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Bratz to get TV spin-off Bratz, MGA Entertainment's ubiquitous brand of chic fashion dolls, is getting a small screen makeover, courtesy of the same animator that created British cult toon Super Ted over 20 years ago.  Welsh-born Mike Young, who made Super Ted for S4C back in 1982 and now runs his own cgi studio in Los Angeles, has been handed the deal to animate the dolls for a feature-length DVD special and a TV series. Aimed at a target audience of kids 6-13, both are scheduled for worldwide release in September 2005. The move adds the four-year-old Bratz brand, which has sold 70m units since launch, to the long list of toys that have turned into TV properties, such as Trollz, Action Man, Pokemon, Slinky, Hot Wheels and the Bratz's arch-rival, Barbie. The Bratz girls "are ideal candidates for cgi animation," said Ellen Levy-Sarnoff, senior creative director for Bratz Entertainment at LA-based MGA. "They have come to life through this process and we are excited to show their fans around the world their stylin' new looks and hip attitude." Actors signed up to voice Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha, Jade and the rest of the Bratz cast include Tia Mowry, Soleil Moon Frye, Kaley Cuoco, Lacey Cabert and Wendie Malic. However, one of the biggest challenges in transplanting the dolls from the shelves to the screen is their hair, said Young. "Until now, hair has been one of the most challenging aspects of cgi, only produced in mega-budgeted movies," he said. "The Bratz girls have real, wavy, full-motion hair and they change their 'dos' constantly." "Hair wasn't the only design challenge faced, the show is full of action and adventure that takes place in fantastic cgi sets that had our background artists working at full tilt. I think this series will really push television cgi to new heights," he added. No news yet on the distribution partner for the Bratz TV properties, but MGA already partners with 4Kids Entertainment to bring its boys action property Alien Racers to Saturday morning television on Fox Box. Furthermore, Twentieth Century Fox has acquired rights to produce a live-action/animated feature film based on Bratz. Ed Waller 24 Mar 2005 © C21 Media 2005 
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