DQE Presents Lassie and Friends

CANNES: DQ Entertainment is teaming up with French production company Super Prod and Story Board Animation in association with TF1 for the animated series Lassie and Friends.

The 52-episode series is being targeted at kids 5 to 10 for a release by fall 2011 or start of 2012. Lassie and Friends is being co-developed with Classic Media and co-produced by ZDF Group, which holds the rights for Germany and German-speaking Europe. Super Prod will hold the rights for French-speaking Europe and is responsible for the French version of the series worldwide.

Tapaas Chakravarti, the chairman and CEO of DQE Group, commented: “The heart warming response Lassie and Friends has received in Cannes has given us confidence in our endeavor to reincarnate the world’s most loved canine. Lassie in her new animated avatar, going into production shortly, will surely be loved by audiences across the world. We are grateful to our long standing partners ZDF, Classic Media and TF1 for their continued support in our initiative to resurrect classical properties and welcome Super Prod on this new journey.”

Clement Calvet, the CEO of Super Prod of France, said: “I am excited to launch Super Prod with such an outstanding property and honored to share the credits with such prestigious partners.”

Alexander Coridass, the president and CEO of ZDF Enterprises, added: "We are pleased to be partners again in this new iconic production of DQE. The loveable Lassie has been known by children all over the world for many decades. We are convinced that this new and up-to-date version of Lassie will enchant modern audiences and at the same time will still transfer the spirit of the original novel."

Eric Ellenbogen, co-CEO of Classic Media, continued: “Classic Media is delighted to partner with Tapaas Chakravarti and DQE, as well as the team at ZDF, for Lassie and Friends. With our outstanding partners, we have re-imagined the story of the world’s most famous dog in 2D animation and we are excited to introduce Lassie to the next generation of fans around the globe.”