Category: Kids

MUMBAI: Disney Channel will premiere on 1 January Feluda – The Kathmandu Caper, a TV film made by Hyderabad-based DQ Entertainment.

This is the first ever animated TV film based on one of India‘s best loved detective series – Feluda written by Satyajit Ray.

A memorable adventure with lots of drama and mystery, the film is laced with subtle humour. The Kathmandu Caper begins as a series of mystery crop failures is devastating Nepal and threatens to spread to India. Feluda goes to Kathmandu accompanied by loyal followers – Jatayu, Topshe and Bones the dog. Here he battles his way deep into the mountains of Nepal.

Said Walt Disney Television International India Associate Director, Programming Devika Prabhu, “As a part of our ongoing commitment to showcase quintessential Indian stories, we are very excited to have Feluda usher in the New Year on Disney Channel as an exclusive premiere on 1 January. It is an extremely popular detective series by a master storyteller, Satyajit Ray, whose appeal goes beyond time and age of the reader.”

The adventures of Feluda and Topshe have enthralled Indian readers for over three decades. 
 
Commented DQE Group Chairman & CEO Tapaas Chakravarti, “We are delighted that this New Year will begin with children watching Feluda – The Kathmandu Caper. This adaptation of Hon. Satyajit Ray‘s Feluda stories is an animated adventure which is a fast paced mystery laced with subtle humor and will introduce a whole new genre of animation to Indian audiences. The support from Disney Channel in bringing Satyajit Ray‘s short stories to life will see these stories crossing boundaries with worldwide appeal.”

In addition to the 32 National Film Awards and the Legion of Honour by the President of France, Ray was particularly acclaimed for his contribution to children‘s literature that included unpretentious and entertaining subjects of adventure, detective stories, fantasy and science fiction.
 

MUMBAI: Pogo will air special shows between 25 and 31 December to celebrate Christmas and New Year.
On December 25, special movies will be shown including, Bob Christmas to Remember at 10 am, Merry Madagascar at 12:30 pm, Bah humduck: A Looney Tunes Christmas at 3 pm and Bheem Vs Aliens at 4 pm.
 
On the occasion of Christmas, special shows will be shown as well such as Baby Looney Tunes, Bob, Noddy, Mr. Bean and Shrek.

The fun continues as the countdown to the New Year begins, with movies like Mousehunt, Stuart Little II and III and Bee Movie shown everyday from 26 till 31 December at 12 noon.

On 31 Dec, Bal Hanuman II, Chhota Bheem aur Krishna I, Chhota Bheem aur Krishna II and Bheem vs Aliens will be shown to entertain the little ones.
 

MUMBAI: Kids entertainment channels Cartoon Network, Disney Channel and Disney XD have unveiled their special programming lineup to celebrate Christmas and New Year, aiming to gain viewers from the holiday season.
Cartoon Network will be presenting Indian animated movies and Tom & Jerry classics.

Tom & Jerry episodes and movies will be shown everyday until December 25 at 10 am onwards. The channel has also lined up back to back movies everyday from 28-31 December that will air 9 am onwards with content such as My Friend Ganesha, Omkar, Krishna in Vrindavan and Krishna: Makhan Chor.

Meanwhile, Disney Channel is presenting Xmas special programming on 25 December with Cars (movie) at 11 am, Phineas & Ferb from 6.30 pm and premiere of Belle‘s Enchanted Christmas (movie) at 7 pm.

The channel has also lined up special movies as the New Year approaches with The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (movie) and The Aristocats (movie) coming on December 27 and 28 respectively.

Disney XD is also bucking up to attract the young ones with two special movies on the occasion of Christmas. Chicken Little (movie) will be shown at 10 am and 4 pm, whereas Kick Buttowski – Suburban Daredevil will air at 6 pm to 8 pm.

The channel will air Phineas And Ferb on 26th at 9 am to 6 pm, Air Bud: Seventh Inning Fetch (movie) on 29th at 10 am, Air Bud: Golden Receiver (movie) on December 30th at 10 am and Halloweentown (movie) on 31st at 3 pm.

MUMBAI: In a first of its kind move, kids channel Pogo has launched art and crafts activity books for KG to VIII standard.
The art curriculum books, Pogo M.A.D. Creations, will be published for Tata McGraw-Hill by BPI.

The move also is a part of extending its franchisee M.A.D. from just a TV show.

“Five years, eight successful seasons and nine awards, M.A.D., a Pogo original show, has consistently scored big with kids and parents in India. Out-of-the box thinking, creative ideas and Rob – the enigmatic host of the show are what make M.A.D. a winning franchise. The launch of Pogo M.A.D. Creations is a great addition to Pogo‘s kid friendly content,” said Turner International India, vice president and deputy general manager – entertainment networks South Asia Monica Tata. 
 
