ITV

Category: Kids

  • Disney channel launches weekly slot ‘Bumper to Bumper’

    MUMBAI: Starting 7 December, the kids’ entertainment channel Disney is launching a special weekly segment Bumper to Bumper. The new slot at 11 am every Sunday will air car movies such as Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo, Herbie Goes Bananas, Herbie Rides Again, Right on Track and it will also premiere Cars.On 7 December, the channel will air Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo, where Herbie, the VW (Volkswagen) with a heart, adds some international flair to his lovable personality! Upon entering a Paris-to-Monte Carlo road race, Herbie falls hood over wheels in love when he encounters a sleek, sporty, light-blue Lancia.


    Following week on 14 December, Herbie Goes Bananas will be aired, where Herbie sets sail for Rio de Janeiro‘s Grande Premio racing competition with his two new owners. En route, they get sidetracked by a smuggling syndicate, pestered by a pint-sized pickpocket, and bullied by a raging bull.


    Herbie Rides Again will be aired on 21 December. Here, Herbie is back in gear – revved up and ready for more madcap comedy adventure.


    On 28 December, Right on Track, based on the real life story of an ordinary girl who became the fastest teen race car driver in the world, will be aired.


    Also, the channel will premiere Cars for the first time on Indian television. The Pixar Animation Studios’ Cars revolves around Lightning McQueen, a hotshot rookie race car driven to succeed, discovers that life is about the journey, not the finish line, when he finds himself unexpectedly detoured in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs.

  • CBeebies unveils winter lineup

    MUMBAI: CBeebies has announced their lineup for the upcoming winter and spring season.



    Piplings, little lamb Timmy, a shrinking Grandad and the first TV show for much loved pair Chris Jarvis and Pui Fan Lee, are all on hand to delight the under-sixes on CBeebies.



    BBC Children‘s controller Richard Deverell says: “This is an exciting season for us – special versions of BBC iPlayer for CBBC and CBeebies audiences will launch and the programmes unveiled today have at their heart the aim to provide fresh, distinctive and uniquely British content that is loved by every child in the UK.



    “Our programmes and websites aim to inspire a child‘s imagination, help a child understand itself and its place in the world and provide positive role models of children for children.



    “We want to provide moments for children when they can laugh out loud, drop their jaws in astonishment and, above all, be inspired, and I believe that‘s what we‘ve achieved with this season across radio, tv and online.”



    News highlights of the season include CBeebies hosts Chris Jarvis and Pui Fan Lee pairing up to present a new show called Show Me Show Me; new episodes of In The Night Garden and presenter, Justin Fletcher, in the channel‘s first ever comedy sketch show, Gigglebox.



    The CBeebies schedule is zoned to mirror a child‘s mood and activities through the day. CBeebies controller Michael Carrington said, “We originate over 100 hours of new programming every year for the under-sixes and I‘m proud to unveil a season of modern, exciting and fresh shows that blend music, movement and storytelling.”



    For the playful learning zone, Discover and Do, new shows include Timmy Time. Little lamb Timmy, along with his animal chums, including Yabba the duckling, Finlay the fox cub and Paxton the piglet go through an animal version of a child‘s nursery day in each episode.



    The broadcaster adds that another show Waybuloo is not just a series, it‘s a philosophy for a happy life – and is like nothing children will have ever seen before.



    The series transports children into a magical land called Nara – a real world, which is inhabited by adorable animated characters called Piplings who embody a range of emotions including love, wisdom, happiness and harmony.



    Show Me Show Me sees Chris Jarvis and Pui Fan Lee move on from their channel presentation roles to team up in an all-new series in which the two play, explore and investigate in their exciting new playroom.



    Poetry Pie brings to life poems of contemporary poets specially written for CBeebies, with an animated cast of creatures who act, dance and sing the words of the poems.



    Charlie the Alien, Amber the Hermit Crab, Mischa the Hamster, Evie the Cow and Findlay the Dragon read the funny and charming poems, all of which are chosen to reflect the lives of children watching at home.



    Big Fun Time, entertaining programmes for the afternoon, include this season Dirtgirlworld – a fearless, fun-loving, gumboot-wearing girl who grows huge tomatoes, knows the names of clouds and drives a big, orange tractor.



    This music-filled series explores nature and is full of bizarre insects, underground tunnels and performing stunts. Grandpa In My Pocket is a new comedy drama aimed at four-to-six year olds.



    Grandpa lives with his family and grandson Jason in a beautiful seaside town called Sunnysands. Everyone thinks he spends all his time stuck in his armchair, but when he puts his magic shrinking cap on, he becomes small enough to fit into Jason‘s pocket and the two then have a host of hilarious adventures.



    Myths, legends and age-old tales from around the world jump off the pages and straight into a child‘s imagination in Tellytales. This is a mix of animation and live action, where children help create the artwork and play all the characters.



    Returning to the Bedtime Hour are new episodes of In The Night Garden about that universal time between waking and sleeping.

