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On the Internet since 1996: www.AWN.com

An ANIMATION WORLD NETWORK Publication

October 29, 2003

M I P C O M 2 0 0 3 S P E C I A L F O L L O W - U P E D I T I O N

ANIMATIONFLASH

Angeles-based production was pre-sented by Buena Vista International TVand is part of the Discovery Kids sched-ule in the U.S. My Goldfish is Evil, fromSardine Productions in Canada, finishedin third place.

Alphanim Tops RecordBreaking MIPCOM Jr. Screenings

Alphanims Creepschool ended upon top of the busy MIPCOM JuniorScreenings October 8-9, 2003 inCannes. The animated series, whichthe French studio produced with Ger-man EM.TV and Happy Life Animation(Sweden), was the most screened

show by broadcasters from aroundthe world. The screenings themselvesbroke all viewing records since Ju-niors launch in 1996. Program buyersmade a total of 13,815 screenings, a15% increase over the previous yearand broke the old record of 12,572viewings set in 2000.

Porchlight Entertainments Tuten-stein came in a close second. The Los

[See MIP Jr., Page 9

Four Eyes Outlook Bright ForPorchLight & Pictor MediaPorchLight Entertainment and

Pictor Media were happy to see theirFour Eyes, a 52x12 series, place 12that the MIPCOM JR. screenings. Theseries is being produced for FRANCE3 and has already been picked up forairing by Disney Channel U.K. Wereexcited about the early response wevebeen getting to Four Eyes, said Bruce

Johnson, president of Porchlight. Itsone of those series that immediatelyelicits laughs, especially from kids.We believe this will translate into greatsales throughout the world. Four Eyes, for kids 6-11, is thecomic adventures of Emma, aspoiled, popular alien girl who failsthe fifth grade and (as punishment!)is sent to a boarding school on Earthto see how the other half lives. Tomake matters worse, she must take

[See PorchLight, Page 10]

Frannys Feet TapsOut 8th Place forDECODE Frannys Feet led to an impres-sive showing at MIPCOM Jr. amongstDECODE Entertainments many of-ferings at MIPCOM 2003. The delight-fully illustrative digital 2D animated

[See DECODE, Page 14]

INSIDE

Banjax Brands Gene-FusionDeals with brand licensing. p.3

Corsham FishingPirate TV by kids. p.3

Abbey Goes Wide EyeWide Eye TV series shown. p.4

HIT Me, Big TimeAnnouncing multiple international

deals for its properties. p.4CinGroupe Trippin3D series launched. p.6

ICON LicensingDistribution, rights and licensingaround the globe. p.6

MarVista acquires WompkeeChristmas comes early. p.7

Marathon MarketingMarketing dollars well spent. p.7

Atomic Arts Sells the PharmHoping to sell The Pharm. p.10

Parijat Studio FormedIndian studio shows and seeks. p.11

Nelvana Brings Mixed SlateHeadlining Oscars Atlas and more. p.11

MTV ComplementedMTVNI adds Comedy & Spike. p.12

RAI Makes HistoryMaking Amazing History. p.12

the form of a nerdy fifth grade hu-man! Her only friends are Pete andSkyler - two equally nerdy boys whoare the only kids at school that knowshes an alien. Her mission: get alongwith lower life forms (Earthlings!),


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ANIMATION FLASH MIPCOM 2003 SPECIAL FOLLOW-UP EDITION October 29, 2003

3 AWN, Inc. 2003. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network.

Gene-Fusion Moves from MIPCOM

to Brand Licensing LondonUpon the deals struck atMIPCOM, Banjax will be taking itsnew show Gene-Fusion to Brand Li-censing London, running October28-29, 2003. The 26x22 series is setto go in production in January afterbroadcast deals are sealed withpartnerships formed at MIPCOM.

Based on an indie comic book, theshow follows the adventures of a crewof kids who travel the World Fusing

Federation in the year 2310 engagingin the Gene-Fusion games. The comicwas created by Beckett Comics presi-dent Jeff Amano. Banjax and Becketthope to sign licensing deals and part-ner with local broadcasters for otherconsumer products.

Richard Morss, md of Banjax,said, The childrens TV universe isshrinking because of games and theInternet. Gene-Fusion related to theworld of games and other media and

contains enough content to give itquality and great commercial poten-tial. It creates a range of artificiallycreated characters and beasts toplay with and give Gene-Fusion a lotof cross platform potential. Gene-Fu-sion has everything a property in thisarea needs and thats been recog-nized by the broadcast community.Weve had a very positive reaction tothe program so far and everyone

here at Banjax is excited about mak-ing it happen.

Banjax originates, produces, sells and

licenses animated content for TV, video/

DVD, games, cinema, publishing and the

Web. For more information, visit

www.banjax.com.

