Category: Kids

MUMBAI: Nickelodeon and Activision Publishing have announced that iCarly videogame will now be available for Wii(TM) and Nintendo DS(TM)/ Nintendo DSi(TM) in North America. 
 
The game lets fans of Nickelodeon‘s television series join the cast of iCarly in a virtual experience. Inspired by the show‘s theme of using technology to be creative, iCarly has special features for the Nintendo DSi(TM) that let players interact with their surroundings using the system‘s camera and microphone. 
 
    Said Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group EVP digital media Steve Youngwood, “Part of what has made iCarly the top show with kids and teens is allowing them to participate in their viewing experience through the website. This game extends that concept even further by tapping into kids‘ creativity to provide them with endless fun.”
 
In the iCarly video game, players help Carly, Sam, Freddie and the other characters from the TV series craft all-new “webisodes” of the show in an original storyline written exclusively for the game. Over 80 challenges – presented as show segments – capture the creativity of the series, and allow players to collaborate with the show‘s main characters through new adventures.

The innovative iCreate mode provides opportunities for gamers to add their own unique touches to the webisodes by swapping out props, characters, colour schemes, audio, intros and outros. Up to four players can either compete or cooperate together on Wii to complete the skits and earn Web-Cred, which can then be used to purchase new items, props, accessories and locations from in-game virtual websites.

MUMBAI: The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta) has anounced the nominees for The 2009 EA (Electronic Arts) British Academy Children’s Awards.
 While CBBC, CBeebies, Cyw and Nick Jr are competing in the best channel of the year category, the best drama series nominations include Dustbin Baby, Rhestr Nadolig Wil (Wil’s Christmas List), The Sarah Jane Adventures and US5.  
Meanwhile, contenders in the best film category are Bolt, Coraline, High School Musical 3: Senior Year and Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
The event will be held on 29 November this year at the London Hilton in Park Lane.

MUMBAI: The Alliance for Children and Television (ACT) will be announcing the preliminary results of the largest study till date on Canadian children‘s and youth programming at the upcoming Children, Youth & Media Conference, scheduled to take place on 19 November. 
 
Led by the Université de Montréal communications department‘s Centre for Youth and Media Studies (CYMS/GRJM), the study covers programming across 19 different networks to provide a better understanding of the role of media, particularly Canadian content, in young peoples‘ lives. The study, Children‘s Television Worldwide: Gender Representation, covers countries like Germany, Australia, Chile, China, the U.K., Israel, India, Japan, South Africa, Sweden and the U.S.

The study‘s initial phase analyzes the content of Canadian children‘s programming in major TV markets across the country. The research team, under the supervision of Dr. André H. Caron, will focus on a selection of shows that reflect the variety of offerings in the Canadian landscape, while differentiating between public and private networks.The team is currently analyzing a sample of more than 1,000 hours of programming aired throughout Canada in spring 2009. Indicators will include variables such as age and gender representation in children‘s programming, as well as the presence of foreign cultures and languages.

MUMBAI: Kids entertainment channel Pogo has launched a new television series, Adventure of Hanuman that will be telecast every Sunday at 10 am.

Produced by Percept Picture Company (PPC), the five-episode 2D animation series is divided into two parts of 11 minutes each. The episodes are Shani Ka khatarnak Paudha, Hanuman aur Robot, Antariksh se Hamla, Hanuman Aur Khatarnak Danav, Ret Ka Pret, Hanuman Aur Mayavi Parchhai, Hawa Mein Gayab, Hanuman aur Adhbut Ghoda, Girgit and Hanuman aur Darawana Snowman.

MUMBAI: Comic hero Asterix is celebrating its fiftieth birthday this month. The character first appeared in the magazine Pilote on 12 October, 1959.

