Toonz, Neon, Backbone take on Apprentice

Chi-Chi, The Apprentice Sorceress

MIPTV: India’s Toonz Media Group has teamed up with Asian prodcos Neon Creation and Backbone Entertainment to coproduce animated series Chi-Chi, The Apprentice Sorceress.

The 52×11’ 3D CGI fantasy-adventure series, aimed at four- to six-year-olds, is based on the children’s book of the same name. It centres on a young girl who finds a book of magic spells, which she uses as she embarks on a series of adventures with her friends – a dragonfly, a rabbit, a squirrel and a rhinoceros.

Industry veteran Paul Robinson, who joined Imira as CEO earlier this year, said the series “takes kids on an imaginative problem-solving journey through which they can learn the importance of friendship, tolerance and solidarity, all universal values that kids around the world can relate to.”

Animation production will be shared between Neon, Toonz and Backbone, with Neon and Toonz handling pre-production and Toonz post-production.

Neon Creation will handle distribution in Korea, Greater China and Thailand, Backbone Entertainment will distribute in Malaysia and Toonz Media Group-owned Imira Entertainment will handle sales in the rest of the world.

The production is due to be completed by the middle of next year, with the first episodes showing at Mipcom in October.