Turner Greenlights Animated/Live-Action Series “Team Toon”
FREMANTLEMEDIA ENTERPRISES AND LARRY SCHWARZ AND HIS BAND TAKE TEAM TOON TO MIPTV
LONDON, 29 March 2012 — Turner Broadcasting today announced the commission of a new live-action and animation series Team Toon (26 x 30 minutes), which it is co-producing with FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) and Larry Schwarz and His Band for Cartoon Network EMEA.
Turner Broadcasting has greenlit Team Toon for EMEA and Asia-Pacific where it will air on Cartoon Network, bolstering Turner’s live-action output across the regions. FME will manage the worldwide distribution of the TV series (outside of EMEA and Asia-Pacific) and handle all global ancillary rights.
Aimed at 6-11 year-olds, Team Toon is a unique combination of live-action with animation. The series follows the toon-infused adventures of Dylan, Sam, Iko and Ash, the creators of an animated online series Psycho Squirrel which plays at the start of each episode. When trouble strikes they let their imaginations run wild as Team Toon. As the gang races around town in their trusty talking Animobile solving mysteries and battling villains, they blur the line between reality and cartoon. Maybe their toon-infused adventures are real. Maybe they’re not. It really doesn’t matter to Team Toon as these kids take their play seriously.
Cecilia Persson, Vice President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions, EMEA, Turner Broadcasting said, “Team Toon is an irresistibly creative and quirky series about kids interpreting their experiences through imagination and play. By putting on their “Toon Faces”, the characters are able to create cartoons in the real world, an imaginative premise sure to strike a chord with our audience. The show uses sophisticated production techniques, both in its mixed media format and its ‘show within a show’ concept and it will be an exciting addition to our live action line-up on Cartoon Network.”
Sander Schwartz, President, Kids & Family Entertainment, FME, said, “Team Toon is a fun, dynamic show with a unique mix of live-action and animation. The crazy irreverent comedic sensibility, innovativeness and eclectic characters of Team Toon resonates well with our target audience. It is fantastic to work with Larry Schwarz and His Band on one of its original comedies and we look forward to developing Team Toon into a hit kids’ property.”
Larry Schwarz, the creator of Team Toon, and President of Larry Schwarz and His Band, said, “Team Toon combines live action and animation, but at its heart, it’s about a group of best friends and how they play together.”
Team Toon joins FME’s growing portfolio of kids’ properties which include Max Steel, a high-octane, action-adventure CGI animated series; Really Me, a tween live action sitcom; and The Aquabats Super Show, a quirky comedy adventure that combines a hybrid of concert footage, live-action skits and animation.
Visit FremantleMedia Enterprises at MIPTV 2012 at Stand No. RB1 Riviera Beach, Palais du Festival, 1 – 4 April 2012.