The series is an extended epilogue of the children’s book, where we follow the journeys and explorations of (more...)]]> Humorous and powerfully thrilling, One Stormy Night is a brand new CGI animation series based on the most successful children’s books post-WWII in Japan authored by award-winning Yuichi Kimura.

The series is an extended epilogue of the children’s book, where we follow the journeys and explorations of May, a spirited young goat, and Gabu, a wolf who is also May’s courageous best friend. Each episode tells how May and Gabu try to have adventurous fun, but have to hide their companionship from their respective tribes at the same time.

Enemies by nature, sworn friends by nurture; One Stormy Night series incorporates the vision of devotion of friendship despite being two opposing animals, a goat and a wolf – May who should be the prey and Gabu the predator. The story emphasizes the crucial theme that anyone from anywhere can cultivate spirited friendships with a little heart and courage as mirrored by the impossible friendship of May and Gabu.

The One Stormy Night series is developed and co-produced by Emmy nominated Sparky Animation, Bandai Visual, Baku Enterprise and Duckbill Entertainment to bring this affectionate, charming tale of friendship to the television screen for the first time.

Frasers Centrepoint Malls is organizing “Mr Moon” themed activities such as musical live shows, animation discovery and picture book contest to (more...)]]> Singapore’s renowned shopping paradise will get to experience an “Out-of-the-World” fun-filled fiesta especially for the little ones and those young at heart during this festive season.

Frasers Centrepoint Malls is organizing “Mr Moon” themed activities such as musical live shows, animation discovery and picture book contest to be held at all their shopping malls located island wide from 11th November 2011 to 31st December 2011. “Mr Moon” is an animated television series co-produced by local company Sparky Animation Pte Ltd, UK based Gallileo Ltd and Canadian producer – Title Entertainment (Mr Moon) Inc.

Based on a series of (more...)]]> Fleabag Monkeyface is a fast paced and fearsomely funny animated series chronicle the tales and comical adventures of Fleabag Monkeyface who is part monkey, part boy but manmade living in the disused outside toilet of his creator and best friend, Gerald’s garden.

Based on a series of hugely popular books by British award winning writing duo, Knife and Packer and published by Walker Books, the series follows the adventures of our eponymous hero, Fleabag Monkeyface, and his two creators, Gene and Gerald, best friends and fans of all things grossly silly. Each episode sees them presenting another edition of their hit TV series, Gross Out TV, a show they were given when its original presenter Dr Dirk Spamflex became evil and tried to take over the world with a monster he’d created entirely from earwax called Earmageddon. His terrifying plan was scuppered by Gene, Gerald and Fleabag and so they inherited his weekly TV slot banishing Spamflex to obscurity. Now he wants his show back and no plan is too dastardly or too crazed in his attempts to achieve this leading to the maddest, grossest adventures ever seen on TV.

The series will be develop and co-produce for TV through partnership of Sparky Animation, Impossible Kids and Walker Productions to bring these incredibly funny books and madcap characters onto the screen for the first time. This new animation will launch on CITV, ITV1 and GMTV1 in 2011.

The Universe is his Playground! Everyone knows Mr. Moon. Just look overhead at night. There he is, rising in the star-studded sky. But, have you ever wondered what he does when he’s (more...)]]> Mr. Moon is a tripartite co-production by Sparky Animation, Skaramoosh (UK) and Title Entertainment (Canada).

The Universe is his Playground! Everyone knows Mr. Moon. Just look overhead at night. There he is, rising in the star-studded sky. But, have you ever wondered what he does when he’s not there? Well, that is where our story begins.

You see, Mr. Moon is an adventurer. The whole universe is his playground. Riding his Supafast Moon Rocket, accompanied by Silva and Gold Star, he zips around, exploring planets, stars, constellations, black holes, nebulae and galaxies, discovering mysteries, wonders, adventures and fun until he loses track of the time! The problem is, he has to be at his station punctually as it is his duty is to keep nighttime the right length. Fortunately, his friend Sunny, who’s in charge of daytime, reminds him via his mobile phone when it’s time he returned.

