+ Canada’s 9 Story Entertainment has sold Slap Happy Cartoons‘ new animated series Nerds and Monsters (40 x 11) to ABC TV Australia, which will premiere the show in mid 2014. The comedy series aimed at kids 6-11 years old that follows a group of nerdy kids on a fantastic uncharted island, using nothing but their brains to survive the relentless attacks from the island’s natives: a tribe of hideous monsters. Nerds and Monsters was recently greenlit by Corus Ent.’s YTV in Canada. 9 Story will premiere a first-look at MIP Junior.
+ Foothill Entertainment and its affiliate Foothill Europe Ltd. will be heading to MIP Junior with an expanded kids & family programming catalog, including two titles from the Content Media library (Young Dracula, The Assistants), season 2 of Spike Team and its companion special Brent’s Dream, newly acquired titles Funny Face and Sealed Section (1440 Productions), Rollie & Friends and animated classics Eddie and the Bear and Little Monsters. Foothill will also have new materials from 1461 Limited’s Boy and the Dinosaur and DQ Entertainment’s buddy comedy Raz & Benny. Further, the studio has announced the promotion of Elizabeth Stephens to Director of Sales and Development.
+U.K. indie Platinum Films and production partner Dream Mill have a third season of their CG-animated action-comedy Matt Hatter Chronicles in the works following a commission from Britain’s ITV. The new 13 x 22 season will air next year. The season 3 commission follows strong ratings for seasons 1 & 2–the show has been sold to more than 80 countries and dubbed into 18 languages. Platinum will be looking to strengthen Hatter‘s global TV profile across pay and free platforms at MIPCOM. The brand also has a multi-territory consumer product rollout planned for next year with newly appointed master toy licensee Simba Dickie Group (EMEA, Russia, India) under the management of licensing agents ITVS GE (U.K./Eire), Biplano (Iberia), Exim (LatAm), Haven (Australasia), B-Rights (Greece & Cyprus) and Revolution (South Africa).