Ellis and Principal team up for animal top tens

Toronto-based Ellis Vision and the UK's Principal Films are coproducing a new five-hour series for Animal Planet and Discovery Channel Canada, looking at top tens from the animal world.

Beastly Countdowns (5×60') is a wildlife show that discovers the ten ugliest, laziest, nosiest, scariest and most annoying animals. International rights to the show are being handled by Ellis Vision's distribution sister, Ellis Releasing.

The show is one of four new natural history series Ellis Entertainment's production arm has in the pipeline. Wild Sites (3×60') is being produced in association with Travel Channel and Discovery Channel Canada, and will also air on Discovery Asia.

With the three hours looking at the wildlife in Alaska, Siberia and Yellowstone NP, production is due to wrap in May.

Furthermore, Ellis is in the final stages of production on The Baby Human (3×60') in association with Discovery Health Channel and Discovery Health Canada. The series, looking at infant development, will debut in May and will also air on Discovery Asia.

Meanwhile, nine further hours of Ellis' long-running Profiles of Nature series are due to unspool on Animal Planet and Discovery Channel this year. The 19-year-old series also airs on Discovery Channel Canada.