Toronto – Breakthrough Films & Television has started production on Stay Tooned (13 x 30′), a new live action factual entertainment series that examines the animated programs and characters that have greatly influenced pop culture.
Viewers will be taken back in time to revisit the Saturday morning animated programs that defined our popular culture. Each episode will be an entertaining, comical mix of interviews from experts, celebrities and fans, along with cartoon clips and behind-the-scenes footage. The series celebrates how ‘toons shaped and reflected our culture – then and now. Funny, entertaining and touching, Stay Tooned is a love letter to the golden era of Saturday morning cartoons, and is produced by Breakthrough Films & Television in association with Creator/Producer, Dale Burshtein and Canwest. Airing on TVtropolis, Stay Tooned will be internationally distributed by Breakthrough Entertainment.
Toronto – Kids’ CBC has renewed Cookie Jar Entertainment’s popular series, “Busytown Mysteries (Hurray For Huckle!)” and will begin airing season two in 2009. Inspired by the classic works of best-selling children’s author, Richard Scarry, “Busytown Mysteries (Hurray For Huckle!)” was one of the two top-rated preschool series on CBC’s weekday morning lineup for the month of October. “We’re delighted by the overwhelming response from viewers to ‘Busytown Mysteries (Hurray For Huckle!).’ The show’s success is a testament to Richard Scarry’s timeless work, coupled with the creativity of our talented production team,” said Jennifer Picherack, Cookie Jar Entertainment’s VP Distribution/Sales Operations. “Kids’ CBC is one of the leading broadcasters for children’s television, and it is very gratifying to provide them and their viewers with bright, entertaining and distinctive programming.” “Busytown Mysteries (Hurray For Huckle!)” blends humor and learning by following the lives of six unforgettable characters who try to solve everyday life mysteries in Busytown.
Vancouver – Rainmaker Entertainment, one of the most prolific producers of CG animated films, announced the DVD release of their latest production, “The Nutty Professor.” “The Nutty Professor” is the animated sequel to the beloved 1963 classic and one of the great family franchises in movie history. “The Nutty Professor” debuted on November 25 from Genius Products, Rainmaker Entertainment and The Weinstein Company.
“The Julius Kelp character has always meant so much to me,” says Jerry Lewis. “And the chance to introduce him and “The Nutty Professor” to a whole new generation of kids and their families, and in a completely new way through animation, was very exciting. I loved working with the team at Rainmaker and found them to be fun, creative and very adept at creating comedy.”
Continuing its focus of developing and producing content, Rainmaker, in association with producer George Paige, approached Jerry Lewis with the idea of animating the characters from his 1963 live action film, which Lewis wrote and directed, and he enthusiastically agreed. The Weinstein Company signed on for financing and distribution. Evan Spiliotopoulos was brought on to write the script. Read the rest of this entry »
Vancouver – The Tale of Despereaux starred in an special advance premiere yesterday afternoon at the VanCity Theatre. Hosted by our ACM SIGGRAPH Vancouver chapter with support from Universal Studios, Framestore and the Vancouver International Film Centre, the premiere was also a fundraiser for the Metro Vancouver Food Banks – and only the second public showing of Despereaux in the world.
The Tale of Despereaux is the story of a seafaring rat and a non-conformist young mouse. While Roscuro the rat (Dustin Hoffman) learns lessons about cause, effect, actions and consequences, our young hero, Despereaux (Matthew Broderick) lives his life in a Quixotic way, basing his actions on chivalry, courage, and honour is a constant source of concern among the other mice. He doesn’t even let his banishment into the dark dungeons below Mouseworld divert him from quest to save the Princess Pea (Emma Watson), who is living in a prison of her own. This tiny mouse with the heart of a knight sets out to right wrongs and save the Kingdom of Dor from an eternity of gloom, reuniting family and changing lives forever. Read the rest of this entry »
Halifax – Leading kids and family entertainment specialist DECODE Entertainment, a production subsidiary of DHX Media, is bringing two new series with its Singapore partner, Scrawl
Studios, to the Asia Television Forum. Launching to buyers at the ATF is Clang Invasion. The (26×22’ or 52×11’) animated series is a fast-paced sci-fi comedy about the adventures of a dysfunctional crew of alien robots who crash-land in the backyard of siblings Daisy and Robin.
The series has been developed by Scrawl Studios and in co-production with DECODE Entertainment, YTV, Hong Kong’s Agogo Entertainment Ltd. and the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA). Making its debut at the ATF is a new animated series in development, RPG High (working title), the second Canadian-Singapore collaboration between the two companies. Aimed at 8-12 year olds, RPG High (52×11’) is a new action comedy series with a visual style inspired by video gaming. The show is about high school life for video game characters and centres on the growing pains of four friends as they try to be the greatest game characters ever.
Beth Stevenson, Executive Producer at DECODE Entertainment said, “We are excited to be working with these renowned companies for a second series. We think RPG High’s mix of action and comedy partnered with the universal appeal of video game characters will resonate with all audiences.” Read the rest of this entry »
Halifax – DHX Media Ltd, a leading independent international producer and distributor of television programming and interactive content is pleased to announce several significant international sales of its television series’. DECODE Enterprises, DHX Media’s distribution subsidiary, has announced that Martha Speaks, a 40 x 1/2 hrs children’s animated series produced by Vancouver’s Studio B Productions, a DHX Media company, and WGBH Boston, has been licensed to the BBC’s children’s channel, CBBC. DECODE has also announced several sales of the hit preschool series Animal Mechanicals, and the recent licensing of Bo on the GO! to the largest commercial broadcaster in the UK, ITV Network.