Beckett Comics is a Dallas-based comicbooks publishing firm. For more infor-

mation, visit www.beckettcomics.com.

Banjax Gene-Fusionis based on the indie comic book.

CRK-TV PlansTo Deliver ToBroadcasters

U.K. production company ZooFilms teamed up with Corsham Entto launch the 26x11 CGI series CRK-TVat MIPCOM. CRK-TVis a pirate TVshow made by kids for kids - exceptthe kids making this TV show arefish!

Based out back of an old sunkengalleon-turned pizza restaurantCRK-TV broadcasts for three hours a

day, an often chaotic must-see mix omusic, chat, news, games and com-petitions, and no young fish or crus-tacean in their right minds wouldmiss it, least of all former singingstar turned presenter, Genos Satur-day Night Sole Special.

But they dont keep their opera-tion hidden because its illegal theydo it because over at the aquaticmega-broadcaster Coral Corps TVthere are certain jealous types thattotally resent CRKs ratings successThese kids are beating the grown-ups at their own game, and thosegrown-ups would go to any lengthsto close them down but they haveto find them first!

Zoo Films is made up of industryveterans Neil Graham, BrendanHoughton and Nic Camecho, who, col-lectively, have production credits onFamily Guy, 101 Dalmations, The WildThornberrysand Rugratsmovies andThe Tigger Movie, to name but a few

Zoo Films also recently completedOgri, the half-hour animated versionof the classic U.K. cult comic strip.

Corsham Ent. was recently setup by Gary Kurtz, whose long list oproducer credits includes Star Warsand Empire Strikes Back, British ani-mator Richard Bazley (HerculesPocahontas) and writer/producerAlastair Swinnerton, who createdLEGOs multi-platform hit, Bionicle.

[See Corsham, Page 15]


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Abbey Home Media Group GoesPublic with Wide Eye

Abbey Home Media Group pre-sented the multimedia launch of theWide Eye television series at thisyears MIPCOM. Co-produced withthe BBC and made by the BAFTAaward-winning King Rollo Films, the26x10 2D animation series is due toair on CBeebies and CBeebies onBBC Two this fall. The educationalpreschool series features animalcharacters and music plus voiceoversfrom actors such as Jane Horrocks

(Little Voice).Ian Miles, chairman and ceo of

Abbey Home Media, said, We aredelighted to be at MIPCOM with whatwe believe is our most exciting everroster of properties. With productssuch as Wide Eye spearheading aportfolio of entertaining and originalchildrens programming, we are con-fident that this market will be a greatsuccess for Abbey.

Other properties Abbey Home Mediabrought to MIPCOM include:

Lost in the Snow, co-produced withCarlton Television, is a 30-minuteanimated Christmas special featur-ing the voices of Hugh Laurie (StuartLittle) and Helen Baxendale (ColdFeet). The show was created byaward-winning Honeycomb Anima-tion. When Lily goes out to play in thesnow, she leaves her special friendTeddy on the window ledge and soonenough Teddy is whisked away on aroller coaster adventure.

Teddy Trucks (13x5) is based on thebest-selling books by award-winningauthor and illustrator, Michelle Cart-ledge. The series was developed inconjunction with BBC ChildrensTelevision. The show follows a bearstransport company and its busy teamof drivers.

Bump (26x5) is a preschool series tell-ing the story of Bump, a little elephantwho is always accidentally bumpinginto things. The show is written by

Christopher James and directed byDennis Hooper.

MacDonalds Farm is a collection oanimal stories co-produced withGMTV, and based on internationallypopular themes.

Baby Bright(1 x 42, 1 x 30) was devel-oped in conjunction with ProfessorAnnette Karmiloff-Smith, head of theneurocognitive development unit at

Great Ormond Street Hospital, one othe worlds leading authorities in babydevelopment. Geared toward babiesthe program is full of attractive colorsmovement, objects and music.

Ian and Anne Miles, the co-founders o

the Abbey Home Media Group, have

spent 13 years working with television

broadcasters to develop award-winning

television programming. The company is

recognized as one of the U.K.s most vi-

brant forces in international childrens

productions.

HIT Entertainment Seals International DealsHIT Ent. announced multiple in-

ternational deals for its propertiesBarney, Angelina Ballerina, Thomas& Friends and Bob the Builder atMIPCOM.

Dubai TV has launched Barney

on free TV in the Middle East, Theprogram debuted there in 2000 andhas seen growing success. A liveshow is underway for early 2004. Aswell, the series has been licensed toHong Kong ATV World Channel. Inaddition, video deals have beensigned for Argentina, Peru and Chile.

