MUMBAI: The Jim Henson Company will debut next month two new CGI-animated series, Dinosaur Train and The Skrumps, at the television trade event Mipcom Jr. in Cannes, France.
The announcement was made by The Jim Henson Company president and COO Peter Schube.
Created for 3-6 year children, Dinosaur Train features a steam engine that carries all kinds of dinosaurs to the many prehistoric eras. The world of Dinosaur Train is seen through the eyes of Buddy, a preschool-age Tyrannosaurus Rex. Rescued and hatched by a female Pteranodon, Buddy soon realises that he looks quite different from his siblings.
In response to Buddy’s enthusiasm to learn more about himself and other dinosaurs, mom takes her family for adventures on the Dinosaur Train. Kids will get on board with Buddy and his family to meet all kinds of dinosaurs and learn new fascinating facts about these incredible creatures.
Also debuting at the market for pre-sales is The Skrumps, a series based on characters created by artist John Chandler and made popular by his line of collectible figures and illustrated storybooks. The Skrumps, a uniquely colorful troupe of Skrumpland residents, is currently in active development for long-form direct-to-DVD production with a future television series also anticipated.
The characters are performed using the Henson Digital Puppetry Studio. Several short videos, including a music video and several character video-blogs, were initially produced and distributed on Yahoo Kids! in January 2007 to launch the brand. The Skrumps were also featured in their first interactive game launched on Yahoo in March 2008.
Schube says, “Based on input from paleontologists, science educators, and early childhood education experts, Dinosaur Train has developed an ambitious, creative curriculum and harnesses children’s enthusiasm for and curiosity about dinosaurs, sparking children’s interest in life science and natural history.
“The innovative and irreverent quality of The Skrumps continues our legacy of creating families of engaging characters that audiences around the world will connect with and we are excited to launch this new property across all media including on-line content and television productions, as well as merchandising and licensing.”
The company‘s head of international sales Sam Ewing says, “The Skrumps and Dinosaur Train offer tremendous creativity and a level of quality that broadcasters associate with The Jim Henson Company, and we are extremely proud to present both series to the international television marketplace for the first time at Mipcom”.