The inspiration for Mr. Moon comes from the real wonders of the universe, so the characters and locations are based on the real heavens and natural phenomena. Stars (including the sun) and clouds can be characters. So are constellations that act as maps in space. Galaxies serve as locations. Nebulae provide nurseries for stars and homes for other characters. Black Holes can instantly zip Mr. Moon’s rocket from one end of the universe to the other, and back again. But, you just never know where a black hole will lead, do you?

It tells the tale of four old Emirati women, the main characters Um Saeed, Um Saloom, (more...)]]> FREEJ is one of the most successful animation shows in Middle East. It is a CG animated TV series produced in Dubai by Mohammed Saeed Harib, who also directs the episodes.

It tells the tale of four old Emirati women, the main characters Um Saeed, Um Saloom, Um Allawi and Um Khammas, who live in a secluded neighborhood in modern Dubai. They try to live peacefully in the midst of the ever-expanding, booming city. The city, however, unveils new social problems every day that they have to tackle. But, for them, no issue is too hard to solve, in their own way, after a good cup of coffee at Um Saeed’s house.

Zigby lives in a tree house in Mudwater Creek, located on a lush, tropical island. In a typical episode, the (more...)]]> Zigby the zebra was created by author Brian Paterson for a series of picture books and board books, and now appears in a CG animated TV series.

Zigby lives in a tree house in Mudwater Creek, located on a lush, tropical island. In a typical episode, the enthusiastic zebra “trots into trouble” through his slightly eccentric behavior. He is followed by his friends, McMeer, the cheeky and stupid meerkat, and Bertie Bird, the anxious guinea fowl.

In each episode, Jason and Michelle go on imaginary adventures in outer space, using a toy spaceship and four penguin figurines. The ‘intelligent’ penguins man the toy spaceship. They use (more...)]]> 3-2-1 Penguins! is a direct-to-video animated cartoon series produced by Big Idea Productions, of Veggie Tales fame.

In each episode, Jason and Michelle go on imaginary adventures in outer space, using a toy spaceship and four penguin figurines. The ‘intelligent’ penguins man the toy spaceship. They use a handheld device, called a galeezil, to shrink the kids to fit into it. The villain is Baron Cavitus.

An episode will begin with the kids being given a lesson, usually by their Grandma, based on the Bible. During the ‘adventure’, they apply what they have learned to solve the problems they encounter.

At the same event, Sparky Animation and Drawiz (more...)]]> Sparky Animation announced another co-production project titled “One Stormy Night” at this year’s MIPCOM. “One Stormy Night” is an animated series co-produced between Sparky Animation and our Japanese Partners namely Duckbill Entertainment, Baku Enterprise Inc. and Bandai Visual Inc.

At the same event, Sparky Animation and Drawiz Singapore announced collaboration on a children animated series tentatively titled “Tocori The Ghost”.

http://biel.adminz.net/~newssear/uploaded/MDA/Oct11/05Oct11/NewsPaper/20111005-STLM-Life-C03-33×42.jpg

http://biel.adminz.net/~newssear/uploaded/MDA/Oct11/05Oct11/NewsPaper/20111005-MP-Home-A04-17×10.jpg

The first draft of The Grimpley Brothers (more...)]]> It is a comic story about two brothers, who progress from sibling rivalry and mutual loathing to brotherly love and appreciation in an emotional journey that takes them through hilarious twists and turns in the story that they’re narrating together.

The first draft of The Grimpley Brothers script was written by Annie Award winner Philip Lazebnik whose filmography includes screenplay credits for animation blockbusters like The Prince of Egypt, Mulan and Pocahontas.

The clip featured is a pitching trailer produced by Sparky to explore and test out the visual and technical aspects of the show.

After breaking an ancient artifact, Hugo is trapped in a mystical realm where he must battle against dinosaurs, knights, dragons and monstrous swarms of insects. (more...)]]> Ever wondered what happens in a museum after closing hours? Wonder no more as Hugo’s Curse unfolds an enchanting and thrilling adventure.

