New Licensing Deal for PorchLight’s Animalia

LOS ANGELES, January 30: Australia’s
Animalia Productions and PorchLight Entertainment have reached an international
multi-year licensing deal for the high-definition CGI-animated children’s TV
series Animalia with Penguin
Group, the publisher of the book by Graeme Base on which the show is based.

Under the new agreement,
Penguin will develop and publish an array of products based on the property,
including storybooks, activity and coloring books, readers and novelty books.
Penguin will also publish educational books that expand on the curriculum
material developed for the PBS KIDS GO! broadcast. The first line of products
are expected to be available at retail stores in the U.S. beginning this fall
and in Australia and New Zealand starting in August. In the U.S., the new line
of books will be published by Grosset and Dunlap, an imprint of Penguin Young
Readers Group.

Based on Graeme Base’s
bestselling book of the same name published by Penguin Australia more than 20
years ago, Animalia can now be
seen on PBS KIDS GO! in the U.S., BBC One in the U.K., CBC in Canada and
Network TEN in Australia. 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.

The program is being
distributed internationally by BBC Worldwide and in North America by PorchLight
Entertainment. In addition, 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.

Bruce Johnson,
PorchLight’s president and CEO, also shares executive producer credit on the
Australia-based production, along with 15-time Emmy Award-winning story editor
and lead writer Tom Ruegger (Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain).
The series is directed by David Scott (Happy Feet, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Lord of the Rings trilogy).

“We’re thrilled to see Animalia
grow beyond the TV screen and are
proud to be partnering with Penguin to bring this stand-out property to kids
and families in exciting new ways,” said Johnson. “Penguin is the perfect
licensee to translate the visual depth of the series and its unique content and
messaging into one-of-a-kind books. The strong language arts aspects of the TV
series also will come to life in this format that is sure to capture kids’
imaginations.”

“The quality of the TV
series is amazing and we’re excited about the opportunity to bring this
wondrous world to life,” said Bob Sessions, Penguin’s director of publishing.
“Given the enduring success of Graeme Base’s work, we are confident that young
readers everywhere will gravitate to the enchanting universe of Animalia through these engaging new titles.”

—By Irene Lew