TV-Loonland’s Prized Princess

In 2006, as part of its efforts to position itself as a brand-management company as opposed to just a producer and distributor, TV-Loonland aligned with The Illuminated Film Company for Little Princess. TV-Loonland shored up the worldwide rights across all media for the show, based on the much-loved children’s books by Tony Ross and commissioned for broadcast on Five’s Milkshake! block. The move proved to be a lucrative one for TV-Loonland, which has licensed the show into more than 180 countries. A third season of the hit series is now under way, backed by an extensive retail program that has rolled out in key territories across the globe.

For Iain Harvey, who founded The Illuminated Film Company and is a producer on Little Princess, the charm of the property is clear. "The title ‘Little Princess’ is a joke—of course she’s anything but! On the other hand, every single child thinks they are special, a little princess or prince. What we hope to add to those ingredients is a lot of humor and warmth. We try to create a problem for her that she often is the cause of. We hopefully find a way for her to get out of that problem without too much help from adults!"

Embarking on the adaptation process years ago, Harvey notes that the biggest challenge was convincing the publisher and the author "that their very simple little books could be extended to 11-minute episodes. They thought it would be stretching material just to get it in the time slot." Harvey notes, however, the world Ross had created proved to be treasure trove of ideas for story lines for the TV series. "He gave us all the ingredients."

For Harvey, turning to books for inspiration for a new kids’ TV series was a given; earlier in his career he spent a decade in the publishing business. And it was an opportunity to executive produce the 1982 animated special The Snowman that opened Harvey’s eyes to "another world"—television animation.

Books continue to serve as a key source for Illuminated’s development slate, and Harvey is always on the lookout for new characters that intrigue him. "At the very minimum it’s going to take three to five years of my life; even if it’s just one series—a year to finance, a year to make and a year to market it. There has to be no chance of me getting bored of the characters. We don’t tend to be attracted to superhero-type programs—I’m much more interested in telling stories about ordinary people, ordinary things. I try to make them strong enough and imaginative enough to attract audiences. The biggest reward I ever get is when I see a smile on a viewer’s face. That’s something you can’t buy."

To view a clip of Little Princess, click here.