After breaking an ancient artifact, Hugo is trapped in a mystical realm where he must battle against dinosaurs, knights, dragons and monstrous swarms of insects. Alas he has only till midnight to undo the curse.

The show reel featured here was produced by us as a study and a demonstration of the effectiveness and robustness of Sparky’s proprietary crowd animation system.

The other nominees in this category are: Toy Story 3 (Disney Consumer Products) Thomas and Friends (HIT Entertainment) Ben 10 Alien Force (Cartoon Network Enterprise) Chuggington (Lodurum) Monster (more...)]]> The two year old Dinosaur Train has been nominated for Toy of the Year 2011 in the premier category by the Toy Industry Association.

The other nominees in this category are:

• Toy Story 3 (Disney Consumer Products)
• Thomas and Friends (HIT Entertainment)
• Ben 10 Alien Force (Cartoon Network Enterprise)
• Chuggington (Lodurum)
• Monster High (Mattel)

Ms Henson says she and her staff had also looked at other companies in (more...)]]> The 40 episodes of Dinosaur Train’s debut season aired on PBS Kids in the US and on Okto channel in Singapore in the last two months. Work has started on the second season.

Ms Henson says she and her staff had also looked at other companies in India and South Korea to collaborate with on Dinosaur Train, ‘but the sample work we saw that was done here was so superior that we were really happy with the quality of the work’.

Looking to steer the newly created department of Business Development, Merchandising and Licensing is Mr Edwin Khoo Phui Yong. As the Vice President of Merchandising, Licensing (more...)]]> Sparky Animation branches out to complete its full circle of animation production by having an in-house team of merchandising and licensing.

Looking to steer the newly created department of Business Development, Merchandising and Licensing is Mr Edwin Khoo Phui Yong. As the Vice President of Merchandising, Licensing and Business Development, Mr Edwin Khoo will spearhead the exploitation of in-house Intellectual Properties rights namely Mr Moon, Dinosaur Train and Jack as well as look into acquiring other potential character brands for the purpose of worldwide merchandising and licensing.

She drops by the (more...)]]> 20 years after the death of Jim Henson – the creator of “The Muppets” and “Sesame Street” – the Jim Henson Company continues to produce numerous children TV programs. The company is now run by Jim’s children and headed by daughter Lisa Henson.

She drops by the studio to discuss her plans for the company and its’ collaboration with Singapore based Sparky Animation to co-produce the hit children’s TV series Dinosaur Train.

The show premiered on Disney UK a few months ago and received the (more...)]]> At the recently concluded MIPCOM in Cannes France, Sparky Animation announces new broadcaster, ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) has acquire broadcasting rights of Mr Moon. ABC plans to air the show in February next year.

The show premiered on Disney UK a few months ago and received the 2nd largest premiere the channel has ever seen.

Cbeebies will be the home of new pre-school series Tilly and Friends from 2012, which has been adapted from Polly Dunbar’s book series published by Walker Books. The TV production division of the company is (more...)]]> Walker Productions has signed up its first two commissions with leading broadcasters.

Cbeebies will be the home of new pre-school series Tilly and Friends from 2012, which has been adapted from Polly Dunbar’s book series published by Walker Books. The TV production division of the company is working with Jam Media on the show.

“We are so pleased that Tilly and Friends will air on Cbeebies and look forward to delivering the popular book-based series to a whole new audience, as part of Walker Productions’ commitment to developing fantastic book-based properties for additional media platforms,” said Helen McAleer, MD of Walker Productions and Walker Books UK.

Meanwhile, CITV will broadcast new animation Fleabag Monkeyface. The show will be the first new animation commissioned from CITV since 2005.

The 52 x 11-minute episodes have been developed by Sparky Animation, Impossible Kids and Walker Productions and are due to launch on CITV, ITV1 and GMTV1 in September 2011.

Despite the booming success of Freej, that has being following its creator Mohammad Hareb for four years, the animator has (more...)]]> The cultural sensation’s final season is currently being produced and will be completed by December, although an exact date to air the show has not been disclosed.

