Tencent, France TV join Coop Troop

The Coop Troop is Sixteen South’s first CGI toon

Tencent Kids in China and France Télévisions are coproducing a new children’s comedy series from UK producer Sixteen South that pays homage to 1970s and 80s TV classics like The A-Team.

Currently in production, The Coop Troop (52×11′) is the first Sixteen South Originals show for an older age group of 6-9s and also marks the Belfast-based prodco’s first CGI animated series.

A coproduction with Chinese streamer Tencent Kids, public broadcaster France Télévisions and Technicolor Animation Productions, the show was co-created by Colin Williams of Sixteen South and the children’s author and illustrator Alex T Smith.

The series is due to be delivered from spring 2022 and is being produced in Northern Ireland, France and China.

The show follows a gang of five unlikely heroes: a hyperactive rabbit, an eccentric inventor chicken, a bon vivant swine, an excitable yet insecure lamb and an enigmatic egg.

Thirsty for adventure to escape their mundane farm life, their mission is to help any animal with a problem – and they’re kept busy by the precious and very pampered pets of nearby town of Animauville.

Sixteen South Rights is managing the global distribution rights to the series outside of France and China. The show is being introduced to buyers this week at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which Sixteen South is attending online.

Selina She, director of kids’ IP development and programming at Tencent Video, said: “International coproduction is an important part of Tencent Kids’ strategy and we are thrilled with the results of our partnership with Sixteen South. The Coop Troop will not only hugely entertain our audience but will also show how, with friendship and teamwork, you can solve any problem.”

Pierre Siracusa, director of animation, youth and education at France Télévisions, said: “With their positive attitude, humor and goodwill, there is no doubt this wild bunch will appeal to our audience of six- to nine-year-old girls and boys.”

Williams, showrunner at Sixteen South, said: “Heroes come in all different shapes and sizes and The Coop Troop shows that you don’t have to be privileged or have special powers to be one – you can be an everyday hero just by being yourself.”

Co-creator Smith added: “It has been a complete joy to work with Sixteen South again, on our homage to TV classics of the 70s and 80s like The A-Team and I can’t wait for viewers to tune in and join our zany gang.”

Sandrine Nguyen, producer at Technicolor, said: “Our loveable bunch of heroes have their flaws but as a team they work through them to emerge stronger, which is a valuable lesson for today’s kids and one that will resonate globally.”