Lions Gate’s Family Entertainment (LGFE) has acquired the exclusive North American home video distribution rights for Contender Group’s Peppa Pig, an animated series that recently launched on Cartoon Network’s new Tickle U block for preschoolers. The first home video release is slated for the fall of 2006.
Peppa Pig centers on a mischievous pig and her family as they encounter everyday challenges and adventures. The show debuted in the U.K. on FIVE and Nick Jr in June of 2004, and has been broadcast in more than 90 countries worldwide. Awards include Best Pre-school Series and Best European Program of the Year at the 2005 Cartoons on the Bay and the Cristal for Best TV Production at Annecy 2005.
The series is created by Mark Baker and Neville Astley, and produced by Phil Davies. Baker and Astley have been collaborating since 1994 on commercials, title sequences, short films and the award-winning BBC television series The Big Knights. Baker’s short films, The Hill Farm, The Village and Jolly Roger, have all been nominated for Oscars, while Astley’s short, Trainspotter, was nominated for a BAFTA and won the Edinburgh Festival’s McLaren Award. Phil Davies’ recent credits as producer include the BAFTA nominated Six of One, as well as Donkey Town, Emma 18 and Home.
Under the terms of the deal, LGFE holds the rights to the show’s 52 existing five-minute animated episodes and 52 additional installments in production. The property joins LGFE’s stable of prominent family brands, which includes Mattel’s hugely successful Barbie video franchise and the TV favorites Clifford the Big Red Dog, Clifford’s Puppy Days and Maya & Miguel from Scholastic and Nelvana’s Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Friends. LGFE will also release the second direct-to-video Care Bears feature, The Care Bears Big Wish Movie, on Oct. 18., and a second Mega Blocks feature on Oct. 25.
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