The animated children’s series My Big Big Friend from Canada’s Breakthrough Animation and Brazil’s 2-D Lab has won this year’s Licensing Challenge, a special event sponsored by License Global! at MIPCOM Jr. in Cannes. The multi-platform comedy-adventure series for preschoolers is available for broadcast, broadband and mobile, and will be supported by a line of books and interactive content produced to tie-in with the broadcast series.
Featuring a mix of 2D and 3D CG animation, My Big Big Friend takes young viewers on fun, frolicing adventures with six-year-old boy named Yuri, an only child with an energetic and curious attitude. Normally shy and lonely, he enters a world of imagination where he is brave, daring and adventurous. In this world he creates Golias, a very large imaginary friend who doesn’t know he’s a figment of Yuri’s imagination. Along with pals Doris and Matt, and their imaginary friends, Bongo or Vanessa, Yuri discovers that positive thinking can have great benefits in his real life.
The Licensing Challenge is a pitching session that showcases the TV property with the highest licensing potential. The international jury included Leigh Anne Brodsky of Nickelodeon, Stan Clutton from Fisher Price, Anna Hewitt with BBC, Andrew Lane of Hasbro, John Lee from World World and Richard Woolf with Jetix. The panel of judges selected My Big Big Friend from a short list of five entrants based on such criteria as uniqueness and overall appeal of the property, visual and story elements, distribution/broadcast plans and licensing and merchandising potential.
Other kids’ shows in production at Breakthrough Animation include Captain Flamingo for Jetix Europe and YTV, and Miss BG for TVO, France 5, Nickelodeon Australia and Cartoon Network U.K. In addition, the company has just commenced production on Jimmy Two Shoes for Jetix Europe and TELETOON Canada, and is moving into primetime adult animation with the development of Foolz N The Hood, The Orphanage (CBC) and Producing Emily (Canwest Global). Breakthrough can be found at booth #00.01 in the Canadian Pavilion at MIPCOM. More information on the company can be found at www.breakthroughfilms.com.
