ANIMACION | PRODUCCION AUDIOVISUAL | NEGOCIOS | EVENTOS DE MERCADO
- Robin de Levita Productions and Monks unveil a new 26 x 11’ animated kids’ series inspired by the iconic Dutch television classic De Fabeltjeskrant.
- Almost 60 years after audiences first entered the Great Animal Forest, one of the Netherlands’ most iconic children’s television properties is beginning a new international chapter. Daily Fable News will also be available in the MIPJUNIOR Screening Library, October 10 and 11 giving international buyers and commissioners the opportunity to discover the new series in Cannes and through the market’s digital screening platform.
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Created primarily for children aged 6–12, Daily Fable News brings Mister Owl and the inhabitants of the Great Animal Forest into a new era with brand new stories, a distinctive new visual world and the warmth and humor that have defined the property for generations. The new series is also designed to appeal to parents and nostalgic fans familiar with the original.
The Great Animal Forest has news again at the heart of Daily Fable News is the forest’s very own news broadcast. Mister Owl returns as newscaster, narrator and the audience’s friendly guide through the daily events of the Great Animal Forest. Each episode begins with Mister Owl bringing his young viewers up to date on what has been happening among its colorful inhabitants. But reporting the news does not always go according to plan.
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The series follows the animals as they clumsily collaborate to put together their own extremely local news show. Technical mishaps, misunderstandings and every day dramas turn into warm, funny stories about friendship, collaboration, acceptance and solving problems together. Early stories range from the chaos surrounding the forest’s first live news broadcast to the Beaver Brothers going on holiday, Zoff unexpectedly taking charge and a fitness craze sweeping through the forest.
From 1968 to a new generation Daily Fable News builds on an extraordinary television heritage. First broadcast in 1968, De Fabeltjeskrant went on to produce 1,612 original episodes and was broadcast in 40 countries. Its distinctive cast of animal characters and gentle humor used everyday situations to reflect the human world, creating layered stories that entertained children and adults alike.
The series became deeply embedded in Dutch popular culture and reached generations of viewers internationally. The new series takes the central idea behind that world – a community of very different characters learning to live together – and brings it into the present. Each episode carries a gentle underlying message, with the inhabitants of the Great Animal Forest solving their problems through collaboration despite their very different personalities, opinions and ambitions. A familiar world with a completely new look Rather than recreating the past, Daily Fable News gives the Great Animal Foresta new visual identity.
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The series is presented by Robin de Levita Productions and Monks. Robin de Levita serves as Writer & Creative Director, with Patrick Bremmers as Writer, Michael Knobloch as Executive Producer, Ruud Jan Bos as Composer, Cas de Brouwer as Animation Producer, Vincent van de Wetering as Creative Development Lead and Declan Byrne as Animation Director.
Robin de Levita, Writer & Creative Director.
Robin de Levita: “These stories are perhaps even more relevant today” “The world has changed enormously since 1968, but people haven’t. The stories of the Great Animal Forest are perhaps even more relevant today than ever before,” says Robin de Levita. “The Great Animal Forest has always held up a gentle and humorous mirror to the world around us. With Daily Fable News, we are creating new stories for today’s children, building on the unique qualities of the original series. Its unforgettable characters, humor and warmth remind us that, however different we may be, we can always find a way to live together”.
Victor Knaap, MONKS, adds: “Our ambition is not to recreate the past, but to understand what made this world so distinctive and translate that feeling into a new visual language. Daily Fable News combines the aesthetic of the original with contemporary animation technology to create a Great Animal Forest that feels both familiar and completely new.
The series will also have its own dedicated space at MIPCOM, taking place from October 12 to 15 at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France.
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