HITs Angelina Ballerina debutedon Nick Jr. in the U.K. on October 6,2003. This deal coincides with a di-rect-to-video feature on October 13,

a ballet music CD and the secondyear of sponsorship of the EnglishNational Ballets Christmas produc-tion of The Nutcracker. Also, ItalysMediaset has acquired the secondseason of the show as well as the

Christmas special.Thomas & Friends will arrive inItaly via The Disney Channel startingDecember 2003. The 39x5 series willair as part of Playhouse Disneyblockweekday mornings. The channelplans to launch a marketing cam-paign to new mothers to promote theseries.

HIT and The Original Traffic Co.(OTC) have signed a new video dealfor Bob the Builder in Benelux. The

new agreement will give OTC thevideo rights to season seven andeight as well as the special Knights oCan A Lot.

Other programs HIT took toMIPCOM included: Fireman Samo

swald, international hit Pingu, Rubbadubbersand Yoko! Toto! Jakamoto

HIT Ent. PLC is one of the worlds leading

independent childrens entertainmen

producers and rights owners. The com-

pany includes live-action and animation

production studios in both the U.S. and

U.K. as well as home entertainment, li-

censing and publishing operations. Fo

more information, visit www.hitentertain

ment.com.


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CinGroupe Brings Film RomansTripping the Rift to Europe

CinGroupe, along with Film Ro-man, launched its new 3D animationseries Tripping the Rift at MIPCOM2003 in Cannes, France. The sci-fispoof follows the adventures of Chode,the horny purple captain of the FreeEnterprise, and his conflicted and ex-treme crew, as they travel the uni-verse, looking to make a quick buckand avoid getting thrown in jail.

Based on an award-winningWeb-short on LEVEL13.net, this

13x30 series was created by ChuckAusten and Chris Moeller, and writ-ten by Terry Sweeney (Mad TV, Satur-day Night Live) and Lanier Laney(Saturday Night Live). The show willair on the SCI FI Channel in the U.S.and on SPACE: The Imagination Sta-

tion in Canada.Marie-Christine Dufour, Cine-

Groupe evp, distribution and licens-ing, said, Working with Film Roman(The Simpsons, King of the Hill) wasfantastic it was great to combineour know-how on this edgy, way-outthere series. Late teens and youngadults are going to love its provoca-tive humor, not to mention the sexcyborg Six. Tripping the Rift will at-tract a whole new audience.

CineGroupe is a leader in state-of-the

art animation, CGI, 2D/3D backgrounds

and special effects. CineGroupe is the

animation partner of Lions Gate Enter-

tainment. For more information, visi

www.cinegroupe.com.

CinGroupe teamed with Film RomansTripping the Rift.

ICON Animation

Makes DealsAround the GlobeAnnounced in connection with its

visit to MIPCOM, ICON Animation hassigned multiple international deals.

ICON and Barcelona-based li-censing agency BIPLANO havesigned a wide collaboration agree-ment in which each company willhandle the rights to licensing and TVfor Mimi & Mr. Bobo (26x26), Mimi &

the Gang (26x6 / 7x26 / 13x1) and Clif-ford, the Big Red Dog (50x24). Mimitells of the adventures of a nice girland her five friends, who form asimple neighborhood gang causinghavoc all over the city. The series hasbeen sold to more than 20 countriesand will be broadcast by TVE and FOXKIDS. The next step will be to expandthe agreement to encompass otherseries from both companies andother companies with whom negotia-

tions are already underway.ICON and Millimages have

signed a co-distribution agree-ment for their respective prop-erties. ICON will handle the availabledistribution of the current Millimagescatalog in Spain, Portugal and LatinAmerica, which consists of such titlesas Corneil & Bernie, Hilltop Hospitaland 64 Zoo Lane. Millimages will over-see the distribution of Mimi & Mr. Boboand Mimi & the Gang, in French-speaking Europe.

ICON has also been pushing itsnew series Lola & Virgina (52x11 or26x22), which placed 19th in most-viewed shows at MIPCOM Jr. Target-ed to kids 7-11, the show follows Lola,a poor girl who despite her bargainbasement clothes becomes crownedqueen of her neighborhood until herreign is interrupted by the arrival ofVirginia, a stuck-up girl who has itall: beauty, boys, good grades andrich parents.

ICON Animation is a Barcelona-based ani

mation production company. For furthe

details, visit www.icon-animation.com.

ICONs Corneil & Bernie.


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Marathon Makes Marketing

Moves at MIPCOMWith a striking decrease in mar-keting dollars flowing into this yearsMIPCOM, French production firmMarathon emerged as a clearly visiblepresence at this years event. Unlikeprevious years, companies sponsoredless parties and program-advertisingsignage plastered around the city ofCannes was thin. However, Marathonstepped forward with mucho market-ing dollars, sponsoring the official

market tote bag with a Martin Mysterytheme for MIPCOM Jr. As well, thecompany sponsored the MIPCOMopening night diner, which featured alive fashion show.

