Animalia to Premiere on PBS KIDS GO!

MELBOURNE/LOS ANGELES, December 11: The high-definition
CGI-animated fantasy-adventure children’s series Animalia, produced by Australia’s Animalia Productions in
association with PorchLight Entertainment, will premiere in the U.S. on PBS KIDS GO! in January
2008.

PBS KIDS GO! has made a 40-episode commitment to Animalia, with the first 13 half-hour episodes rolling out
weekly, from January 5. The series has also premiered in three other
English-speaking territories: Network TEN in Australia on November 11, BBC One
in the U.K. on November 19 and CBC in Canada on December 3. The series is being
distributed internationally by BBC Worldwide and in North America by PorchLight
Entertainment. Worldwide licensing and merchandising are being handled by
PorchLight Entertainment, excluding Australia, New Zealand and the U.K., which
is being handled by BBC Worldwide.

A companion web site at pbskidsgo.org/animalia is expected
to launch in mid-December with interactive activities and games for kids that
reinforce the program’s messages and language arts content. The site also will
feature a “Teacher’s Den” area containing ideas and lesson plans for educators.

Animalia is based on
Graeme Base’s best-selling illustrated book of the same name, which has already
sold more than 3 million copies worldwide. Animalia features two kids, Alex and Zoe, who are
mysteriously transported to the magical world of Animalia. The land is
populated with intriguing talking animals: zebras in zeppelins, hogs on bikes,
media mice delivering news bulletins on blue butterflies’ wings, dynamic
dragons, unicorns and elephants with their own eatery. The series features a
group of characters led by the gentle Animalia ruler, Livingstone T. Lion, the
Keeper of the Core. When a mysterious force weakens the Core and threatens the
future of Animalia and its inhabitants, Alex and Zoe along with their new
Animalian friends embark on a journey to restore stability to the land.

“This is children’s television at its very best,” said Bruce
Johnson, PorchLight’s president and CEO. “Animalia delivers on every level—compelling
storytelling, memorable characters and underlying themes that help teach
language and communication skills to children. We are very gratified indeed to
be part of this superb production.”

PorchLight’s Johnson also shares executive producer credit,
along with story editor and lead writer Tom Ruegger (Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain). The
series is the first to use a variety of 3-D animation techniques typically
reserved for big-budget feature films.

—By Irene Lew