Egmont and Southern Star team up for Tracey McBean

Egmont Imagination, part of one of Europe’s largest children’s publishing companies, Egmont Group, is currently co-producing Tracey McBean with Australian partners.

These include Southern Star, Shanghai Animation and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Aimed at 7-10 year-olds, the 13×30′ animated series centres on a young girl, who keeps coming up with crazy inventions to make her life easier.

Also in production is HC Anderson, a co-production with Magma Film, A Film, Danmarks Radio and Super RTL. Based upon the master storyteller’s oeuvre, each episode revisits a classic fairy tale (The Ugly Duckling, Emperor’s New Clothes, Thumbelina etc), giving each a modern twist.

Other projects in the Egmont pipeline include Lizzie McGuire, made by Stan Rogow Productions in association with Disney Channel. Disney also acquired the broadcast rights from Egmont for its overseas networks at MIP-TV.

Created by Terry Minsky, a consultant on HBO’s Sex and the City, the 21×30′ comedy series features live-action and animation and revolves around 13 year-old Lizzie, played by Hilary Duff, and her daily life.

In Lizzie’s world, every day's a popularity contest, every class a crisis, and her Mom wants to know about every bit of it.

The show made its broadcast bow on January 19 on Disney Channel US and debuted to the highest ratings ever for an original series.

UK-based Egmont, which co-financed Lizzie McGuire, has worldwide distribution rights to the series, excluding the US and Canada, as well video, merchandising and licensing rights.

The Upstairs Downstairs Bears, meanwhile, is a 13×30′ series about two ursine families who live at No. 49 Theodore Square. Based on the popular books by Carol Lawson, the animated show is a co-production involving Canada’s Cinar Corporation and Scottish Television.

In the run-up to the LA Screenings, former Team Dandelion sales executive Caroline Stephenson has been named as territory manager for Latin America and Southern Europe.