  • 4kids Entertainment’s Dinosaur King expands worldwide

    MUMBAI: 4Kids Entertainment EVP international Brian Lacey announced on Tuesday that the company has completed licensing agreements with broadcasters in Canada, Mexico, Netherlands, Ireland, and Central European markets for the fantasy adventure series Dinosaur King.


    Also, the second season of the series has also been renewed by Jetix in Latin America, the UK and Scandinavia.



    Additionally, 4Kids has sold the home video rights of Dinosaur King to Universal in France and Contender in the UK.



    Dinosaur King is combination of traditional cel and CGI animation and is set to launch on YTV Canada, Animax (Central and Eastern Europe), MNET (South Africa), Televisa (Mexico) and RTE (Ireland).



    The global broadcast lineup for Dinosaur King already includes Mediaset (Italy), RTL2 (Germany), France 3 (France), and Canal J (France), among others. In the US, it airs Saturday mornings on 4Kids TV.



    The series chronicles the adventures of Max, Rex and Zoe, known as the ‘D Team,’ who race around the world to uncover secrets that bring dinosaurs back to life. The biggest challenge for the three young heroes in this global race is to find all the dinosaur cards before the nefarious Alpha Gang. Set in the present time, Max, Rex and Zoe are able to transport themselves anywhere in the world to hunt down the coveted cards that have been lost by the time-traveling Dr Z and his team of bad guys.

  • Maya, BriliP to make TV series







    MUMBAI: Maya Entertainment Limited (Mel) has entered into a partnership with BriliP Edutainment India to adapt The Aditi Adventures into a TV series.


    BriliP Edutainment India is a children-centric Intellectual Property company from the BRIL group.


    The Aditi Adventures is a children’s series of books by UK-based Indian Suniti Namjoshi.



    Maya EVP Natarajan said “We were drawn to the project due to its core fantasy element, modern themes, and worldwide locations. Animation is a natural medium for this series and will involve an investment of Rs 80 million.



    “The first Aditi book has also been selected to be read aloud on a children’s program on BBC Radio 7 in the UK early next year.” he added.



    BriliP MD Jayaram Rajaram said, “Our focus is to identify great children-centric properties and content, with positive values and to adapt these properties into various mediums to entertain and educate children.”

  • BBC Worldwide launches Spanish-language channel in the US

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide Channels has announced the launch of its first wholly-owned, Spanish-language channel in the US.

    CBeebies, the BBC-branded channel dedicated to preschoolers, will be available through Dish Network

    , the third largest pay-TV provider in the US.

    Dish Network, which is currently available in 13.78 million homes in the US, will make CBeebies accessible to all subscribers of its DishLatino package and newly-launched DishMexico package on Channel 848.



    The channel will be a live feed of BBC Worldwide‘s Latin American version of the channel, which launched in Mexico in August 2008.


    BBC Worldwide Channels MD Darren Childs says, “The introduction of a Spanish version of CBeebies into the U.S. Hispanic market is a momentous achievement for BBC Worldwide Channels in this hugely competitive territory.



    “As well as complementing BBC AMERICA, which recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, it means that we‘re able to reach out to millions of Americans for whom Spanish is their first language.”


    BBC Worldwide VP channels, Latin America Jessica Rodriguez says, “CBeebies has captured the hearts of millions of children across the globe, and I‘m thrilled that we‘re introducing it into this important market through DISH Network.



    “The channel provides a safe environment in which children can ‘learn through play‘, and I‘m sure it will be as popular with preschoolers and their parents in the US Hispanic market as it is in other territories.”


  • Nick to air animated ‘Naked Brothers Band’ special

    MUMBAI: The naked Brothers Band will be making its animated debut next week on Nickelodeon, as the kids channel will push forward its annual Superstuffed Weekend, which commemorates the Thanksgiving Day Weekend.


    The Naked Brothers Band, which has become a success in multiple territories both on television and on the concert stage, aims to capitalise on their current popularity.


    The band is composed of real brothers who co-produce real music

    , who are one of many music-based teen/tween sensations.



     



    Developed through Nickelodeon, The Naked Brothers Band is a live-action series that tracks actual brothers Nat Wolff (14 years) and Alex Wolff (10 years) and their journey through adolescence, which may or may not be related to the art of music.



    “We‘re excited to premiere The Naked Brothers Band‘s first animated special which showcases their humor in a fun, new, fantasy-filled format,” said Nickelodeon Networks EVP development and original programming Marjorie Cohn.


    “This season fans can experience the Naked Brothers Band in a variety of ways with the new movie, animated special and Nat and Alex‘s upcoming live national tour.”


    Supertastic 6, the animated special, will hit the airwaves on 26 November at 8.30 pm.

  • Plan India launches campaign on violence against children in schools

    NEW DELHI: Plan India, a child centered development organisation, has launched a campaign ‘Learn without fear’ to fight against violence on children in schools.


    The campaign has been launched in the form of comics, cartoons, radio jingles, animation and short films.