Marathons toon titles include:

Martin Mystery(65x30) was created byVincent Chalvon-Demersay and DavidMichel and directed by Stphane Ber-ry. The show follows Martin and Diana:

two mismatched teenagers with op-posite personalities on a mission toinvestigate the weirdest paranormaenigmas and the slimiest creaturesfrom beyond. Marathon is co-produc-ing the series with M6 and RAI. Presswere treated to a special sceeningparty co-sponored with Canal J wherethe series will premiere October 232003.

Totally Spies follows three typicaBeverly Hills girls who get catapultedinto the dangerous world of interna-tional espionage. The series is sold inmore than 100 countries and airs inthe U.S. on Cartoon Network. Thethird season is in production with thesame creative team behind MartinMystery. The show is a co-productionof Marathon, TF1, ABC Family, FoxKids Europe and Channel Four.

Songwriter producers Con Fullam and Maura Clarke created the elfin-like Wompkees.

[See Marathon, Page 12]

MarVistaEntertainment

AcquiresWompkeeChristmas

MarVista Entertainment has ac-quired the worldwide television dis-tribution rights for A Very WompkeeChristmas. The one-hour 3D animat-ed special began sales at MIPCOM.Sony Wonder has the U.S. home en-

tertainment rights. The story followsthe littlest Wompkee Twig as shehopes her Christmas wish to fly likethe others will come true.

In the special, its Christmas Evein the magical world of WompkeeWood as the big-eared, elfin friends,the Wompkees, are preparing for awonderful Christmas celebration.Twig, the littlest Wompkee, longinglyhopes that her biggest wish ever, willcome true. She wants to fly like allthe other Wompkees! Luckily, Twigwill get her Christmas wish just intime to save Wompkee Wood and theChristmas Celebration from the dia-bolical designs of the evil ice witch,Iglora Borealis.

A Very Wompkee Christmas is aheartwarming story full of courageand laughter that features 3D anima-tion, a sweeping soundtrack and origi-nal songs for the whole family to enjoy.

Songwriter producers Con Fullamand Maura Clarke created the elfin-

like Wompkees characters in 1994,which debuted as a puppet show on lo-cal TV in Maine. The show inspired alicensing initiative that included plushtoys, books, audiotapes and, in 1995, aposition in the prestigious MacysThanksgiving Day Parade.

MarVista Ent. (www.marvista.com) was

founded in 2003 by Whamo Entertain-

ment principals, Joseph Szew, Fernando

Szew and Mar Gaya along with former

PorchLight svp of worldwide sales, Mi-

chael Jacobs, and George Port, founder

and former ceo of Anchor Bay Entertain-

ment. The company is in the business of

distributing, producing and merchandis-

ing entertainment content worldwide

and on all platforms. MarVista is head-

quartered in Venice, California with

branch offices in Boston and Barcelona

Spain.


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www.carltonint.co.uk

FUNKY VALLEY

FUNKY VALLEY 26 x 5 minutes

THE ISLAND OF INIS COOL 26 x 13 minutes

Big Stories for

Little People


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[MIP Jr. from Page 1]

Funny thing is that neither Alphanimnor Prochlight knew about placing in thetop two until AWNeditor Sarah Baisleycongratulated them at their booths dur-ing MIPCOM. Alphanims director of dis-

tribution and co-productions, Julie Foxreceived her many pages of screeningsreports, but nothing said her companyhad the top screened program.

Alphanims Hairy Scary also madeseventh place and Porchlights Four Eyeswas near the top of the pack in 11th place.Futurikon (France), DECODE (Canada)and Icon Animation (Spain) also had twoshows each ranked in the top 30 amongst738 programs screened. Registeredcompanies rose from 364 the previousyear to 383 in 2003, with increases inseller and buyer companies at thisMIPCOM Jr. U.S. attendance grew by41.3% with 65 companies, Canada by31% with 38 studios and Germany by25% with 30 companies.

Sellers presented 738 programsthis year (695 last year, +6%) including339 titles presented for the first timeever (319 last year, +6%). 704 partici-pants attended the event (685 last year,+2.77%). On the right is a list of top 30most screened programs:

Nicole Feenstra (far left) and Sarah Baisley (far right)of AWNwith PorchLight Entertainment founders BruceJohnson and William T. Baumann, toasting theirsuccess.

1 Creepschool Alphanim (France),EM.TV & Merchandising AG (Germany),Happy Life Animation AB (Sweden)

2 Tutenstein (U.K.), Porchlight Ent.(U.S.A.)

3 My Goldfish is Evil Sardine Prods.

(Canada)4 Peppa Pig Contender Ent. (U.K.)5 Shaolin Kids Les Cartooneurs Assoc.