The curriculum covered in Pogo M.A.D. Creations adheres to the art and craft guidelines of National Council Education Research and Training (NCERT) and National Curriculum Framework (2005), Pogo said in a statement.

Pogo M.A.D. Creations will focus on experiential learning and will encourage kids to be more creative.

Tata further added, “I am positive that kids, parents and teachers will welcome and hugely enjoy art and craft classes in school with the M.A.D. graded books. We are currently targeting 13,000 schools across India with the promise of introducing children to the fascinating world of creativity.”

The 10 book series will teach children about art and craft through various innovative yet simple techniques – colour theory, origami and collage. It will be available at all school book distributors/shops and retail stores for the new academic session in 2011.

Each book, priced at Rs 185, will contain 35 activities and will be sold as part of a box pack containing one book and free art and craft materials like glitter powder, sequins, wiggle eyes, sponge, wool and a cotton bud.

MUMBAI: US kids broadcaster Nickelodeon has picked up the new multi-camera comedy series Bucket and Skinner‘s Epic Adventures.

The multi-camera buddy comedy is about two best friends on a never-ending quest for awesomeness. 
 
The series begins production this month in Los Angeles for a February 2011 premiere in the US and globally on Nick channels around the world.

Bucket and Skinner‘s Epic Adventures is one of the five new series joining the network‘s line-up early next year. Other series premieres include Power Rangers Samurai, the new generation of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers; House of Anubis, Bubble Guppies, which is a new interactive CG-animated preschool series; and Supah Ninjas, a comic book-style action comedy series.

Nickelodeon president original programming and development Marjorie Cohn said, “We‘re excited to be kicking off the new year with a vibrant slate of homegrown and proven acquired properties. The variety of these new series will super-serve our audience with something new for everyone.”

The show is about two surfer dudes navigating the small trials of everyday life. When Bucket (Taylor Gray) attempts to win over the affection of classmate Kelly (Ashley Argota), his best bud Skinner (Dillon Lane) decides to nominate him as class President, inadvertently causing him to run against the super-popular athlete Aloe (Glenn McCuen).

Unqualified and totally unfit for student council, Bucket is forced to team up with the Kelly‘s younger sister, the precocious Piper (Tiffany Espensen), in order to save face and try to win the heart of his dream girl.

MUMBAI: UK pubcaster The BCC‘ children‘s channel CBeebies, is looking to make viewers‘ birthdays special by making its popular birthday compilations available daily on the CBeebies iPlayer. 
 
The birthday slot on the channel sees the CBeebies presenters showing and reading out colourful home-made birthday cards sent in by families to their loved ones.
Now, in response to popular demand, these compilations will be able to be viewed on CBeebies iPlayer – up to seven days after transmission – to ensure that birthday boys and girls don‘t miss their special moment.

Channel Controller Kay Benbow said, “We have listened to our audience feedback and are delighted to be able to offer this extended service to our viewers.

“The birthday slot is a way for us to make our viewers feel really valued and special and we are thrilled that we can make CBeebies even more accessible and make it easier for families to enjoy their special days.”

In addition to the birthday cards on TV, viewers can also celebrate their special days by having a personalised birthday message from the CBeebies presenters on the website or by sending a personal message to CBeebies interactive TV (Red Button).

MUMBAI: Turner International’s kids channels – Cartoon Network and Pogo – have planned a special December for kids with a host of films that the channel will be airing on weekends.

Pogo, starting 4 December, will air a film every Saturday-Sunday at 12 noon. The first two weekends are dedicated to films based on the Hanuman. Films that the channel will air are Pawanputra Hanuman, Bal Hanuman II, Hanuman and Return of Hanuman.
 
It will also air Chhota Bheem Aur Krishna I and Detective Nani.

Cartoon Network will air movies of its popular characters Tom & Jerry every Sunday at 12 noon, starting 5 December.

The four movies it will air are Blast Off to Mars, The Fast & the Furry, A Nutcracker Tale and Shiver Me Whiskers: Hijinks Ho!.

MUMBAI: Kids channel Hungama TV is gearing up to premiere for the first time on Indian television Doraemon‘s first movie Doraemon in Nobita‘s Little Space war.
The movie based on the hugely popular animated character Doraemon will be aired on 5 December at 10 am. 
 
Doraemon is the gadget cat from the future. In the movie, it will be seen on an adventure of galactic proportions with Nobita, set in space.

