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Studio 100 adds to its successful slate of updated classic properties as of Nils joins its MIPCOM line-up.
Since joining forces in 1996, the founders of Studio 100 Media have strived to bring quality, accessible family programming to the global market. As the company approaches two decades on the scene, it continues to build on its tradition of recreating classic properties for modern audiences.
The studio’s latest project, which is sure to cause a stir at MIPCOM this month, is a new CG-animated update on the popular novel by Swedish author Selma Lagerlof, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. The 52 x 13 series will update the property, which hit small screens on NHK in the 1980s, with slick new techniques and is set to deliver in December 2016.
“I am looking forward, that the revived CGI animated TV series with its great new design and adventure-packed stories produced by Studio 100 Animation in Paris will be rich in its storytelling and stand out from the crowd due to its ‘extra’ cheeky appeal,” says Studio 100 Media managing director Patrick Elmendorff.
“The Wonderful Adventures of Nils the elements that children love: action, adventure, fun and mystery. Its adventures will ensure that kids all over the world will love the antics of a mischievous and headstrong boy.”
The Wonderful Adventures of Nils will combine 3D and 2D elements — produced by Studio 100 Animation — to narrate the life of reckless and daring Nils, who is transformed into a miniature human with the ability to talk to animals by a mischievous elf. Luckily, he teams up with a helpful gander named Martin, who carries him along his journeys with a flock of wild geese. The series concept was developed by Jan Van Rijsselberge and Cyril Tysz.
Studio 100 will be offering potential buyers at MIPCOM a first-look at the design development for the series, which is as yet a work in progress. The studio is pursuing a unique CG design which will incorporate fresh colors, strong characters and a strong visual impact.
The company also recently marked the 40th anniversary of Vic the Viking. Studio 100’s CG revamp (78 x 12) aimed at ages 5-8 was com- missioned last year by Australia’s ABC TV and based on the popular book series by Runer Jonsson. Upon its commission the show, produced in association with Flying Bark Productions, presold to over 60 countries.
The 19th century character Heidi has also been updated for 21st century viewers by the studio, which again collaborated with Aussie studio Flying Bark for Heidi (39 x 22), which centers on the 8-year-old heroine living with her grandfather in the scenic idyll of the Swiss Alps. Maya the Bee is another global hit re-vamp for the company — originally hitting the small screen as a 2D series in 1975, the 3D update of the series has racked up over 150 broadcasting territories and hundreds of licensees the world over and continues to win over new fans with her independent spirit.
They say that everything old is new again, but Studio 100 seems to have the key to guaranteeing it. Visit Studio 100 Media at MIPCOM stand R7.C1 or studio100media.com.
It may be another few years before Johnny Depp dons his kohl liner for the next bigscreen pirate adventure, but a new animated comedy from Canada’s Atomic Cartoons and Australia’s Sticky Pictures will keep kids and families from losing their sea legs in the meantime. Debuting at the MIPCOM market thanks to Breakthrough Entertainment, Pirate Express (52 x 11) is a colorful 2D-animated series about a rag-tag group of sea-faring miscreants led by a 12-year-old boy from Atlantis.
When Newt accidentally unleashes a cursed pirate crew from an enchanted shipin-a-bottle, his self-obsessed deity dad Poseidon puts him in charge of captaining the ship and helping the ruffians change their ways. What follows is high seas hijinx with the ousted Captain LaPoutine, his scurvy crew and one penguin with an identity crisis.
According to Breakthrough’s president of distribution Nat Abraham, the company came aboard in the pre-production stage, having worked with Atomic on Rocket Monkeys and Atomic Betty before. The studio’s great comedy track record assured the distributor that the new show would be a great fit for its catalog.
“There has been an ongoing — and what seems to be a never-ending — demand for animated series that skew towards 7- to 11-year olds. The only minor change in this demand is that licensees prefer that the storyline skews more towards comedy than action,” says Abraham. “We are confident that Pirate Express, which is a high-quality show that was created by reputable companies, will appeal to our clients — or we wouldn’t have invested in it.”
While Pirate Express will be the company’s main focus at the Cannes event, they will also be shopping second seasons of proven toons Rocket Monkeys, My Big Big Friend and preschool hybrid series The Adventures of Napkin Man, as well as finalizing