TV Kids In-Demand: Girl Power

Shows that place powerful girl characters front and center are featured in our newest TV Kids In-Demand report: ZDF Enterprises’ Heirs of the Night, CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution’s Glowbies, NBCUniversal Global Distribution’s Gabby’s Dollhouse, WildBrain’s Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City and Serious Kids’ Girls of Olympus.

Heirs of the Night

Commissioners: NRK, AVROTROS, NDR, ZDF Enterprises
Produced By: Lemming Film, Hamster Film, Maze Pictures, Maipo Film, ZDF Enterprises
Distributor: ZDF Enterprises worldwide, excluding co-production partners’ territories.
Description: (Kids 10+/family, 26×26 min.) Heirs of the Night is set in 1889 and tells the story of the five remaining vampire clans in Europe and their young ones, “the Heirs.” In their midst is Alisa, 14, who has the power to choose between eternal life as a vampire or for all vampires to become humans once again.
Pitch Perfect: After centuries of war, there are only five vampire clans in Europe. All are direct descendants of Lord Dracula, who gave each of them a ruby endowed with a specific power that is only mastered by its clan. The never-ending clan wars and the growing threat of vampire hunters have forced the vampires to retreat into isolation to protect their heirs. They realize that they need to come out of hiding and unite their powers if they want to survive. And this is where our saga begins. An epic adventure for tweens, teens and families, filmed on location all over Europe. This is a fantastical coming-of-age saga with international appeal, an incredible cinematographic look and outstanding production values.
Slot Winner: Winner of The White Elephant Art Award and Goldener Spatz and nominated for an International Emmy Kids Award.
Sales Contacts: Arne Lohmann, VP ZDFE.junior; Katharina Pietzsch, Director ZDFE.junior; Jan-Frederik Maul, Director ZDFE.junior; Marei Bruckmann, Director ZDFE.junior.

Glowbies

Commissioner: Developed and acquired by CBC Kids.
Produced By: Gallus Entertainment
Distributor: Worldwide rights available except Canada from CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution.
Description: (Preschool comedy, 38×12.5 min.) Like any preschoolers, Jelly, Randy, Alby and Poppy go through emotions that light them up bright. It is OK to show your emotions when having fun, facing problems, or being sad or frustrated. Even though Jelly, Randy, Alby and Poppy’s personalities are very different, they always remain the best of friends, no matter what the situation or conflict is.
Pitch Perfect: Jelly is the unofficial leader of the gang. She plays the big sister to Poppy, Alby and Randy, playing a protective role. Jelly is the mechanical-minded one willing to attempt to fix things and has the ideas. Jelly is also the sports lover of the group, while Poppy is a strong-minded, straight-talking, genuinely talented girl with a desire to do things. Girl power all over!
Slot Winner: CBC Kids and GEM
Sales Contacts: Mia Desroches, Sandrine Pechels de Saint Sardos.

Gabby’s Dollhouse

Commissioners: Netflix, NBCUniversal Global Distribution
Produced By: DreamWorks Animation
Distributor: NBCUniversal Global Distribution is offering up linear rights with catch-up VOD.
Description: (Kids 3-6 animation/live action, S1: 25×30 min., S2: 15×30 min.) Welcome to Gabby’s Dollhouse, the preschool show with a surprise inside! Join Gabby in her fantastical animated world full of adventure and adorable cat friends.
Pitch Perfect: Executive produced by Traci Paige Johnson and Jennifer Twomey, Gabby’s Dollhouse is the ultimate mixed-media series taking preschool audiences by storm around the world. Gabby takes us on magical adventures where we’ll learn, laugh and play alongside her adorable kitty friends. The series embraces a unique growth mindset curriculum encouraging cognitive skill development, and Gabby’s positivity and determination make her an incredible, strong role model for boys and girls.
Slot Winner: 327 million-plus Netflix U.S. streams since launch; number one global kids’ series (during season one and two launches); top ten kids’ show in 47 countries; 370 million-plus global YouTube content views.
Sales Contact: Chloe Van den Berg, SVP, Head, Kids & Family Entertainment, NBCUniversal Global Distribution.

Strawberry Shortcake: Berry in the Big City

Produced By: WildBrain
Distributor: All global distribution rights from WildBrain.
Description: (Preschool, S1-2: 80×4 min. & 4×44 min. premium CG specials) Strawberry Shortcake travels to Big Apple City, where all the biggest names in baking go to get their break, along with her cute cat, Custard. She teams up with her new “berry besties”—Orange Blossom, Lime Chiffon, Lemon Meringue and Blueberry Muffin—as well as their lovable pets. Together, the entrepreneurial girls run their fabulous food trucks and enjoy daily adventures filled with laughter and singing as they strive to “bake the world a better place.” The CG seasonal specials will be available in over 30 languages, and the shorts are also available in multiple languages, including English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese.
Pitch Perfect: “Strawberry Shortcake is brave and fearless, with bold ambitions to make her big-city dreams come true. She’s our very own Mary Tyler Moore! Through Strawberry’s entrepreneurial spirit and her diverse friendship group—from different cultures, and different shapes and sizes—our aim is to empower all girls to pursue their dreams.” —Caroline Tyre, VP, Global Sales & Rights Strategy, WildBrain
Slot Winner: Netflix picked up seasons one and two of Berry in the Big City, along with the four premium CG seasonal specials, for its platform worldwide.
Sales Contact: sales@wildbrain.com

Girls of Olympus

Commissioner: RAI for RaiPlay and Rai Gulp
Produced By: The Animation Band
Distributor: Serious Kids represents all rights available outside of Italian-speaking markets.
Description: (Kids 8-12 fantasy adventure, 26×24 min.) Three high school girls discover their true identities as reincarnations of Athena, Aphrodite and Artemis. Embracing their supernatural talents, they move between reality and fantasy worlds. Fighting mythological creatures and maintaining school grades, they divert adult suspicions and go after Ares, the God of War. Based on the books by Elena Kedros.
Pitch Perfect: The data so far suggests an interesting split of 65 percent girls and 35 percent boys, with the most successful age group being kids aged 8 to 14, followed by 4- to 7-year-olds. Girls of Olympus appeals to a wide age group and would therefore be a very appealing proposition for our partners.
Slot Winner: Broadcast daily three times a day, at 8:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Sales Contact: sales@seriouskids.com