(France)6 Winx Club Rainbow (Italy)7 Hairy Scary Alphanim (France)8 Frannys Feet DECODE Ent. (Canada)9 Dragon Hunters Futurikon (France)

10 Duel Masters Entertainment Rights (U.K.)11 Four Eyes Porchlight Ent. (U.S.A.)12 Bali CinGroupe (Canada)13 Code Lyoko Antefilms (France)14 Martin Mystery Marathon (France)15 All Grown Up Nickelodeon/MTV (U.S.A.)16 The Boy Filmoption Intl Inc. (Canada)17 Seaside Hotel TeleImages Intl (France)18 The Gnoufs Millimages (U.K.)19 Lola & Virginia Icon Animation (Spain)20 Rip XL Icon Animation (Spain)21 Odd Family TF1 Intl (France)22 The Farm Ellipsanime (France)23 The Infinite Darcy Cybergraphix Animation (U.S.A.)24 The Koala Brothers Spellbound Ent. Ltd. (U.K.)25 Ebb and Flo VGI Ent. Ltd. (U.K.)26 Germs Futurikon (France)

27 Kid Paddle Dupuis (France)28 The Adventures of Little Brown Bear Darguad Marina (France)29 The Island of Inis Cool Carlton (U.K.)30 Freaks of Nature DECODE Ent. (Canada)

MIPCOM: International Film & Program Market for TV, Video, Cable and Satellite is

with MIP-TV, the leading International Television Program Market. MIPCOM 2002 fea-

tured 10,272 executives, 2721 companies including 1,190 exhibiting companies. MIPCOM

and MIPCOM Jr. are run by Reed MIDEM, an organizer of top-level international trade

events in Cannes and overseas. Reed MIDEMs portfolio also includes MIPTV, MIPCOM

Jr., MIPDOC (Television); MIDEM (Music); MILIA (Interactive Media); MIPIM; and MAPIC

(Property). For more information, visit www.mipcom.com.

Tutensteinimage courtesy ofPorchLight Entertainment.


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[PorchLight from Page 1]

Emma of Four Eyes, image courtesy ofPorchLight Entertainment.

pass the fifth grade, and get off thisbackward planet!

Its a cosmic universe of richcomedic adventures, indeed quiteupside down, while also being a par-able of human tolerance, accordingto director Patrick Claeys.

We were impressed with DarrylKluskowskys art and series conceptfrom the moment we first saw it, saidFred Schaefer, PorchLights VP of ani-mation. It has now evolved into a very

hip, very funny series.PorchLight Ent. is a multi-facetedentertainment company located in LosAngeles focused on the production anddistribution of high-quality family en-tertainment. Since its formation in 1995by veteran entertainment executivesJohnson and William T. Baumann,PorchLight has produced several ani-mated series including Tutenstein (Dis-covery Kids & NBC), Jay Jay the Jet-plane (PBS) and Adventures from the

Book of Virtues(PBS) as well as featurefilms for Animal Planet, PAX, The Dis-ney Channel, Family Channel andShowtime. PorchLights distribution li-brary consists of more than 500 halfhours of programming including 70movies.

Pictor Media, created in November

2000, has evolved into a diversified

production and distribution group spe-

cializing in high quality youth programs

for the international market. First fo-

cusing on animated series, Pictor Mediahas producedShtoing Circus (France 3),

is producing Loulou of Montmartre with

Animation Band (France 3/RAI) and de-

veloping several ambitious, exciting

programs including series (The Blue

Wolves), specials (Mark Logan, a Kid in

Hollywood) and feature films (Zarafah).

Pictor Media enjoys a solid network of

production and distribution partners in

Europe and Asia and is a shareholder of

PRAXINOS in Montpellier, a leading

pre-production studio known for its

creative input in several successful se

ries of the last decade.

Atomic Arts Hopes To Sell Animal Pharm

Probably one of the most adultanimated offerings at MIPCOM wasAtomic Arts Animal Pharm. Recentlysponsored by Channel 4 for thisyears Cartoon Forum in Varese, Italy,Atomic created the 3D (13x24) come-dy series in-house, slated for pro-duction later this year, to be co-pro-duced between Atomics U.K. andeastern European studios.

Targeted at a 16-34 audience, Ani-

mal Pharm is based around a mentalinstitution run by the half pig-birds whoare using it as a testing ground for theirhugely profitable business AnimalPharmaceuticals. The series centerson the conflicts between the patientsneeds and the commercial interests ofthe staff, and all their mad adventureswithin. Madcap adventures involvecross-dressing, bizarre sexual acts andtortuous medical tests. The designs andthe situations are strikingly funny, nicelyrendered in 3D.

Sean OKelly, exec producer andmd of Atomic Entertainment Ltd., thelong form arm of the Atomic Groupsaid, This is the first truly in-houseanimated series for Atomic, we re-cently opened studios in eastern Eu-rope and now have the resources totake on series work. We have plowed alot of time, energy, and sheer madnessinto the development to ensure our end

product is quality entertainment. We

have a great cast including WilliamHootkins (Star Wars/Batman/HitchcockBlonde) as Randy, the sex addictedpanda; and Maria Darling (Bob theBuilder/Rubbadubbers) as Bella, thebulimic whale amongst others.

