Meg & Mog to fly again on ITV

Hungarian animation house Varga Studios is working on three new animated projects, cementing its copro deal with Swedish producer Happy Life, including a remake of a 1970s toon for ITV.

With UK-based copro partner Absolutely, Happy Life and Varga are in the process of finalising a deal to bring back the popular children’s characters Meg & Mog in a new 52×5′ preschool series.

Expected to start production in November, Meg & Mog is a simple 2D animation featuring a witch and her cat, based on the series of children's books written by Helen Nicoll and illustrated by Jan Pienkowski. It is to be delivered in late 2003.

The show is one of a number of toons in the pipeline at Varga. In development is a 70-minute animated feature of Captain Sabertooth along with Happy Life's sister Colorpop. The film will premiere in Norway, Christmas 2003. Furthermore, a 2D/cgi series of 13×13′ episodes is also to go into production soon for TV2 in Norway.

Captain Sabertooth is a stage play that is regularly enacted in Norway on summer nights over ten weeks. It follows the adventures of an eponymous pirate on his galleon, with plenty of fireworks and spectacle. The Norwegian producer and rights holder is Seven Seas Productions.

Pitched at Cartoon Forum last year, preschool show Bjorn the Bear, coproduced by Varga and Happy Life is also about to go into production, having been fully financed. The toon is based on the series of books by Sven Nordqvist and follows a nice-but-dim bear. The series is made up of 39×7′ episodes.

Meanwhile, the animated version of Popstars, called Popstars: Band on the Run, is set to go into production next year. Following the adventures of four sassy teenage band members and their manager, the series is described by Target as {every kid's fantasy{. The 52×11' series, coproduced by Australian producer Screentime and Varga, features 13 original musical tracks and is targeted at the 8-13 age group.

UK kids' producers Hit Entertainment and Grand Slamm Children's Films have commissioned Varga Studios to make a further 13 episodes and a 44-minute video special and PBS TV special of Angelina Ballerina. The new episodes add to the 26×11' instalments that Varga has already produced for CiTV in the UK. Varga's ceo Andras Erkel says that Hit is also considering a further series for next year.

Work is also underway on 2×26’of Tiger Aspect’s Bosom Pals for BBC2. The first will be delivered in December 2002 and the second in spring 2003.