Animal Mechanics
Animal Mechanicals and Bo on the GO! are produced by DHX subsidiary, Halifax Film. Neil Court, President of DECODE Enterprises said: “We believe that Martha Speaks will be an ideal fit for CBBC’s roster and are delighted to have concluded this major broadcast deal for the series following a strong
international sales launch this fall.” Read the rest of this entry »
The Vancouver chapter of ACM SIGGRAPH is pleased to present a special preview showing of The Tale of Despereaux this Saturday, December 13 (2:00 pm) at the VanCity Theatre on Seymour Street. The show begins at All tickets are $10.50 each for members and non-members alike, with all proceeds to benefit the Vancouver Food Bank. Tickets can be purchased online through the SIGGRAPH Vancouver site.
About The Movie:
Framestore Feature Animation, a new UK-based animation house, has just completed their first feature length film, an adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s book, The Tale of Despereaux. With a fairy tale palette and images full of whimsy and wonder, directors Sam Fell and Robert Stevenhagen, together with the talented artists at Framestore Feature Animation have brought the characters and the story magically to life. Follow Despereaux, Roscuro and Mig as they struggle to overcome their mousiness to rescue their world and their Princess from the gloom that has besieged them.
The all-star line-up of actors voicing the characters includes; Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Kline, Robbie Coltrane, Ciaran Hinds, Christopher Lloyd, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Tracey Ullman, Emma Watson and Sigourney Weaver as the story’s narrator.
Universal Studios and Framestore Feature Animation have kindly donated a print of the film, and our friends at the Vancouver International Film Centre have generously provided the space for this pre-screening event. All profits from the screening will be donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society, so come and see a great film for a great cause!
The Tale of Despereaux opens in theatres everywhere December 19 2008.
Vancouver – Kid vs Kat, Studio B’s new animated series, is about a little kitty whose big mean streak makes life miserable for Coop, a 10-year-old boy. When Coop’s spoiled sister Millie brings home Kat, a stray of mysterious origin, his idyllic life is turned upside-down. It’s obvious to Coop that Kat is out to get him – the problem is that he can never prove it, because by the time his Dad comes onto the smoking, debris-littered scene, all evidence pointing to the culpable Kat is gone.
Produced in association with YTV, Kid vs Kat will debut on Crunch, YTV’s Saturday morning cartoon block hosted by Andy, on Saturday, January 10 at 8:30 a.m.
Chuck Gammage Animation’s new facility will coincide with the studio’s recently stronger focus on nontraditional and 3D animation.
Toronto – Chuck Gammage Animation, an internationally acclaimed animation production company and commercial animation service facility, announced today that it is changing its downtown Toronto address.
After three years at its current downtown location, the company is moving to a state-of-the-art production facility in Toronto’s Trinity-Niagara neighbourhood, an up-and-coming hub for Canada’s design, entertainment and high-tech industries.
“We’re excited to be moving to this vibrant new location where we’ll be down the street from some of the world’s premiere entertainment companies,” Tammy Semen, producer. “This move also comes at a time when Chuck Gammage is switching its focus to emerging forms of digital animation while recruiting outstanding new talent. So this new space will reflect the company’s fresh outlook.” Read the rest of this entry »
Toronto – Corus Entertainment’sNelvana will now offer its animated content on demand in the U.S., U.K., France and French-speaking Europe through Tribal Nova’sKidStudio online environment. Nelvana programs like 6teen, Tales from the Cryptkeeper and Di-Gata Defenders will be available depending upon the territory.
KidStudio is Tribal Nova’s movie studio-themed entertainment world featuring leading children’s brands targeted at a six- to twelve year-old audience. Offering games, online comic books, full-length episodes of favourite children’s shows and personalization features, it is a secure, immersive environment with kid-friendly navigation and instruction features.
KidStudio will be available on www.kidstudio.com and through several major games portals in all these territories.
“Our partnership with Tribal Nova is an important initiative in our international growth strategy for expanding our content to our audiences on the Internet,” said Peter Maule, Vice President of Home Entertainment and Digital Media, Nelvana Enterprises.
“We’re delighted to be working with Nelvana to feature its quality animated programs on our kid-friendly, secure immersive social networking virtual world KidStudio,” said Pierre Le Lann, Co-CEO of Tribal Nova.
Toronto – Breakthrough Films & Television has started production on Stay Tooned (13 x 30′), a new live action factual entertainment series that examines the animated programs and characters that have greatly influenced pop culture.
our popular culture. Each episode will be an entertaining, comical mix of interviews from experts, celebrities and fans, along with cartoon clips and behind-the-scenes footage. The series celebrates how ‘toons shaped and reflected our culture – then and now. Funny, entertaining and touching, Stay Tooned is a love letter to the golden era of Saturday morning cartoons, and is produced by Breakthrough Films & Television in association with Creator/Producer, Dale Burshtein and Canwest. Airing on TVtropolis, Stay Tooned will be internationally distributed by Breakthrough Entertainment.
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