While playing with miniature toys, Nobita and friends encounter real miniature aliens. Doraemon, with the help of his gadget, shrinks himself and his friends into miniatures. And from there begins an adventure where Doraemon and Nobita will be seen battling alien villains and helping their alien friends.

Walt Disney Television International India associate director programming Devika Prabhu said, “Doraemon has been a favorite with kids ever since his first appearance on Hungama TV. His appeal stems from a relatable storyline and familial setting, and the ingenious gadgets Doraemon pulls out from his special fourth dimensional pocket to help out his friend Nobita. Coupled with lots of fun and humor Doraemon represents something that every Indian kid can relate to and enjoy while learning important values like integrity, courage, perseverance and respect for family and elders.”

Doraemon was voted as kid‘s most favourite character by Ormax Media’s ‘Small Wonders‘ study (Jan 2010 – October 2010, kids 6-14 yrs). It is also the anime ambassador for Japan in 2008 and has been acclaimed as an Asian Hero in a special feature survey conducted by Time Asia magazine in 2002.

MUMBAI: Kids broadcaster Cartoon Network has announced that its signature on-ground initiative Toon Cricket takes place on 5 December in Mumbai.
It will have Augmented Reality (AR) applications which it has developed for this event for the mobile.

Toon Cricket is a cricket match in the 20:20 format. Characters from the channel like Ben 10 will take part.

This time the broadcaster is looking to extend the fun and excitement of the event to the virtual world. Kids can log on to www.cartoonnetworkindia.com/tooncricket and experience Augmented Reality with Johnny Bravo and MojoJojo. Even more AR fun is in store for Cartoon Network Club members (www.cartoonnetworkindia.com) featuring Tom & Jerry and Dexter.

Kids can also join in the Toon Cricket fun via mobile phone anywhere, anytime. They can send an SMS with the code CNTC to 58558 and download the application. The Toon Cricket application will have wallpapers, video and information about the Toon Cricket event.
 
Turner International India VP, deputy GM, entertainment networks Monica Tata said, “Cartoon Network is all about animating kids’ lives by providing fun and engaging experiences beyond television. This year’s Toon Cricket provides a cutting edge experience with AR applications that enables the audience to enjoy and participate online and via mobile. Toon Cricket-The Ultimate Showdown is bigger and better than ever with newly added innovations that make it the extravaganza to watch out for in 2010”.

Kids present at Toon Cricket – The Ultimate Showdown in Mumbai this Sunday will have the chance to be just like their favourite hero Ben 10 through the AR application. The AR stall called the ‘Cartoon Network Digital Zone’ at the stadium will allow the kids to wear the virtual Ultimatrix and get a picture taken with their favourite toon stars. Kids will have to log on to www.cartoonnetworkindia.com and submit the code given to them to download their picture for free. They can even upload this picture on Facebook.

Further, on the day of the event, kids need to point their phone cameras at the intARact code on the invite and get playing with Toon Cricket AR application. Kids present at the stadium can switch on their blue-tooth and accept the application that will be sent on their handsets and partcipate in the Toon Cricket contest live and download Toon Cricket wallpapers as they watch their toon stars play on the field! To create more interactivity and engagement at the event, kids can click pictures and upload it through BluFi and see their picture captured in a Cartoon Network theme frame on Facebook.
 

MUMBAI: DQE, the animation, gaming, live action entertainment production and distribution company, has inked an exclusive publishing licensing deal for The Jungle Book with Egmont Verlagsgesellschaften GMBH, Germany, and a non-exclusive deal with Beltex SA, Belgium, for retailing Jungle Book based products in Germany, Austria and Switzerland through ZDF Enterprises, its merchandising agents in Germany.

Under the terms of the agreement, Egmont would have the rights to manufacture and distribute German language books in a variety of different formats such as character books, friendship books, school diaries, pop-up books, comic books, painting books and poster books.
 
While Egmont has been granted publishing rights for The Jungle Book in German speaking Europe, DQE will receive a royalty on sales through this deal in addition to a substantial upfront payment as a minimum guarantee amount.

Under the terms of the agreement of the non-exclusive deal with Beltex for The Jungle Book, the Belgium company has been authorised to manufacture and distribute bed linen and other similar products based on the character license of The Jungle Book. Beltex has been provided the rights for retailing the products in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Said DQE Group chairman and CEO Tapas Chakravarti, “ Egmont has a great track record and penetration in the German speaking European markets and we believe that we have made the right choice in partnering with Egmont for The Jungle Book publishing. This is the beginning of a new and strategic relationship and we look forward to our continued association with them. On the other hand, this is our second deal with Beltex, this time for Germany, Austria and Switzerland for bed linen. We are sure The Jungle Book franchise will prove to be very successful and beneficial to all our partners.”