COOKIE JAR ENTERTAINMENT TO CO-PRODUCE DOODLEBOPS ROCKIN' ROAD SHOW WITH ILLUSION STUDIOS AND OPTIX ENTERTAINMENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
TORONTO (September 16, 2009) - After 65 episodes of live-action international success, the Doodlebops are going animated with the recently greenlit "Doodlebops Rockin' Road Show". Cookie Jar Entertainment will co-produce "Doodlebops Rockin' Road Show" with Argentina's Illusion Studios and Germany's OPTIX Entertainment. The series was created by Michael Hirsh, Cookie Jar Group CEO, and Carl Lennox. Production begins this fall, and 26 half hours have been sold to CBC.
In this animated series, preschoolers can join Deedee, Rooney and Moe Doodle on their vibrant, fun-filled musical adventures. Along with their pal Bus Driver Bob, the Doodlebops help fans solve preschool-relatable problems by hopping on their magical tour bus and journeying to a fun new destination in each episode.
"Cookie Jar is thrilled to partner with Illusion Studios and OPTIX Entertainment on this new series," said John Vandervelde, Cookie Jar Entertainment SVP for Business Development and International Co-productions. "Both companies have found success in Latin America and Europe, respectively, and we look forward to the exciting energy that they’ll bring to the production of the series."
"We are extremely happy to have become involved in this project. Being such a young company, for us this is a tremendous honor since these major players have given us the opportunity to be part of this unprecedented project. It is the first time a company in South America is part of an animation series co-production and we are focusing all of our efforts in delivering the quality that such players demand," said Gastón Cami, Illusion Studios VP International Sales and Co-productions.
"We're really looking forward to working on this very exiting animation project", said Attila Levai, Managing Director of OPTIX Entertainment. "With experienced partners in Canada and Argentinia, we are confident that this show will be an international success!"
About Cookie Jar Group
The Cookie Jar Group is a Canada-based global children's entertainment, consumer products and education company dedicated to excellence. Through Cookie Jar Entertainment, the company is a leader in the creation, production, marketing and licensing of evergreen character brands that appeal to kids and families worldwide. Cookie Jar Entertainment's library of nearly 6,000 half-hour episodes features some of the world's most recognizable brands, including "Strawberry Shortcake", "Caillou", "Inspector Gadget", "The Doodlebops ", "Arthur" and "Johnny Test". The company owns non-character based brands for licensing such as Mommy & Me. Through its pan-European subsidiary, the full-service licensing agency Copyright Promotions Licensing Group, Cookie Jar represents numerous third-party iconic brands. Cookie Jar Group also has a one-third interest in international children's television channel Kidsco. Cookie Jar Education, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, is one of North America's largest providers of supplemental education materials, reaching nearly 2,000 teachers across the United States, through the Carson-Dellosa and HighReach Learning brands.
About Illusion Studios
Illusion Studios steps into the entertainment scene, offering multi-platform possibilities; an actual "factory of ideas" developed to generate contents aimed at the film, television, theater, mobile & internet segments. Having built a solid animation, visual effects and CGI structure, and by having worked on the standardization and optimization of production processes in order to meet international market standards, the products created by the company are meant to become unique in their art design proposal.
The company is constantly incorporating the necessary tools and training its staff, so that artists develop their talent and their creativity evolves into unique properties. It not only has the creative team, the infrastructure, the resources and the support to generate original audiovisual contents; it also has positioned itself as one-of-the-kind company in the region, where major players of the industry have now found the possibility to develop their own products for the market, therefore contributing to the construction of the international positioning of Illusion Studios.
About OPTIX Entertainment
OPTIX Entertainment started in early 2008 and is the youngest member of the OPTIX Digital Pictures Group with offices in Germany, Canada and Dubai. OPTIX Entertainment is a production company with a focus on international television and feature film co-productions.
Founded in 1996, OPTIX developed into a leading source for visual effects, animation and broadcast design services, expanding its portfolio to cover a wide range of project genres including, TV series, Feature Film, Documentary, Commercial Advertising, and Music Video.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Brook Hefner/Cookie Jar Entertainment
bhefner@cjar.com; (818) 955-5454
