Circle Square. Vanessa the dragon is ready to help her neighbours out with anything, from organising a courtesy kennel for a needy dog to getting her friends band back together. A circle of houses and a circle of friends. What more do you need? MORE
When Mikey moves from New Zealand to Western Sydney, he finds himself in the thick of the ultra-competitive, schoolyard game of handball. Are you ready to play?
A series with lots of heart and humour, can Mikey go from zero to hero, in the quest to be the best in the west? MORE
Zog and the Flying Doctors is a comic adventure about the unlikely trio of Princess Pearl, Sir Gadabout and Zog the dragon which tests each of them to their limit and eventually unites them as a brilliant team. MORE
Introducing Sunny Bunnies 'Sing-Along', a brand-new spin-off show to get the whole family singing!
For the first time, the hugely popular pre-school series 'Sunny Bunnies' present a music-based show of classic children's songs to sing along to. Each of the five Bunnies have their own special songs, plus an original song which features the whole gang - all with new, fun lyrics to follow and sing-along to. The songs are based on timeless favourites such as ... MORE
Odo is a little owl with big ideas! At the Forest Camp for Young Birds, he and his best friend Doodle positively tackle every challenge, no matter how big - and believe that everything is possible... often with unexpected outcomes! MORE
Dylan and Lisa have been chosen to join a school of magic! With their magician friends, they will create new tricks. They all have one thing in common: a passion for the art of magic! MORE
Yann, an intrepid 15-year-old and his 7-year-old sister, Marina, live with their Uncle Patrick on the paradise island of Maotou. With Zoom, a white dolphin of exceptional intelligence and other friends from the island, they go on amazing adventures. MORE
While the idea of attending an in-person industry event will still feel like a distant prospect for many reading this, some in the kids’ television business are getting ready to finally swap webinars and Zoom meetings for the bar of the Impérial Palace in Annecy this month.
The organisers of annual animation event MIFA claim theirs will be the first international film festival to be held in person since the pandemic began and are preparing to welcome “several thousand” delegates from France and around Europe, marking a major milestone since the pandemic began.
Medieval towns in south-east France were not built with social distancing in mind, but the event organisers have insisted it will be imposed, with dedicated staff, redesigned queuing systems and spaced-out screenings to reduce health risks. You can also imagine the amount of hand sanitiser on offer could fill the town’s picturesque lake twice over.
After so much time spent behind home office desks, it’s abundantly clear the industry is desperate to get back to face-to-face interaction, and the excitement from those due to attend Annecy in-person is palpable.
But as European execs blow the dust off their business cards, they arrive in Annecy at a pivotal time for the business – though when is that ever not the case in our industry?
Last month saw the industry go merger-mad, with major tie-ups announced between Cartoon Network owner WarnerMedia and factual behemoth Discovery, as well as French commercial broadcasters TF1 and M6. Both deals will be major talking points in Annecy this year.
Local children’s and youth channel France 5, meanwhile, was finally handed its reprieve by president Emmanuel Macron, who when confirming plans for its controversial closure were on the guillotine recognised the positive impact the channel has had on families, especially during the pandemic.
The world has become a very different place since the last major kids’ industry meet-up took place at the Kidscreen Summit in Miami back in February 2020. But the way the industry has reacted to those changes highlights its resilience, fortitude and ability to provide stressed-out parents with much-needed respite when they’re at their wits’ end.
That certainly deserves a few raised glasses and elbow bumps at the Impérial Palace bar!