Imagine breathes Life into kids’ TV

The fledgling kids and family division of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment is developing children’s TV programming based on Life Magazine’s archive of more than 10 million photos.

Imagine Kids & Family, which was unveiled this month with former Universal Pictures exec Stephanie Sperber at the helm, is working with the in-house television prodco of US media group Meredith Corporation, Four M Studios, on the programming.

Life for Kids will be the first project from the partnership and will be executive produced by Imagine Entertainment chairmen Grazer, Howard and Sperber, with Four M Studios’ Bruce Gersh and Bruce Robertson.

The animated series will use images from America’s preeminent picture magazine as a jumping-off point to bring history to life in a new, fun, engaging way, the producers said. The Life brand is part of Meredith’s entertainment and lifestyle portfolio.

“The historic Life archive offers the most comprehensive exploration of historical moments from the mid-1930’s onward, and there are unparalleled possibilities across all genres of television,” said Gersh, president of People, Entertainment Weekly and Four M Studios.

“Life has documented our global triumphs, breakthroughs, and sparked curiosity for generations,” added Grazer and Howard jointly.