Chorion Scores Deals for Olivia

CANNES, April 7: Chorion has secured a deal with
Five in the U.K. for its preschool series Olivia, based on the bestselling book
property, and has also closed a number of new international presales.

Olivia will broadcast as part of Five’s Milkshake! block. The 52×11-minute series is
currently in production, with delivery scheduled for fall 2008. Based on the
award-winning books written and illustrated by Ian Falconer, the 3-D,
CGI-animated property centers on an imaginative little girl whose world is
infused with fantasy. Presales for the series have been inked with ABC in
Australia, YLE in Finland, Sweden’s SVT, NRK in Norway and RUV in Iceland.

Five’s director of children’s programs, Nick
Wilson, commented: “Olivia is a great character! And I am very fond of her; she’s
also 6 and three quarters which is one of the great ages! She’ll be Pig of the
Year and a great addition to Milkshake!”

Geraint Marsh, the senior VP of TV sales at
Chorion, added: “Our relationship with Five continues to go from strength to
strength and we are excited to be bringing Olivia to a U.K. audience as well as to
children worldwide. The books are already an established brand, making Olivia a classic Chorion project and we
are confident that her energy and imagination will appeal to a global
audience.”

—By Kristin Brzoznowski