Category: Kids

MUMBAI: Turner International India creative director – original productions Maya Rao has put in her papers.
Rao was handling the programming of Turner‘s two kids channels – Cartoon Network and Pogo – in India.
 
Confirming the development to Indiantelevision.com, Turner International India Vice President and deputy general manager – entertainment networks, South Asia, Monica Tata said, “Yes, Rao has decided to move on from Turner to pursue new opportunities. She will be completing the production commitments for this year and her last working day with us will be in December.”

Prior to joining Turner, Rao was creative director at Miditech.

MUMBAI: Kids entertainment channel Nick has unnveiled its special programming lineup to celebrate Christmas and New Year with its target audience.

Beginning 1 December, the channel will launch the ‘Nick Lift Your Gift‘ contest wherein kids have to answer questions that will be asked between 6-8 pm from Monday to Friday. 
 
As part of the ‘Nick Dora Super Sundays‘ initiative, the channel will air Dora‘s Pirate Adventure Stories on 20 December at 8 am and Dora Fairytale Adventures on 27 December at 8 am.

Nick will also launch the ‘Nick Super-Hits block‘, beginning 23 December, wherein Ninja Hattori, Oggy & The Cockroaches, Perman and Hibi Maruko Chan will be telecast back to back from Monday to Friday (3-5.30 pm).
 

MUMBAI: KidsCo has started beaming across Cyprus on CytaVision and will feature programmes like The Wiggles.

KidsCo will be part of the children‘s TV package of CytaVision. The channel will air a mix of animated and live-action shows like Duckula and original programming such as Jass Time! and Boo & Me.
 
Commented KidsCo managing director Paul Robinson, “Over the last year, we have expanded into multiple territories, investing in some classic content while also developing our own original shows.

“The goal now is to ensure this programming reaches a global audience. To do this, we need to work with TV operators that share our vision of providing high-quality, engaging but educational shows to our audience. CytaVision is as dedicated to this as KidsCo and we look forward to working together as we continue to expand.”

MUMBAI: US broadcaster ABC is set to air the special, Dreams Come True: A Celebration of Disney Animation, come 4 December.

The special will take a “look back” at 75 years of Disney magic on the silver screen and a “look ahead” to the new animated adventure comedy, The Princess and the Frog.
 
The show‘s host Vanessa Williams is joined by some of the brightest stars of television, movies, music and sports, who share their favourite memories of Disney animation.

This one-hour special explores the key ingredients of Disney films, the characters, artistry and music as well as the power they have to inspire and influence real-life dreams.

There will also be an exclusive sneak peek from The Princess and the Frog, which opens in the US on 11 December.

From John Musker and Ron Clements, the directors of The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, this animated adventure comedy is a modern twist on a classic tale, featuring a beautiful girl named Tiana, a frog prince who desperately wants to be human again, and a fateful kiss that leads them both on a hilarious adventure set in 1920s New Orleans and the mystical bayous of Louisiana. The Princess and the Frog marks Disney‘s return to the hand-drawn animated musical.

Some of the stars sharing their favourite Disney memories in Dreams Come True: A Celebration of Disney Animation include Miley Cyrus, Whoopi Goldberg, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sir Elton John, Magic Johnson, Sigourney Weaver, Betty White, Serena Williams and Angelica Huston.
 

MUMBAI: With more kids illustrating an active interest in digital media, advertisers such as Mars, Kellogg‘s and McDonald‘s have joined hands to initiate a programme that would help in increasing awareness of online advertising amongst children.
Initiated by Digital Adwise, the programme is supported by trade bodies such as the Institute for Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) and the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB). 
 
The activity constitutes a set of free online lessons that looks at educating kids about online advertising.

Targeted at the six-to-11-year-olds, the programme is part of MediaSmart, a non-profit media literacy programme providing free educational materials to primary schools.
 

MUMBAI: DQ Entertainment (DQE), the Hyderabad-based animation, gaming and entertainment company, has partnered with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) to release its three animated properties on home video.
Earlier in November, DQE had appointed SPHE as the representative for Twisted Whiskers, Balkand and Ravan in South Asia.

Under the new agreement, SPHE will have the exclusive rights for the home video distribution of DQE-produced TV series – Casper, Sandra and the Indian TV feature Omkar in the same region.

Said DQE Chairman and CEO Tapaas Chakravarti, “We are happy that SPHE has acquired more of DQE‘s properties to add to their home video offering in South Asia. We believe Casper and Sandra, which already have a fan following around the world, will be hugely popular with young viewers in this region while Omkar will fascinate and educate children in the mythology genre.” 
 
 
Casper‘s Scare School is a 52×11‘ 3D animated TV series, co-produced with MoonScoop, France and Classic Media, USA. The series premiered in Canada on YTV and TF1 in France. The property in now broadcast on Viacom18‘s kids‘ channel – Nick across South Asia.

Meanwhile, Sandra is a 52×11‘ animated TV series, co-produced by DQE and IMIRA, Spain. The property has been acquired by Disney India for broadcast in India.

Omkar, a DQE home production, is a 70‘ animated TV series. The property is set to debut on Turner Entertainment Networks‘ kids channels.

Said SPHE India country manager Keith Ribeiro, “This deal allows us to increase our output with more animation product from DQE. Casper and Sandra have played exceptionally well in Western markets and I have no doubt these will deliver in the South Asian home entertainment arena as well. Omkar is a product which will resonate with consumers across multiple generations, inspired by mythology but captivated by the method in which the story is brought to life.”