Atomics Arts is an independent televi-

sion and film production company

formed a decade ago, dedicated to ani

mation and live-action. Atomics re

sources of more than 30 workstations

and editing facilities provide the perfec

environment for its group of writers, producers, directors, character animators

and programmers to create corporate

presentations, commercials, music vid

eos, animated series, documentary con

tent, title sequences, film effects, brand-

ing and interactive design. For more on

Atomic and Animal Pharm check ou

www.atomicarts.net and www.animal

pharm.org.


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Parijat Studio Brings OriginalContent From India

Recently formed Parijat Studiomade its first MIPCOM trip to showits new, original offerings and seek

joint ventures or co-productions, ac-cording to Atish Tripathi, md of theanimation studio in India.

Bob & the Machine, isone of two pilots Parijit Stdudio is working on.

Tripathi describes the genesis ofhis studio:Once upon a time, not so very long ago(October 2002 to be precise) two younganimators, Atish Tripathi and NalinThakur, decided to join hands together

and produce their own cartoons. Whatfollowed was months of burning themidnight oil, writing stories and draw-ing characters. And then, one day, on a

balmy morning of February 2003, theydecided to quit their jobs and formedtheir own animation production com-pany called Parijat Studio.

Located in downtown Hyderabad, India

Parijat Studio is an independent and en-

ergetic animation company that aims to

produce new and original content fo

television and other media worldwide

People at Parijat Studio are bringing to-

gether their experience, creativity and

passion to create cartoons which can

entertain young and young at heart alover the world, said Tripathi.

Parijat is working on two pilots, Boris Des

mond & Hubert andBob & the Machine

Created, written and directed by Tripath

and Thakur, the shows are full of irrever-

ent humor and explosive entertainment

To find out more about the shows and the

studio, e-mail [email protected]

Nelvana Brings Mixed Slate withNew In-house Offerings

Corus Entertainments Nelvanapearched on top of the Palais salesactivities in its usual penthouse standat MIPCOM 2003 with a strong lineupof new releases and a sneak peak ata powerful roster of developing titles.Headlining the new show slate wereOscars Atlas, The Mall, Delta State

and Backyardigans. Oscars Atlas, a 26x30 mixed me-dia adventure series for kids 6-11 set,stars a map-loving nine-year-oldwho travels the world in a very spe-cial hot air balloon with his bestfriend Shashi. Set in the most sacredof teen hangouts, animated tweensitcom The Mall (26x30) follows theminimum wage adventures of sixpals who share maximum laughs asthey lean on one another for support.

Trippy, teen sci-fi series Delta State(26x30), a combination of animationand rotoscope technology, checks inwith four twenty-something anti-he-roes with supernatural powers. Andnow that its co-pro with Nickelodeonon Backyardigans (20x30) is in fullswing, Nelvana will be shopping the

show outside of the U.S.Nelvana (www.nelvana.com) hada pretty original development slate,which features some properties frombooks and a number of new showssuggested by Nelvana staffers dur-ing an ambitious in-house pitch pro-gram, an innovative move for the newNelvana as it continues to changeunder its farily recent new owner,Corus Ent.

For the core kids 6-11, Nelvana is

offering boys action series Shockrockets (26x30), original shortssmorgasbordFunpak(52x5 minutes)science-adventure show Future isWild (26x30), action series Di-GataWarriors (26x30) and action-adven-ture toon Broken Sky. And in thetween angst category, the 2D comedy

Whats Bugging Becky? (26x30) ex-plores the emotional highs and lowsof teen life through the eyes of thesmart, sometimes neurotic and al-ways hilarious Becky Brooks.

To successfully build a brandwe study all appropriate revenue op-portunities within the consumerproducts universe, said Doug Mur-phy, evp of business developmentEach property in our new slate has a

[See Nelvana, Page 15]


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MTV Intl Gains Comedy Central& Spike TV LibraryAdult Party Cartoon,

Gary the Rat andStripperella.

Kathleen Hricik,evp, Intl ProgramEnterprises, MTVNetworks Intl, said,Adding ComedyCentrals ground-breaking shows andcutting-edge origi-nals to our interna-tional library ofproduct is part of an

overall strategictransition since thenetwork became

part of MTV Networks family in June2003. Comedy Central is a perfectcomplement to our lineup, which in-cludes MTV, VH1 and Nickelodeon,and further positions MTVNI as theultimate source of TV entertainmentcovering a breadth of diverse genresto meet the ever-changing needs ofour clients. Gary the Rat, Stripperellaand The Ren & Stimpy Adult Party

Cartoon bring new creativity, talen

and the unique Spike TV sensibility toour existing genres and, like all of ourshows, represent our ongoing com-mitment to offering the most ambi-tious, dynamic and innovative pro-gramming on television.

