Cat Deeley On Board Kate & Mim-Mim Special

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LONDON: TV personality Cat Deeley has joined the voice cast for Kate in Oz, a special episode of the animated preschool series Kate & Mim-Mim, which is represented by FremantleMedia Kids & Family (FMK) outside of Canada.

Kate in Oz will see Deeley portray a young witch named Violet, who is stealing all of the purple in Oz, including Kate and Mim-Mim’s “twirl magic.” As a result, Kate and Mim-Mim embark on a journey to find the Wizard of Oz so they can ask him for help. The 22-minute special episode will premiere on Disney Junior on November 14.

Deeley, who has previously voiced characters in The Simpsons, Johnny Bravo and Robots, commented: “I knew I would have a great time voicing this and the fact that I got to play Violet, Kate’s nemesis, the baddie witch, made it even more interesting to me. It’s always the baddies who have the most fun and I get to go to my slightly darker side for inspiration!”

In other news, FMK has unveiled a number of new licensees for the property in Europe. In Spain, where the show broadcasts on Clan, European licensing agent Planeta Junior tied up with Penguin Random House for products launching in January 2017, and inked a seasonal confectionery deal with Lacassa for next Easter. In addition, Big Picture is working on new home-entertainment releases.

Over in Italy, where the series airs on Cartoonito, Planeta Junior has signed a publishing agreement across a number of activity and sticker books with Play Press, which launched this summer; a costume character deal with Ferrarie; and a rainwear and umbrellas agreement with Perletti.

And in CEE—where the show broadcasts on MiniMini in Poland, is due to debut on TVP later this year, and airs on MiniMax in Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary—Planeta Junior secured publishing deals with Edipresse for Poland, and Albatross for the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Tracy Griffiths, FMK’s VP of licensing and consumer products for EMEA and Australia, said: “The success of our adventurous duo Kate & Mim-Mim keeps on growing, and we are delighted to welcome these prestigious partners in key territories as the brand continues to grow globally.”