Animalia prepares to launch on-air on Ten | Digital Media World

Network Ten has announced the Australian premiere of a locally produced children's television series based on Graeme Base's international best-selling picture book ANIMALIA will air on November 11 at 12noon.

ANIMALIA received international acclaim when it was first published in 1986 and has since achieved classic status with world-wide sales of more than three million copies. Graeme Base is one of the world's leading creators of children's books, with regular appearances on the New York Times best-seller list.

The beloved illustrated alphabet book will come to life in a 40x half-hour, high-end CGI animation series and will also air simultaneously on a group of internationally renowned children's television broadcasters including BBC1 and CBBC in the UK, PBS Kids in the United States and CBC in Canada.

"ANIMALIA is the most ambitious children's series ever produced in Australia", said Executive Producer, Ewan Burnett. "High quality CGI animation allows us to maintain the rich imagery and whimsical humour of Graeme Base's picture book, a perennial favourite with millions of children across the globe, while re-interpreting the world created in the book as a place of endless adventure and entertainment."

"We set out to try to make extraordinary television for our target audience of six to nine year olds," adds Executive Producer Murray Pope, "but we're hoping that the show's engaging stories, cheerful humour and strong cast of appealing characters will be enjoyed by younger children and adults as well."

Author and Executive Producer Graeme Base said, "Given the complexity of the original artwork and absence of any obvious storyline in the original book (laughs), turning ANIMALIA into a television series was a huge challenge. But the artists, animators and filmmakers who have lent their talents to this series have been incredibly dedicated to creating something really special and I am utterly delighted with the results."

"Network Ten's goal is to build solid kids' entertainment across all genres and we are thrilled to be associated with such a high-end animated program like ANIMALIA. We believe it will deliver a unique experience to our young Australian audience," said Cherrie Bottger, Network Ten's Head of Children's Programming.

Eight years in the making, the project will not only set a benchmark for animated television - ANIMALIA being the first to use a variety of 3D animation techniques normally reserved for feature films - but will put Australia's animation facilities and expertise on the global map.

With its principal computer animation based at Photon VFX at Warner Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast and additional animation produced at Digital Pictures Iloura in Melbourne, ANIMALIA will showcase the work of over 300 local industry professionals and highlights Australia's burgeoning CGI industry which has already produced such hits as Happy Feet.

The series features two contemporary kids, Zoe and Alex, who are inadvertently transported to the magical and mysterious land of Animalia, a land inhabited by talking animals of every hue and kind. Strange events have undermined the fabric of Animalia's civilization. Zoe, Alex and their new best friends G'Bubu, a huge green gorilla, and Iggy, a small but heroic iguana, have great adventures doing everything they can to save Animalia.

www.animalia.tv