Hricik hosted one of the few bigevening parties at MIPCOM for buyerspartners and press to introduce all to

the many genres of programming sheis promoting around the world.

MTV Networks International Program

Enterprises is responsible for all inter

national program syndication and licens

ing activities for MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon

and Comedy Central. MTV Networks In-

ternational brands include MTV, VH1

Nickelodeon, TMF (The Music Factory

and Game One.

MTV Networks International (MT-VNI) announced at MIPCOM that itwould handle the international distri-bution and licensing for Comedy Cen-tral and Spike TV properties. BothComedy Central and Spike TV arewholly owned by MTV Networks.Comedy Central airs animated pro-grams South Parkand Kid Notoriousand Spike TV airs The Ren & Stimpy

MTVNI will handle international distribution and licensing forComedy Centrals South Park

RAI Trade Launches Amazing HistoryRAI Trade held a special launch re-

ception for its new edutainment series,Amazing History, at its stand duringMIPCOM. The series strives to explain, inan entertaining manner for kids andadults, great historical events via live ac-tion and lots of computer graphics, nar-

rated by 3D animated hosts Mr. Chan, analien from Mars, and Betty the sheep.They are tutored by the impeccable Prof.Felix Copperpotsky (played by versatileactor Enzo Salomone), as they guideviewers from prehistoric times, to learn-ing about mummies, Vikings, the Cru-sades, the discovery of America, theFrench Revolution, the Mayans and In-cas, Japanese samurais, right up to apresent day soccer championship.

It reveals for example, why the

Celts went into battle without anyclothes on, how the ancient Romansdid their shopping, which Chinese em-peror was deposed by his mother andhow the Egyptians extracted mum-mies brains through their noses.

The Discovery Channel for Canada has al-ready purchased the new series, slated for

completion in early 2004. Recently set up

Lumiq Studios in Turin, Italy, is co-produc-

ing the series alongside RAI Sat Ragazzi.

The new studio boats state-of-the-art

post-production facilities as well as 3D ani-

mation technology. The show, based upon

an idea by Aldo Zappala, will include inter-

views, quizzes and valuable footage from

the RAI archives. Live action scenes will be

shot in Italy, Holland, Japan and Romania.

Marsupilami (52x30) follows theworlds favorite mascot as he teamswith a 10-year-old boy. The show isa Marathon /France 3/Canal J/Merchandising Munchen co-pro-duction.

Marathon was founded in 1990 by Oliv-

ier Brmond and Pascal Breton. In

1999, Vincent Chalvon-Demersay

joined the Group in order to develo

animation production. Marathon International, which was also created in

1990, is the Groups international sales

division; it distributes both Marathons

programs and acquisitions from other

producers around the world. Thrunn

Anspach heads this company. Mara

thon opened an animation studio in

Berlin in 2000. The Marathon Group

employs more than 30 permanent staf

members. For more information, visi

www.marathon.fr.

[Marathon from Page 7]

COMEDY CENTRAL IS A PERFECT

COMPLEMENT TO OUR LINEUP


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AWN, Inc.

6525 Sunset Blvd.Garden Suite 10Los Angeles, CA 90028United States[T] 323 606-4200[F] 323 466-6619

[email protected]

www.awn.com

P U B L I S H I N G

PRESIDENT

Ron DiamondCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Dan Sarto

O P E R A T I O N S

GENERAL MANAGER

Gina Ruiz

E D I T O R I A L

AWN EDITOR

Sarah BaisleyVFXWORLD EDITOR

Bill DesowitzMANAGING EDITOR

Rick DeMottEDITORIAL ADMINISTRATOR

Darlene Chan

C O N T R I B U T I O N

AUTHORS

Sarah BaisleyRick DeMottBill Desowitz

W E B D E V / A R T

WEB MASTER/DEVELOPER

Mike DunlopART DIRECTOR

Deron Yamada

A D V E R T I S I N G

SALES

Dan Sarto - [email protected] Feenstra - [email protected][T] 323 606-4213

Randall Gee - [email protected][T] 323 606-4218

An ANIMATION WORLD NETWORK Publication

[DECODE from Page 1]

show (13x30 or 3x7 per half hour)placed eighth in the MIPCOM Jr.screenings. Frannys Feet is a pre-

school series that tells the excitingstories of a little girl whose fantasticfeet take her on magical adventureswhen she tries on shoes in hergrandfathers repair shop. The seriesis commissioned by Channel Five inthe U.K. and the Family Channel inCanada.

Many a MIPCOM attendeetracked their feet over the gangplankto the DECODE yacht docked along-side the Palais to partake of wine,goodies, show talk and laughs. Insid-

ers and long acquaintances of DE-CODE co-founder Neil Court wereseen sporting buttons bearing hisphoto as devoted fans of the notori-ously charming distributor in a good-hearted prank his officemates playedon him.

