar! Right here on the dance floor! At the grooviest, funkiest, most monstrous club around. Everyone is invited to the Monster Jam – a safe place for kids to express their big emotions through physical movement, creative expression, and by letting their inner monster out!” Let’s hope they have good luck finding good markets — especially here in North America!

image c. 2023 The Jim Henson Company

Journey ’round the Horn

It’s MIP-COM time again, and that means all sorts of interesting animated TV series showing up and showing off — from all around the world. In this case, it’s a new series out of Lithuania called Stomp! Stomp! Rhinos! Here’s an article from Animation Magazine: “A new animated series about a family of rhinos is ready to teach children how to control their emotions… The series centers on the Rhino family (mom, dad and their three kids who live in a cozy home with their pet tortoise, Bobo) as they navigate life’s little challenges and learn how to manage emotions such as anger, frustration, jealousy, loneliness, etc.” Originally intended as a CGI show, the producers eventually decided that a 2D approach would get their message across better. See? It still works!

image c. 2023 Oak9

Him and All His Furry… Friends?

Lots of people have been talking about the new anime-style TV series that just recently started streaming on Netflix. “Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix is an original animated series mixing alternative Ubisoft characters from beloved franchises such as Assassin’s Creed, Rayman, and Far Cry in a highly-referenced homage to the early 90s.” The story? “Set in the year 1992, the country formerly known as the USA is now called Eden, a technocracy ruled by propaganda and corruption. Super-soldier Dolph Laserhawk has just been betrayed by the love of his life, his boyfriend Alex Taylor, and locked up in Eden’s off-the-grid maximum security prison, Supermaxx. Dolph is forced to lead a team of rebel outcasts on risky undercover missions under the order of the prison’s shadowy Warden.” What that description fails to convey is that there are lots and lots of anthropomorphic characters throughout the series, mostly bad folks but a few good-ish ones. Check out the trailer over at Animation World Network.

image c. 2023 Netflix

Warriors of the Night Return?

Amazing news out of Disney is making the rounds. We got this report from Variety: “Gargoyles could finally be returning to television, with a live-action reboot series currently in the works at Disney+. Variety has confirmed that the Disney streaming service is working with writer Gary Dauberman and James Wan‘s Atomic Monster to develop a live-action version of the beloved animated show. Dauberman would serve as writer and executive producer with Wan also executive producing. Disney Branded Television is the studio. The current logline for the project reads: ‘Based on the cult classic Disney animated series, Goliath is the last of a heroic race of gargoyle warriors who once lived among mankind. Free from a centuries long curse that turned him into stone, Goliath struggles to solve the mystery of his past while watching over modern-day New York City alongside police detective Elisa Maza.’ ” Here’s hoping that doesn’t mean the rest of the gargoyle crew won’t be taking part in the new project!

image c. 2023 Disney TV Animation