TELETOON in Canada has picked up broadcast rights to Cookie Jar Ent.’s Spider Riders, a co-production with Japanese advertising agency Yomiko. The 52×30 series, which is Cookie Jar’s first Canadian-Japanese co-production in the action adventure genre, made its debut at MIP-TV this week in Cannes, France. The show is set to premiere on TELETOON with a movie special to be followed by a daily strip beginning this June.
Spider Riders centers on 11-year-old Hunter Steele, who is magically transported into the fantastic subterranean world of Arachna, a land of eternal day where the sun is Earth’s molten core and waterfalls flow toward the sky. Here evolution takes a different twist, where the giant insects rank as the dominant species. Trapped in this world, Hunter discovers a lost civilization and helps defend them by joining the Spider Riders, an elite group warriors who ride on 10-foot tall battle spiders
Animated at Bee Train in Japan, Spider Riders features an anim’ style mixed with Western humor and storytelling sensibilities to offer young viewers an action-packed, futuristic adventure with compelling characters they can relate to. The property is based on the book The Shards of the Oracle written by Emmy-winning scribes Tedd Anasti and Patsy Cameron-Anasti, and published by New Market Press. Emmy winner Steve Hodgins serves as producer on the series, which Funimation has picked up for U.S home video distribution.
Fans of the series will soon get to join in on the bug battle fun with a massively multiplayer online game to be launched by Cookie Jar Ent.’s digital division. Kids will be able to log on at spiderriders.com for a positive competitive experience, eventually earning their own battle spiders and joining the ranks of the Spider Riders. The online game will extend to the wireless realm, allowing players to continue the fun on their cell phones.
