TV Kids In-Demand: Diversity & Inclusion

Shows that place diversity and inclusion front and center are in the spotlight in our latest TV Kids In-Demand report: ZDF Enterprises’ Scream Street, Guru Studio’s Big Blue, Studio 100 Media’s FriendZSpace, DeAPlaneta Entertainment’s Tilly, The Power Within and CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution’s Li’l Doc.

Scream Street

Commissioners: CBBC, ZDF Enterprises
Produced By: Coolabi Productions, Factory, Nau Productions, Porcelain Pig Television
Distributor: ZDF Enterprises (worldwide rights outside CBBC territory)
Description: (Kids 6-10, 78×11 min. & 1×22 min. Christmas special) Scream Street is a fast-paced, stylish, comedy-horror extravaganza, based on the hit book series by Tommy Donbavand, following Luke Watson: a regular teen—apart from the werewolf gene! The stories are packed full of humor and horror, delivered with warmth and heart as we see our heroes outwit and battle all manner of foes and villains that are just part of the everyday adventures of living on “Scream Street”!
Pitch Perfect: With plenty of action as well as sharp and witty dialogue, the series captures the challenges and tribulations of teen friendship groups: fallouts, BFFs, first crushes, acceptance and inclusion. A recurring narrative is the importance of being who you are, but the themes and messages are delivered with plenty of humor, wit—and some kick-ass moves too! Technically this award-winning series is at the premium, cutting-edge of stop-motion animation, evoking the style and groundbreaking techniques of Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas, but all delivered with a lightness of touch appropriate for kids.
Slot Winner: Following the successful launch on CBBC (U.K.), this series is also a ratings winner wherever it has been broadcast across Latin America, Europe and Australia.
Sales Contact: Peter Lang, VP ZDFE.junior.

Big Blue

Commissioners: CBC, SRC
Produced By: Guru Studio
Distributor: Worldwide content and L&M rights from Guru Studio.
Description: (Kids 5-9 comedy, 52×11 min.) Siblings Lettie and Lemo lead their quirky submarine crew to solve the ocean’s mysteries and find the origins of a new magical recruit named Bacon Berry.
Pitch Perfect: This hilarious new series follows sibling underwater adventurers Lettie and Lemo, who lead a quirky submarine crew with a magical ocean fairy stowaway named Bacon Berry. Big Blue drops young viewers deep into a wacky world of comic adventure, while helping to redefine what a family means. The series underscores the timely message of how caring for our planet and each other is the most important thing of all.
Slot Winner: Big Blue is coming off an incredible launch on CBC Kids in Canada, SRC in French Canada and Nicktoons in the U.K. Soon to launch are ABC in Australia, CTC Kids in Russia & CIS, EBS in South Korea, NRK in Norway and Boing in France, Africa and Israel. The series is created by Ghanaian Canadian Gyimah Gariba, a multifaceted artist whose work has gained him international attention, and who was praised by Forbes magazine as one of 15 Young African Creatives Rebranding Africa. Behind the theme song of the show is Grammy-winning music producer Timbaland!
Sales Contacts: L&M: Jonathan Abraham, VP, Sales & Business Development; Content: Corey Caplan, Director, International Sales.

FriendZSpace

Produced By: T&B Media Global, Flying Bark Productions
Distributor: Studio 100 Media has all rights worldwide, excluding Thailand, Australia and New Zealand.
Description: (Kids 5-9 comedy adventure, 52×11 min.) Meet three best friends, Alice, Leo and Kim—seemingly regular human kids, but behind their normal facade they are risk-taking deep space friend makers!
Pitch Perfect: “The idea of FriendZSpace is: Different is good! The core messages are about friendship, inclusion and welcoming diversity with open arms. The producers’ and our goal with this series is to create a rich immersive world of fresh characters for a universal community of kids.” —Dorian Bühr, Head, Global Distribution
Slot Winner: International/Australian TV premiere on ABC Kids. iView availability from January 25, 2022, daily (episodes 1-20).
Sales Contacts: Dorian Bühr, Tanja Aichberger-Schaetzle, Fabrice Laventure.

Tilly, The Power Within

Produced By: DeAPlaneta Entertainment, Lion Forge Animation, MOBO Digital Factory
Distributor: DeAPlaneta Entertainment manages the series’ worldwide rights, excluding the U.S. and Canada, managed by Lion Forge Animation.
Description: (Bridge 4-7 adventure/emotional intelligence, 52×11 min.) With the help of Tilly, their power within, 6-year-old stepsiblings Gem and Joe learn to face the challenges that come with exploring the world around them.
Pitch Perfect: Stepsiblings Gem and Joe are discovering the world, facing new challenges every day. Tilly is a soft plush that comes to life to help the children find confidence in unfamiliar situations. The show celebrates diversity through inclusive storytelling that embraces building new habits while celebrating customs and traditions. Created by award-winning writer Lina Foti.
Sales Contacts: Judit Foz, Lucia Vismara.

Li’l Doc

Produced By: GALA Prod
Distributor: All rights available from CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution.
Description: (Kids 6-9 edutainment, 52×2.5 min.) Li’l Docseeks to demystify and de-dramatize, in a humorous way, a whole range of medical topics that children may encounter. The episodes feature Li’l Doc, an empathetic female doctor and friend to kids, who explains diseases and their symptoms, and her funny and lovable assistant, Li’l Munchkin, a hypochondriac chameleon!
Pitch Perfect: We at CBC/SRC Distribution are so proud to represent Li’l Doc. This series keeps traveling around the world and continues to be a top performer. It is entertaining, inclusive, diverse and delivers humor and topics that matter to kids, especially during Covid-19.
Slot Winner: The series has performed well on Hopster, Canal+, YLE, TVP and ERR, among others.
Sales Contacts: Mia Desroches, Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos.