Amazon adds more kids originals

MIPJUNIOR: Amazon has boosted its original kids series slate with a new commission and the acquisition of a series from Spirited Away producer Studio Ghibli.

Little Big Awesome

Little Big Awesome is a comedy for kids aged six-to-eleven that combines 2D animation, puppetry with live action footage of the great outdoors. It comes from Tomas Dieguez (Tronco) and is animated by US studio Titmouse.

The series follows a jelly giant a small kid-like creature with a fuzzy hat as they adventure through a universe where sea turtles fly, flowers talk, and tear drops splash around on a hot summer day.

Elsewhere, Studio Ghibli’s Ronja The Robber’s Daughter is an adaptation of the children’s fantasy book of the same name by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (Pippi Longstocking).

Tara Sorensen

Directed by Goro Miyazaki, it airs on NHK in Japan and tells the story of a 10-year-old girl who befriends the son of her father’s rival, testing her friendship and family loyalties. Narration comes from The X Files’ Gillian Anderson.

UK-based distributor Serious Lunch was appointed to manage the international roll-out of the 26-part series for NHK last year.

The SVoD service has also ordered an additional 26 episodes of the animated series The Stinky & Dirty Show. The series is written and developed by Guy Toubes and animated by Ireland-based Brown Bag Films.

All three series will be available on Prime Video in the US, UK, Germany, Austria and Japan.

“From the unique style of Little Big Awesome to the adaptation of beloved book series Ronja the Robber’s Daughter, we aim to bring a new level of storytelling to our customers and their families,” said Tara Sorensen, head of kids programming at Amazon Studios.