Hollywood, California – The Jim Henson Company’s third party licensing banner, HIP (Henson Independent Properties), is unveiling at MIPTV the first episodes of the 52 x 11’ CGI-animated series Elias: Rescue Team Adventures. This all-new series is a follow-up to the original International Emmy-nominated series which first gained popularity as a children’s picture book by Alf Knutsen and Sigurd Slåttebrekk.
Norway’s Animando is producing the series in partnership with the Icelandic animation studio Coaz Animation. Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) commenced broadcast of the series in March 2014.
HIP represents the media distribution rights to the new series together with global consumer products rights under a deal announced in 2013.
Elias is a brave, playful little rescue boat with an enthusiasm for adventure who teams up with his skilful friends to save the day. The series features child-sized adventure stories that inspire young children to have fun exploring their own world with confidence and courage.
Elias: Rescue Team Adventures
“Elias: Rescue Team Adventures is a very distinct and captivating series for the global pre-school audience,” said Richard Goldsmith, Executive Vice President, Global Distribution, The Jim Henson Company. “Animando and Coaz animation have done a great job in producing this new series which features high quality CGI animation that will be appealing to broadcasters across the globe. Kids will undoubtedly be entertained by Elias in a whole new series of adventures while also learning important lessons on safety, cooperation, community and bravery.”
More than 300 different consumer products have been introduced in the Nordic region with retail sales of over $70 million. Almost 1 million toys and 700,000 DVDs have been sold to date. Some of the key partners in the Nordic region for the brand are TSI for toys with 46 SKUs at retail; Cappelen Damm for books, magnetic books and audio books; SF for DVD; Pan Vision for PC Games; Egmont for activity books, games and iPhone apps; Regatta for life jackets; Helly Hansen for clothing; and KIMs for potato chips.
The Jim Henson Company, renowned across the globe for its pre-school programming, will also be meeting with new broadcast partners for its own series, Doozers and HIP’s Driftwood Bay.
Doozers, a co-production with DHX Media, is the company’s latest series, inspired by the wildly popular characters from the classic Henson series, Fraggle Rock. Focusing on four Doozers kids, this team of best friends love to design, create and innovate – and have a blast engaging in exciting projects and playing together. The first episodes are already successful on Turner Broadcasting’s Cartoonito in the UK, Boomerang in Germany, Boing in Italy, Discovery Kids Latin America, Cartoon Network Asia and Nick Jr. Australia.
The Jim Henson Company’s third party licensing label, HIP (Henson Independent Properties) is the exclusive worldwide distributor for Northern Irish independent production company Sixteen South’s new mixed media, animated preschool series, Driftwood Bay, about a little girl who creates an imaginary world from treasures she finds washed up on the beach. The series, which will have its world debut on Nick Jr. in the UK in May, features a multi-talented voice cast, including Stephen Fry (QI, The Hobbit), Peter Mullan (Harry Potter, Top of the Lake) and Richard Dormer (Game of Thrones, Good Vibrations, Fortitude).
