Ape Escape Scores New Pickups

NEW YORK: Hawaii Film Partners has notched up new broadcasters for the short-form animated series Ape Escape, including a deal with Nickelodeon in Asia.

The 38×2-minute series, produced for Nickelodeon’s NickToons, has also been picked up by Disney Channel in India and DR-TV in Denmark. The show is based on Sony PlayStation’s interactive game of the same name.

"This is an historic project in that it marks the first time a television program was animated in Hawaii for a national TV network,” said Rann Watumull, co-founder and senior executive at Hawaii Film Partners. “We wanted to create a synergy between the interactive game and the animated episode series, and bring the Ape Escape characters to life in a very humorous and fun-filled program. We’ve specifically written the episodes for an audience ages 6-13 who have never played the game. Yet we also have made it entertainment that will be appealing to any age.”