Incidentally, the character also known as Astérix le Gaulois in France was invented by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. Though Goscinny passed away in 1977 when he was 51, Albert Uderzo kept the stories running by writing as well as illustrating them.The series of stories follows the exploits of a village of ancient Gauls as they resist Roman occupation. They are aided by a magic potion, brewed by their druid, which gives them super human strength. Asterix, along with his friend Obelix have various adventures taking to various countries around the world, while some are set in and around their village. The Asterix series, one of the most popular Franco-Belgian comics in the world, has been translated into over 100 languages and its success has led to the adaptation of the stories into 11 films; eight animated, and three with live actors.   A number of games and even a theme park near Paris have been based on Asterix. Till date, 325 million copies of the 33 Asterix books have been sold around the world making co-creators Rene Goscinny and Albert Uderzo France‘s bestselling authors abroad. As part of its 50th anniversary there will be a series of exhibitions and special events as well as a new album of stories.

MUMBAI: Following a review of its kids‘ output by the BBC Trust, the BBC has decided to allocate an additional ?25.5 million to its children‘s services for the next three years.

The additional ?25.5 million investment will be used for bigger-budget shows like The Sarah Jane Adventures, Horrible Histories and My Almost Famous Family. This new fund will also go towards other new, original shows for children, in particular drama and comedy.

The initiatives that were announced include a focus on audio content for the internet.

The BBC is also increasing the budget of its children‘s website by ?1 million in order to increase its weekly reach to 900,000 visitors by April 2010.

On the scheduling front, Newsround and Blue Peter will remain on BBC One in their current timings for the next two years. In the interim, development will start on potential daytime programme alternatives which could play in the 5.30 pm slot on weekdays.

MUMBAI: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise has been sold to Nickelodeon for $60 million by Mirage Group, ending its long-running licensing and production partnership with 4Kids Entertainment that received $9.75 million for the early termination of its contract.

The contract with Mirage Group was to expire in 2012.

In exchange for its decision to terminate the deal, 4Kids Entertainment received $9.75 million with a possibility of getting an additional $1 million upon expiration of the current transaction.

Said 4Kids Entertainment chairman and CEO Alfred R. Kahn, “This is a great deal for both of us. We congratulate Mirage on the sale of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Nickelodeon and on their gracious recognition of the contribution made by 4Kids to re-launch the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise in 2002 for a new generation of kids around the world.” 4Kids will also continue to air the television episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that it co-produced with Mirage in TheCW4Kids block till the end of the 2009-2010 broadcast season.

Nickelodeon that acquired the global rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for about $60 million plans to develop a new CG-animated series for a 2012 premiere.

It is also working with Paramount Pictures on a feature film planned for a 2012 release. Nickelodeon has acquired all merchandising rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and will continue to work with Playmates Toys on the toy rollout.

MUMBAI:Disney Channel has launched a new animation series, Karadi Tales, based on the popular story collection showcasing India‘s rich heritage from the ACK Media basket.

The series will b telecast from Monday to Friday at 9.30 am.

Says Walt Disney Television International India associate director programming Devika Prabhu, “Storytelling is the cornerstone of Disney‘s content strategy. We are committed to building reach across India through great Indian stories that resonate with the Disney values. It is our way of connecting an entirely new generation of kids and families to India‘s rich cultural and storytelling heritage.”

The show features some of India‘s finest theatrical talent including Naseeruddin Shah, Girish Karnad and Saeed Jaffrey as voice cast, coupled with a background score created by 3 Brothers & A Violin.

The animated characters and backgrounds are stylized along the lines of the Indian mask-making tradition. The live sequences are filled with humour and light-hearted discussions between characters and the frequent cuts between the two sequences are designed to keep visual attention throughout the show.

MUMBAI: D3Publisher, a subsidiary of D3 Inc, has launched a game based on Cartoon Network‘s action-adventure television series, The Secret Saturdays.

Christened The Secret Saturdays: Beasts Of The 5th Sun, the game is available in retail stores across North America and is priced at $39.95 for Wii and PlayStation2 gamers. for Nintendo DS and PSP system (including the PSP®go system), it is priced at $29.95.

The Secret Saturdays, developed by 1st Playable Productions LLC, premiered on Cartoon Network on 3 October, 2008. “The Secret Saturdays: Beasts Of The 5th Sun offers players the opportunity to experience the adventures of a close-knit family of secret scientists,” says D3Publisher VP worldwide – sales and operations Kim Motika. The game allows players to take control of multiple characters that include the entire Saturday family Zak, Drew, Doc and Doyl.