Chorion Preps Second Season of Animated Series

LONDON/NEW YORK, September
29: Chorion’s The Mr. Men Show
will return for a second season on Cartoon Network in the U.S. and Five in the
U.K., with an additional 52 11-minute episodes currently in production for
broadcast in 2009.

The first season of the
show has just secured broadcast deals with YTV in Canada, MediaCorp in
Singapore and KTV in South Africa. The program is already airing on France 5,
ABC in Australia and HOP! in Israel.

There is also an extensive
merchandising program planned with apparel, toy, publishing and DVD partners
now secured. The master toy licensee, Fisher-Price, is set to launch toys in
the U.K. and Australia this fall, including collectible plush, play sets and
feature plush. The global DVD partner, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, will
begin its international rollout starting in the U.K. and France for the fourth
quarter of 2008. A tie-in publishing program has also been completed with
Penguin Group (U.S.), Egmont (U.K.) and Hachette (France) to launch a range of
books in 2009.

Based on the original Mr.
Men and Little Miss books created by Roger Hargreaves, The Mr. Men
Show is the first animated sketch
comedy for kids. It is a re-imagining of this classic property, blending
fast-paced physical humor and verbal wit with beloved, personality-driven
characters. In the second season, new faces such as Little Miss Magic and
Little Miss Giggles will join the cast, which includes the jetpack-wearing
Little Miss Daredevil and favorites such as Mr. Bump, Mr. Tickle and Little
Miss Sunshine. All of the characters have been redrawn and updated with a
contemporary feel to suit the new style of animation.

Chorion’s Diana Manson and
Kurt Mueller, along with Renegade Animation’s Ashley Postlewaite and Darrell
Van Citters, are executive producers of the show together with head writers
Kate Boutilier and Eryk Casemiro.

Geraint Marsh, the senior
VP of TV sales at Chorion, said: “Since its launch at MIPCOM last year, The
Mr. Men Show has captured the
imagination of broadcasters worldwide. We are excited to be bringing new
episodes to the international market and are hopeful of securing new broadcast
partners for both series one and two at MIPCOM.”

—By Jackie Stewart