Category: Kids

Said Nickelodeon SVP global acquisitions and international programming Jules Borkent, “The unique tale of The Elephant Princess, told from a teen‘s point of view, will greatly appeal to Nick‘s core teen viewers.”

ZDF Enterprises VP – sales, merchandising and coproductions added, “We are delighted to build on the success story of H2O – Just Add Water, our first production acquired by the network, and to further fortify our close and fruitful partnership with Nickelodeon.”

The Elephant Princess is a 26 x 30-minute series starring Emily Robins as Alex Wilson, an apparently ordinary teenage girl who discovers that she has magical powers and is the heir to the throne of the enchanted kingdom of Manjipoor.

In December, last year, the mouse house had couched out its arrangement to buy a 49 per cent stake in the joint venture wherein Disney would supply cash and programming along with expertise in content acquisition and marketing to kids and families.

Apart from showcasing popular Disney shows like Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place dubbed in Russian, the channel would also be anchored by original Russian programming.

The deal would also help the kids’ entertainment channel to broaden its audience base besides lending support to its local retail, theatrical distribution, licensing, mobile and internet businesses that already function in Russia.

Back then, post announcement, the deal was waiting to receive regulatory approval from Russia, which requires foreign investors to have Russian partners.

Disney’s online Kerpoof studios will be headed by Kerpoof co-founder Krista Marks who has been named general manager and will be based in Colorado.

The financial terms of the deal remained undisclosed.

The pop band Aasma will perform at the inaugural ceremony.

According to Monica Tata who is Vice President and Deputy General Manager Entertainment Networks, South Asia for Turner International India, “It is a tradition at Cartoon Network to consistently innovate and think out of the box to keep our fans entertained and engaged. Instituted in 1999, Toon Cricket has successfully managed to create an irresistible combination of two Cs, Cartoons plus Cricket, a winning formula for Indian kids and adults. As Cartoon Network’s most famous and adored toons gear up to sweat it out, Toon Cricket -The Battle for the Omnitrix is ready yet again to be the ultimate sporting extravaganza for kids.”

Marvel Super Hero Squad is an action-packed show featuring popular characters including Captain America, Silver Surfer, Hulk, Wolverine and Iron Man.

The animated series is about the best super heroes on the planet uniting to save Super Hero city from the world‘s greatest villains.

Earlier with the launch of Disney XD, the kid’s entertainer had said that it plans to re-brand all Jetix channels into Disney XD by end of 2009.

A Disney spokeswoman said the entertainer is evaluating whether to change other Jetix Europe channels to XD. “We are looking at markets on a case by case basis”, she said.

Lego Group CEO Jorgen Vig Knudstorp said, “When two brands who share similar values bring their franchises together and combine their access to families, retail strength and marketing power, amazing things can happen. We can‘t wait to launch the first three lines and look forward to exploring all of the ways in which we bring the wonderful world of Disney to life in Lego form.”

“Joining forces with Lego Group speaks to the commitment and vision both companies share for quality product and innovative creativity that invigorates kids play,” added DCP SVP global toys Vince Klaseus. “Through these new Lego product lines, Disney will continue to build presence in the construction toys category and grow market share in the boys demographic.”

Toy Story-themed construction sets will be available on both Lego Duplo and Lego System platforms for children aged 2-12. Lego System products based on Toy Story and Toy Story 2 will launch in January 2010, to be followed in May by construction sets based on the new animated feature. Toy Story 3 is scheduled to hit the theatres in Disney Digital 3D by June 2010.

Cars-themed Lego Duplo products are scheduled to launch in June 2010, while Prince of Persia-themed Lego products are scheduled to launch in April 2010.

Dora the Explorer took home the award for ‘Outstanding Children’s Programme‘ and Keke Palmer won for ‘Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children’s Programme‘ series or special.

Dora the Explorer was launched in 2000.

Keke Palmer, the broadcaster says, has established herself as one of the fastest rising young stars of her generation, with credits that span film, television, and music. She also starred in the film Akeelah and the Bee that garnered a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture.

As True Jackson in the Nick show, she plays a teenage student tapped to head the youth division of a major fashion label.

‘HDFC Standard Life Spell Bee – India Spells 2009‘ aims to help students improve spellings skills, vocabulary, learning concepts, and pronunciations leading to correct usage of English words that will help in their early years of growth and development. The key thought is to engage students on a different competition route – testing their knowledge of spellings, thereby engaging them in the English language practice.

HDFC Standard Life executive VP, marketing head Sanjay Tripathy said, “HDFC Standard Life in line with its brand philosophy believes in educative and informative programmes that create opportunities for development and growth of young minds. We encourage every child‘s desire to explore new avenues that in turn help them excel in academics and all-round development.

“As a life insurance player, we are committed to support every parent‘s dream of seeing their child develop his/her inherent potential with our products that offer unique Triple Insurance Benefit feature to take care of child‘s immediate and future needs. Thus, our brand essence is in sync with the objective of India Spells 2009, creating an intrinsic brand fit between HDFC Standard Life and India Spells 2009.”

“The growth in Children‘s Plans over the few years has been due to our sustained effort in creating and promoting this category. We also attribute our success to a very good customer offering including a very good product, highly relevant marketing and advertising, and good quality advice,” adds Tripathy.

Cyborg 009 – Joe is the 9th member of a team of Cyborgs. He has an acceleration power, and all his teammates also have different special capacities. Together, they fight against the enemy who jeopardises the peace on earth.

Digimon Data Squad – The series follows the adventures of Marcus and his partner Agumon as they challenge the menacing Digimon from the digital world who intrude the human world to cause nothing but trouble. For their efforts, the pair is inducted into Dats (Data Squad), a special investigation unit called in to ensure planetary safety. Being a reformed schoolyard punk, Marcus learns to channelise his belligerence towards the evil Digimon, and to work as a team to help protect the human world from ruin.

Galaxy Express 999 – In year 2XXX, people on earth artificially prolong their life using robot bodies. Tetsuro and his mother live together and are too poor to afford the luxury of mechanical bodies. One night, Tetsuro‘s mother is killed by a ruthless man hunting mechanical man. He decides to board the spatial train Galaxy Express 999 in search for a mysterious planet where everyone can receive mechanical bodies for free.