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Disney+ lines up Chip ‘n’ Dale reboot

The new Chip ‘n’ Dale is coproduced by Disney and Xilam Animation

ANNECY: Disney has revealed details of the latest exclusive original series set for its forthcoming streaming service: a reboot of Chip ‘n’ Dale, produced in Europe.

The series was announced here in Annecy in France at the International Animation Film Festival & Market (MIFA) by Orion Ross, VP of animation, digital and acquisitions for Disney Channels EMEA.

The 39×7′ series has been developed by Disney’s London-based team as a coproduction with Paris-based Xilam Animation, the company behind Oggy & the Cockroaches.

Ross said the show will be produced using traditional animation styles and feature pure slapstick comedy as the furry pair, one hyperactive and the other incredibly lazy, struggle with life in a metropolis.

Set to debut on Disney+ in 2020, the series will also star Pluto, the cartoon dog who also featured in Private Pluto in 1943, in which the two antagonising chipmunks first appeared.

Directed by Jean Cayrol and produced by Marc du Pontavice, it is one of numerous forthcoming exclusive originals that will be available on Disney+, alongside the previously announced Monsters, Inc spin-off Monsters At Work.

The latter also has a French connection since it is produced by Disney Television Animation with animation production by Montpellier-based Dwarf Animation.

The series, which will see Billy Crystal and John Goodman returning to voice Mike and Sulley respectively, was developed and is executive produced by Disney animation veteran Bobs Gannaway with Ferrell Barron serving as producer.

The series picks up six months after the original movie’s story, with the Monsters, Inc power plant now harvesting the laughter of children to fuel the city of Monstropolis – thanks to Mike and Sulley’s discovery that laughter generates 10 times the energy of screams.

ABC and BBC Studios’ preschool animated series Bluey

Meanwhile, the Mouse House has acquired Bluey, the preschool animated series from Australian pubcaster the ABC and BBC Studios, produced by Brisbane-based Ludo Studio.

Disney Junior and Disney+ have taken TV and SVoD rights in all markets, excluding Australia, New Zealand and greater China.

Created by Joe Brumm, the show’s executive producers are Charlie Aspinwall, Daley Pearson, Henrietta Hurford-Jones for BBC Studios and Michael Carrington for ABC. The show follows an inexhaustible six-year-old Blue Heeler dog who turns everyday family life into extraordinary adventures.

During the presentation – billed as Disney’s first ever “multi-platform” press conference – it was also announced that 101 Dalmatian Street, the Disney original that has already premiered in territories such as Latin America and Europe, will premiere in the US on Disney+.

“Animation continues to be one of the cornerstones of Disney magic and storytelling, across Disney Channels and, excitingly, now on the new streaming platform, Disney+,” said Hélène Etzi, country manager for The Walt Disney Company France.

“As a company, we are privileged to work with so many creative masterminds, both here in France and across Europe, who are first in class when it comes to relaying timeless stories for all members of the family.”

Other original series destined for Disney’s linear channels include T.O.T.S., Mira: Royal Detective, Amphibia, The Owl House and Ghost Force, along with returning series Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, PJ Masks and Gigantosaurus.

Ross and Etzi were joined by Caterina Gonnelli, director, acquisitions and coproductions for Disney Europe and Africa, during the presentation.

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