DECODE Ent. brought a widerange of distinctive live-action andanimated series including, the newteen comedy drama Radio Free Ros-coewith The Blobheads, King and TheSave-Ums!

Radio Free Roscoe follows thelives of four diverse and quirky teen-agers who launch an anonymous un-derground radio station where theyvoice the hopes, fears and confusionof their generation. Radio Free Ros-coe also has an Internet radio com-ponent that spans the gap betweenthe weekly episodes. The Internet el-ement allows fans of the series totune to the web show in the same waythat the tweens in Roscoe tune in to

the regular radio broadcast.Created by Will and Doug McRobb(The Adventures of Pete and Pete), the26x30 series is commissioned by TheN, Noggins nighttime network forteens owned by Nickelodeon. Theseries is also set to air on The FamilyChannel in Canada. The Blobheads(26 x30) featuresan extraordinary mix of CGI anima-tion and live-action. With one flush ofhis toilet, 14 year-old Billy Barness

life changes forever when the mor-phing, mess-making Zerek, Kerekand Derek arrive from Planet Blob.They have come to protect the Em-

peror of the Universe, who just sohappens to be Billys baby brotherSilas. Now Billy not only has to tryand survive grade 9, but he also hasto deal with purple and red Blob-heads living in his room.

A DECODE co-production withU.K. independent Wark Clements,The Blobheads, has been snapped upby Nickelodeon for its U.K. and inter-national channels, French broad-caster Canal J, Canadas CBC andZDF in Germany.

The Save-Ums! (26x30) are thenew breed of 3D animated action he-roes who will help prepare pre-schoolers for their role in the 21stcentury. The colorful pint-sizedSave-Ums utilize whimsical helicop-ters, space ships and other cool ma-chines to solve problems and nurturean interest in technology and criticalthinking. Pre-schoolers will learnthe principle of cause and effect andthe impact of co-operative play.Commissioned by Discoverys TheLearning Channel and DiscoveryKids in the U.S, and by the CBC inCanada, The Save-Ums! is airing onFive in the U.K.

The 2D animated series, King(26x22) follows the adventures of aboy called Russell whose world isturned upside down as he discovers aportal under his bed, which takeshim to a kingdom where he is king.The series is a co-production be-tween DECODE and Funbag Prods.

for the Family Channel in Canada.

Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in

London, DECODE (www.decode.tv) de-

velops, finances, produces and distrib-

utes live action and animated program-

ming for the family, childrens and youth

markets. From traditional cel animation

to live action with special effects, to the

unique 2D cut-and-paste animation of

Angela Anaconda, DECODE is at the cut-

ting edge of family entertainment.


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Corsham is also shopping the

Christmas special Jack Frost, beingexec produced by Snowman veteranJohn Coates, as well as Terranoids,a boys action toon being co-pro-duced with French studio TEVA andSpin Ent. of Canada.

Other projects on Corshams de-velopment slate include Atomic Mon-sters, with Canadas Context Pictures,andBollywood Road, with Indian studioUTV Toons.

Corsham Ent. gets its name from the

location of Bazleys studio within theBath Studios complex at Corsham, Wilt-

shire, which will be Corshams produc-

tion base. Corsham intends to animate

many of its productions in-house, draw-

ing on the areas considerable wealth of

animation talent, according to the prin-

cipals, with the exception of those proj-

ects already under co-pro agreements.

For more information call/fax Swinner-

ton at +44.1935.428.777.

[Corsham from Page 3]

Pirate TV show, CRK-TV, is a show made by fish.

Super Stan Lee bounded the continents to beDIC Ent. chairman Andy Heywards man of thehour during DICs dinner party to promoteStan Lees The Secret of the Super Six. Formore extensive reactions, news and observa-tions about MIPCOM, check out AnimationWorld Magazinesstory on MIPCOM 2003available at www.awn.com on October 30.

thoughtful brand-building plan thatincorporates home entertainment, in-teractive, licensing and merchandis-ing, music, publishing andsponsorship/alliances.

Our combined roster of new anddeveloping series creates a powerfulstatement of diverse, quality enter-tainment, said Scott Dyer, evp, pro-duction and development. From boysaction to preschool to education, wetruly have something for every broad-

caster in our MIPCOM 2003 arsenal.

Nelvana is one of the worlds leading in-

ternational producers and distributors of

childrens programming and products.

Nelvana is owned by Corus Ent., a Cana-

dian-based media and entertainment

company. Corus is a market leader in

both specialty TV and radio. The compa-

nys other interests include music, tele-

vision broadcasting and advertising ser-

vices (www.corusentertainment.com).

[Nelvana from Page 11]

awn flash mipcom2003 hr4

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