MUMBAI: Disney Channels Worldwide has elevated Carolina Lightcap as its president.
Prior to this, Lightcap served in the dual roles of Disney Channels Latin America SVP programming and creative affairs, and The Walt Disney Company Latin America chief marketing officer.

In her new capacity, Lightcap will report to Disney/ABC Television Group co-chair Anne Sweeney and will assume her new position within the Disney/ABC Television Group effective immediately. She will relocate from Buenos Aires to Burbank.

Stated Sweeney, “Carolina has made enormous contributions to Disney over the past decade, especially in launching and building Disney Channel Latin America into the number one cable channel in the region.”
 
Lightcap will be charged with shepherding Disney Channels Worldwide through its next period of growth. The Disney Channel global executive team representing programming and production, business affairs, business planning and development, marketing, brand management, advertising sales and Radio Disney, will report to her.

Meanwhile, Gary Marsh will assume the new title of chief creative officer in addition to his current title of Disney Channels Worldwide president – entertainment. He will remain in charge of all programme development, creative and production and will report to Lightcap.

Said Sweeney, “Gary is the creative force behind Disney Channel‘s success and some of The Walt Disney Company‘s most heralded and popular franchises including Hannah Montana and High School Musical. His unique vision helped define Disney Channel as a global leader in kid and family entertainment while fueling a content bonanza for other areas of our company.”

In her role as SVP programming and creative affairs – media networks, Latin America, Lightcap was responsible for all programming, production, on-air, marketing, research and publicity for Disney Channel, Disney XD and Playhouse Disney Channels, which includes 14 localised feeds in Spanish and Portuguese that are broadcast to 19 territories in Latin America.

MUMBAI:The BBC has raised ?20,309,747 for its ‘BBC Children in Need‘ programme. The proceeds will go on to make a positive change thousands of young lives.
Celebrating its 30th Appeal, the show marked the crescendo of this year‘s activities through a star-studded feast of family entertainment in order to help raise money for disadvantaged children and young people across the UK.
 
At the helm was Children in Need veteran Terry Wogan who was joined by TV actressses Tess Daly and Alesha Dixon to present the seven-hour entertainment marathon live from London‘s Television Centre, linking BBC studios from across the UK in Belfast, Cardiff and Glasgow as well as broadcasts from venues across England celebrating the efforts of fundraisers all over the UK.

The Appeal Night represents an exciting culmination of fund raising activities for BBC Children in Need, but the total will continue to rise as the money pours in from the thousands of events already held, or scheduled to happen, around the country.

From cake sales in the office to talent contests at school, from sitting in a bath of baked beans to all the bike-a-thons, hop-a-thons, skip-a-thons and the eye-watering wax-a-thons, a huge community of supporters have come together to do something different for Pudsey.

Last year‘s BBC Children in Need television broadcast raised ?20,991,216 million on the night and the 2008 Appeal total eventually topped ?38 million.
 

MUMBAI:In a bid to tap China‘s local market, Disney will launch its flagship show, Disney High School Musical, in Chinese language.

Working with local partners Shanghai Media Group (SMG) and Huayi Brothers Media Corporation, the film is planned for release in 2010.
 
Under development for over a year and created for Chinese audiences, Disney High School Musical: China is the story of a new student who meets a gifted young man with whom she shares a secret passion for singing.

With the help of their friends, they overcome the odds to win an inter-school singing competition and discover their true calling in the process.

Says Walt Disney Studios International Production GM Jason Reed, “Disney‘s ongoing commitment to local content development underpins our strategy to connect with new audiences around the world.

“Our local team has done an amazing job and we are fortunate to be building on the Disney Channel‘s success by working with a world class cast and crew led by our producer Janet Yang and visionary director Shi Zheng Chen,” adds Reed.

Disney High School Musical: China is being filmed in Shanghai and features six new young stars drawn from across China.

Says Huayi Brothers Media Corporation President James Wang, “Disney HSM: China is destined to pioneer a new genre for young Chinese moviegoers by seamlessly combining the art forms of dance, music and film, together with valuable themes like teamwork, youthful energy and friendship.”

In 2007, the Studio‘s first Disney-branded local co-production, The Magic Gourd, was released, followed by Roadside Romeo from India in 2008.

Trail of the Panda (China 2009) and the feature film, Book of Masters (Russia 2009), based on a classic Russian fairy tale, opened at the box-office in October.

Disney‘s sixth local production, Zokkomon, is currently in development in India and is expected to release in 2010.

MUMBAI: Cartoon Network is set to host the world premiere of Ben 10 Alien Swarm on 28 November.
Based on the adventures of Ben 10, the action based movie will be telecast at 6 pm. The movie will be featured across 166 countries and major world-cities including Manila,Kuala Lumpur, Los Angeles, London, Sydney and Singapore. 
 
Turner Entertainment Networks Asia VP branding and communications Lucien Harrington said, “Ben 10 is one of the world‘s most popular franchises and reflects Cartoon Network‘s promise of entertaining kids through adventure, comedy and action. Ben 10 Alien Swarm turns up the heat even more and is sure to have kids fastening their omnitrixes alongside Ben to ensure good triumphs over evil in November.”

Directed and executive produced by Alex Winter, Ben 10 Alien Swarm follows Ben as he breaks ranks from the Plumbers (a secret organization that battles alien forces) to help Elena, a mysterious young woman from his past, uncover an alien threat to our world.