Blanche

TV Kids Weekly,
November 14, 2006

NAME: Blanche

ORIGIN: Blanche is based on an original idea by
Loredana Middione.

CREATORS: The series is a co-production between
VGI Entertainment/Animation Band/RAI/ Les Films de la Perrine/France 5.

TV SHOW: Blanche is a 2D animated series consisting of
26 6-minute episodes, which targets preschoolers and features a host of 15
animal characters that behave in ways you wouldn’t expect.

EXECUTIVE
PRODUCERS:

•Executive
Producer for Graphisme: Riccardo Trigona

•Executive
Producer for Les Films de la Perrine: Dominique Boischot

•Executive
Producer for The Animation Band: Marco Marcolini

•Executive
Producer for RAI: Max Gusberti

•Head of
Production, Animation STUDIO TAISHAN: Zhu Qing

COMMISSIONING/MAIN
BROADCASTER: RAI and
France 5

TV SALES: VGI Entertainment has sold Blanche to the U.K. (Cartoon Network Too),
Germany (KiKa), Ireland (RTE), Norway (TV2), Finland (YLE FST), Iceland (365
Media), Hong Kong (ATV), Korea (EBS), Hungary (Hungarian TV and Minimax),
Slovenia (RTV), Slovakia (Slovak TV), Cyprus (CYBC), South Africa (SABC1), and
the Middle East (67 territories).

MAJOR TOY
LICENSEES: The
video/DVD and master toy license are currently in discussion. Other categories,
such as publishing and clothing are also being considered.

OTHER
PRODUCTS: VGI is
developing its own exclusive Blanche product range, beginning with plush, to roll out end of
2006/early 2007 through the Internet and other distribution channels. The
products in development include: plush, pop-up books, stationery with novelty
additions, jigsaw puzzles, party packs, transfers and coloring books.

STRATEGY
FOR ROLLOUT: Blanche is a co-production between RAI and
France 5, and VGI Entertainment is handling worldwide distribution. “Blanche is
geared to preschoolers and basically, it’s a fun series,” says Chris Blackburn,
the managing director of VGI Entertainment. “As one of the major broadcasters
put it to us, ‘it’s silly and fun,’ which is perhaps something different for
the preschool market. The concept of Blanche is great, it’s about a group of 15
animals who behave in unexpected ways and the catch phrase is, ‘the only law of
nature here is having fun.’”

One of Blanche’s strengths is that it has underlying
educational elements, explains Blackburn. “It’s is all about emotional
educational aspect: getting on with people, taking responsibility and harmony.”

Blanche is the
mother figure among the animals; they all look up to her for the answers. Each
animal is unique and unconventional; for example, Blanche’s best friend is
Leonard who is a vegetarian lion; Trippy is a vain pig with an appetite only
for strawberries. "Every character has something that is distinctive, but
it’s not what you would normally find in the natural world,” continues
Blackburn. “But in their unconventional world, there are educational
subtleties. There are things that actually happen in the natural world,
like the seasons. There is one episode where Trippy is desperately trying to
stick leaves back on to a tree, and of course it’s autumn and leaves are
falling off. There is something that is very subtle about that.”

While VGI
plans on developing products in various categories—from plush and pop-up
books to stationary and jigsaw puzzles—Blackburn first wants to let the
show develop awareness among children.

In the U.K., Blanche is being stripped three times daily on
Cartoon Network Too’s new preschool block, Cartoonito.

“We’ve
delivered 13 episodes into territories and are we are waiting for the next 13
which should be delivered by the end of December,” says Blackburn. “That will
create the platform from which to roll out products.”