Russian cat gets Italian job

Italian animation house Mondo TV is developing a series based on a Russian cartoon from the 1980s.

Cat Leopold (13×13′) is being made by Puppy In My Pocket producer Mondo TV in partnership with broadcaster Russian Mobile Television (RMT). The original series, featuring an intelligent cat pestered by a pair of mischievous mice, aired on Russian TV between 1975 and 1987.

The new show will be produced in English and then translated into Russian by RMT, said Micheline Azoury, head of sales and brand manager at Mondo TV.

Mondo TV will handle distribution for five years after the toon is first broadcast in Russia.

“Older audiences in Russia still recognise the brand from their childhood, so I think they will want to show the new episodes to their children,” Azoury said.