Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana has greenlit three new preschool-targeted productions, including the animated series P.U.R.S.T. Agent Blinky and The Remarkable Mr. King based on the popular Corus-owned Kids Can Press title, and digital-first live-action series Miss Persona. Nelvana holds global distribution and merchandising rights for all three, and will introduce them to the international market at MIPCOM next month, at at booth N7.R3..
Based on the graphic novels written and illustrated by the award-winning, B.C.-based author-illustrator Ashley Spires, P.U.R.S.T. Agent Blinky (52 x 11’) is a new CGI-animated series following the adventures of Binky and his fellow P.U.R.S.T. agents (Pets of the Universe Ready for Space Travel) on a mission to protect their human families from aliens, robots, and interstellar threats. The comedy-action series for kids four to seven will air in Fall 2019 on Treehouse in Canada. This marks the second project for Nelvana and Spires — the studio is currently producing the short film version of her best-selling picture book, The Most Magnificent Thing.
The Remarkable Mr. King (39 x 7’), based on the picture book series by Montreal author-illustrator Geneviève Côté, is aimed at kids two to five and will air in Fall 2019 on Treehouse. The preschool series follows a well-meaning, short sighted, little lion whose “big thinks” sometimes cause big snags and tangles – but if Mr. King tries and fails, he tries again to make things right. Mr. King shows little ones how to turn mistakes into wins for everyone to share.
“Nelvana and Kids Can Press have a storied history in joining forces to bring popular children’s books to the screen” said Lisa Lyons Johnston, President, Kids Can Press. “The two new series teach the universal importance of perseverance and self-discovery. We’re excited to share these new adventures with kids and families alike and look forward to bringing more stories from page to screen in the future.”
From the creative team behind the award-winning TELETOON series Princess Sparkly Butt & The Hot Dog Kid, Miss Persona (52 x 3’) – starring series creator, producer and
Songwriter Kimberly Persona – centres on the titular little lady who takes care of the creatures that inhabit her forest world. Along the way, she solves problems as they arise with the help of her bowtie-wearing best friend Brandon Bear and some upbeat tunes. A rare foray into live-action for Nelvana, Miss Persona will launch on the Corus-owned Treehouse Direct YouTube channel on Friday, September 21, before debuting on Treehouse’s linear channel in January 2019.
“Miss Persona marks an exciting opportunity for Nelvana to enhance its offering of engaging, multi-platform content for audiences around the world,” said Scott Dyer, President, Nelvana. “With its inventive sets, fantastic music and incredible characters, the series will inspire lateral thinking in preschoolers and we cannot wait to take it to market.”
