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NEWS
Grizzy And The Lemmings set to screen on Mango in China
I Eurodata’s Avril Blondelot
BUGS, RABBITS AND DRAGONS WORK FOR KIDS “DISCOVERY, family, imagination and fun are the four key trends in children’s programming in 2017,” Avril Blondelot, head of content insight at Eurodata TV Worldwide, told Saturday’s Binge Watching Session: Kids’ Success Across The Globe. Blondelot alerted buyers to new shows such as Best Bugs (Je suis bien content, France), Digby Dragon (Blue Zoo, UK), and the androgynous lead Will in Will Vs The Future (Amazon Studios). Russia’s favourite rabbit has joined forces with China’s iconic panda in Krash & Hehe, a Sino-Russian co-production for 2019. And the latest game to be adapted for television is Fruit Ninja: Frenzy Force (Halfbrick Studios, Australia). Blondelot also announced the launch of NoTa Kids, Eurodata TV’s new monitoring service focusing on content for younger audiences. “The speed with which new programmes are finding their audience makes daily monitoring of these series very useful,” she said.
NDEPENDENT French production company Studio Hari has signed a deal with Chinese broadcaster Hunan TV to show its animation series Grizzy And The Lemmings. The series was the most-viewed show at last year’s MIPJunior Screenings, where it made its world debut. It will be broadcast on Mango TV, an online platform operated by Hunan Television. The show tells the slapstick stories of a grizzly bear who occupies a forest ranger’s lodge in the Canadian Rockies while he is away, only to find he is sharing his new home with a mischievous gang of lemmings. Grizzy the lazy bear and the lemmings fight it out for the home and all the luxuries inside — including a sauna, home cinema and a popcorn maker — each trying devious tactics to get the lodge all to themselves. Hunan became interested in the show during last year’s MIPCOM and MIPJunior screenings. The deal marks the first time Stu-
Hari International’s Adeline Tormo
dio Hari has collaborated with a Chinese broadcaster. The 3D animation is the creation of Paris-based Studio Hari’s Antoine Rodelet and Josselin Charier. It runs over 78 seven-minute episodes, directed by Victor Moulin, with art direction by Edouard Cellura. Adeline Tormo, head of sales at Hari International, said: “We are thrilled to announce that Grizzy
And The Lemmings will arrive very soon in China thanks to our partnership with Mango TV. This new step is very exciting for the development of the property. “The first place of the series at the last MIPJunior Screenings was a sign of the profession’s passion for our programme and we are pleased to see that this enthusiasm is confirmed with this Chinese collaboration.”
WeKids aims to incubate new talent SEAN Chu, founder and CEO of WeKids, welcomed the global kids community to MIPJunior at the WeKids-sponsored MIPJunior Networking Lunch. He thanked the “more than 220 producers and distributors who believed in us and licensed their
properties to us”. He added: “We welcome more opportunities to work with you, from acquisition to pre-buying, gap financing and co-productions.” WeKids specialises in the distribution and brand management of high-quality animation in China,
Xiaomi’s Cindy Lee (left), with WeKids’ Sean Chu and Daniel Victor
and has offices in Beijing, Shenzhen and New York. It is now, alongside Canadian producers Nelvana and Toon Boom Animation, embarking on a fresh adventure: an animation incubator competition to discover innovative Chinese talent making creative properties for the global market. Submissions of animated shorts will be accepted from January 2018 and the winners will secure development deals with Nelvana, WeKids and Toon Boom. Chu also thanked Xiaomi, a Beijing-based tech company that is a major investor in, and partner of, WeKids. It has sold more than 160 million smartphones and 70 million smart-TV and OTT boxes in China.
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15/10/2017 20:49