    Says Plan India executive director Bhagyashri Dengle, “The campaign will operate on many levels; from global work to partnership with national governments, communities and individuals to change attitudes and behaviour. We truly believe that success will require a concerted effort by all stakeholders, not least children themselves, who are ingenious and enthusiastic about devising the best strategies to address the challenges posed by the violence inflicted on them.”


    The campaign is currently being launched in seven states including Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Bihar, Rajasthan, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and New Delhi.

    This campaign is about preventing all forms of violence which includes corporal punishment, sexual abuse, neglect, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, bullying, peer-to-peer violence, youth gangs, use of weapons, and harassment in school and on the journey to and from school.

    “The use of violence on children is an expression of the unquestioning power the adult chooses to establish over the child. This abuse of power is often considered ‘essential and natural’. Such social acceptance to corporal punishment results in all other forms of violence against children. Plan India’s campaign to end violence in schools is indeed an important step to generate a public debate and discourse on violence against children, an attempt to promote learning without fear”, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Shanta Sinha.


    The new campaign was unveiled by Indian actor Anil Kapoor alongwith National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) chairperson Shanta Sinha and Plan International India country director Roland Angerer.

  • Funskool launches ‘Monopoly’ edition







    MUMBAI: Funskool India has launched ‘Global Monopoly Here and Now: The World Edition,’ featuring big cities from around the world.


    The new offering is available in an electronic as well as non electronic version, priced at Rs 1499 and Rs 999 respectively.


    Available at leading stores in India, the electronic version has Monopoly credit card and a digital banking device that keeps track of the balance, while the non-electronic version comes with a Deal timer for faster play.



    Players will enjoy buying, selling and trading real estate from around the globe in the new Monopoly game. The game board includes mix of cities that showcases the dynamic cultures, sights and history of the planet. Some of the cities that were voted onto the board were Montreal, Riga, Cape Town, Istanbul, Paris, New York, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Sydney.


    Along with the 22 property spaces featuring global cities, the game will include updated chance and community chest cards that highlight events and culturally relevant scenarios from countries around the world.

  • DQ Entertainment strikes content deal with Turner

    MUMBAI: Hyderabad-based animation, gaming and entertainment company DQ Entertainment (DQE) has partnered with Turner Entertainment Networks Asia (TENA) for two exclusive animated features.



    As per the deal, Turner‘s kids channel Cartoon Network will air DQE produced animated series Balkand and Ravan in 2009.


    TENA has already acquired 21 animation series from the Indian region.


    DQE Group chairman and CEO Tapaas Chakravarti said, “This strategic collaboration is in line with our objective of producing first class content for Indian audiences. We appreciate the foresight and dedication on the part of Turner to encourage production of local Indian content.”


    “We have always believed in the vast potential of Indian animation and supported it from the forefront by acquiring and offering productions a national platform, providing creative support and by marketing them as we would our own animations,” added TENA VP – content Mark Eyers. “We are delighted to expand the slate of Indian animation with two more valuable additions and we are excited that DQE‘s upcoming Indian productions will have their world television premier on our networks.”


    DQE produces animation for films, television series and console based games for a number of international production houses including Walt Disney Television Animation, Nickelodeon Animation Studios Inc., Electronic Arts, Marvel, American Greetings, NBC-Universal, BBC, M6, France 2, Method Animation and Atlantyca.


    DQE has Iron Man, Casper, Pinky & Perky, Twisted Whiskers, Mikido, Little Nick and Le Petit Prince among other under production projects.

  • Nickelodeon takes preschoolers to magical world with ‘Wonder Pets’

    MUMBAI: The preschool kids’ channel Nick Jr is set to present a contemporary twist on the holiday classic in the new The Wonder Pets prime-time special, Save the Nutcracker!.



    The new series will premiere on 8 December at 8 pm (ET/PT).



    Since debuting in 2006, Nick Jr‘s Emmy award-winning The Wonder Pets, produced by Little Airplane Productions, remains the number one-ranked preschool programme in its 10 am slot.



    “The Wonder Pets are back in a gorgeous holiday adventure that is sure to become a new, warm and fuzzy family tradition,” said Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group animation president Brown Johnson. “Inspired by Tchaikovsky‘s classic ballet, the Wonder Pets dance and sing their way to saving the day – again.”



    In Save the Nutcracker!, directed by Jennifer Oxley, it‘s Christmas Eve and a Mouse King emerges from a picture book and steals the Wonder Pets‘ Nutcracker from the classroom. Linny the Guinea Pig, Turtle Tuck and Ming-Ming Duckling pursue the Mouse King into the book, dancing through a wintery wonderland filled with sugar plum fairies and sweet treats to the music of Tchaikovsky‘s The Nutcracker ballet.



    Also available in retail stores nationwide is The Wonder Pets!: Save the Nutcracker DVD. Created by Nickelodeon Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment, the DVD includes the title episode plus three additional new-to-DVD episodes from the series.