Dubai:

Despite the booming success of Freej, that has being following its creator Mohammad Hareb for four years, the animator has finally decided to close the final chapter on the 3D Emirati cartoon series and concentrate on other projects.

The cultural sensation’s final season is currently being produced and will be completed by December, although an exact date to air the show has not been disclosed.

The fourth season will not be featured this Ramadan as it has always done since 2006 because of financial problems such as lack of sponsorship and time restraints.

“It is very hard to pull a season of 3D animation in less than a year, said Hareb. “The first season took three to four years to complete. Although we are still in production, we have only completed eight episodes.”

Hareb confessed lack of fiscal sponsorship was the biggest obstacle in completing the fourth and final season which will be broadcast on Dubai Television Channel.

“Once the financial crisis happened, the first thing that got affected was the marketing pocket, which of course means no sponsorship. And that didn’t just affect me of course, it affected many others. We completed our three-year commercial contract with du, our primary sponsor, and we were stuck with no sponsorship. Unfortunately the way TV is segregated [between emirates] means that no Abu Dhabi company can sponsor a Dubai show and vice-versa.”

Despite the huge success of the series, Hareb still managed to stir up controversy with some subjects handled in the show such as plastic surgery and religious extremism.

Celebrating culture

“The focus of Freej was never to talk about social issues; the focus of Freej was to celebrate culture whether it was through poetry, dialect or our way of living. We don’t consider ourselves to be the flag bearers of solving or discussing [social] issues. We’d rather skew towards helping children to learn more about our culture.”

He also said that the reason for much of the criticism of the show stemmed from the wide range of viewership his show attracted.

“Freej managed to pull in viewers from 4 to 70 years old, which resulted in a vast range of viewership. The mentality of these different age groups, the genders and the social hierarchy is vastly different.

Unified message

“Some will be more conservative from the rest; some are more exposed to international media. At the end of the day I’m not a government show, I’m not trying to get to the greater good of people and send them one unified message. Freej is the vision of its maker and what I think it’s important.”

The birth of Freej encouraged many other locally-made animated series to take the plunge and delve into the animation industry.

Hareb does not see these competitors as enemies, but as good friends joined together to strengthen the animation industry in the UAE.

The distributors of the (more...)]]> SINGAPORE:

Playhouse Disney (UK), TVO, Knowledge Network and SCN (Canada) have all acquired ‘Mr Moon’, The preschool show, which is produced by Singapore based Sparky Animation in association with Skaramoosh (London) and Title Entertainment (Ottawa) with support from the Media Development Authority of Singapore.

The distributors of the series, Sparky Animation, have announced that leading preschool channel, Playhouse Disney UK, will air ‘Mr Moon’ in 2010.

‘Mr Moon’ is adapted from a children’s book property of the same name, which was created by English writer illustrator Kate Veale. The series revolves around ‘Mr Moon’ and his friends – Sunny, Silva Star, Goldstar and his little red Supafast Rocket who will come to life in CGI with stunning digital painted backgrounds. In all of the stories in the series, ‘Mr Moon’ and his friends go on adventures all around the universe exploring planets, stars, constellations, black holes, nebulae and galaxies. Sometimes the friends lose track of time in these adventures but no matter what, they must always get back in time to take their rightful place in the night sky.

Jonathan Boseley, VP, Programming, Disney Channels UK & Ireland comments: “We are thrilled to be launching ‘Mr Moon’ on Playhouse Disney and we’re sure it will delight preschoolers and their parents. Following the channel’s continued success we’re looking to expand our UK acquisitions with hit shows like “‘Mr Moon’” that engage and inspire preschoolers with great storytelling and characters.”

Playhouse Disney U.K. will begin airing the program in 2010. In Canada, the rights have been picked up by regional broadcasters TVOntario, Knowledge Network in (more...)]]> Singapore-based Sparky Animation has sold broadcast rights of its CG-animated preschool show Mr. Moon to outlets in the United Kingdom and Canada.

Playhouse Disney U.K. will begin airing the program in 2010. In Canada, the rights have been picked up by regional broadcasters TVOntario, Knowledge Network in British Columbia and SCN in Saskatchewan.