U.K. distributor Granada Int’l has sold both seasons of the award-winning, CG-animated preschool series Pocoyo to broadcaster Five in the U.K. Co-produced by Spain’s Zinkia Ent. and Granada, the show will start airing in early 2008 during Five’s Milkshake! programming block, which broadcasts between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. weekdays and 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekends. It will also continue to reach digital viewers on the CITV Channel at different times.
Written by Ken Scarborough and Andy Yerkes, the series revolves around Pocoyo, a three-year-old child with an insatiable curiosity. Joined by friends Elly the pink elephant, Pato the yellow duck, Loula the loyal puppy and Sleepy Bird, he takes young viewers on a voyage of discovery about life and learning with narration by acclaimed actor Stephen Fry.
Pocoyo currently consists of 104 seven-minute episodes and has been sold in more than 100 territories including Canada, the U.K., Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and in a number of countries in the Middle East. The show received the top TV Production Award at last year’s Annecy International Film Festival, adding to a growing list of accolades that include 2006 Cartoons on the Bay Pulcinella Awards for Best European Program and Best TV Series for Preschool; the 2006 BAFTA for Best Preschool Animation; and a 2005 Animacor International Animation Festival Award for Best Episode in a Series.
Production on the second season of Pocoyo, directed by Zinkia’s David Cantolla and Guillermo Garcia, has just wrapped in Madrid. Worldwide distribution rights are handled by Granada Int’l, excluding Spain, Portugal, Italy and Latin America, where rights are handled by Zinkia.
