Two new titles are currently heading BKN's new slate of programming. Although the Germany outfit already keeps animated titles such as Zorro: Generation Z, Kong, and Roswell Conspiracies close to its heart, two new titles -- Joshua Blake: The Agency and Stone Age -- are set to occupy quite a bit more time. The former is a newly announced cartoon series scheduled for delivery by 2011, the latter of which is newly available to broadcasters.
Joshua Blake: The Agency tracks teenage detective and freshman spy, Joshua Blake, as he cuts his teeth on the world of the clandestine. Trained by a secret spy organization to traverse the world and help those in need, ultimately saving the world from destruction, Joshua has chosen a career path similar to his elder brother (whom it appears, does much of the same, but for a less noble cause). Joshua Blake: The Agency has only recently entered production, and will reportedly include assistance from a Canadian partner, an as of yet unnamed group contributing almost 40% of the project's estimated $13 million budget. The cartoon is likely to air on Canadian airwaves as well.
Slated for production of forty episodes, Joshua Blake: The Agency will reportedly be available for delivery by 2011. The animated television series will include handiwork from writer/producer Richard Ungar (X-Men Evolution, Cranberry Christmas). BKN has cited the growing international interest in providing content for Boys 6-12 as one of the key reasons in moving ahead with the spy title. Additional information will reportedly be forthcoming at this year's MIPCOM Jr. programming exhibition.
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characters from BKN's Stone Age |
Budgeted at $7.26 million, Stone Age is an 2D animated comedy about kids growing up in cleverly anachronistic prehistoric culture, where teens play baseball and adults make the most out of their solar panels and city recycling programs.
Notable for BKN because it's the company's first title produced entirely in high definition, Stone Age uses the talent of the company's Spain-based facilities, as well as that of Italian animation studio Cartoon One to create a snappily designed show about kids being kids, in a different but familiar era of human evolution.
Composer Angelo Poggi (Winx Club) contributes several original songs to the TV animation as well.
on BKN: BKN International AG is a global animation company engaged in the distribution and marketing of animated children’s television programmes and the marketing of related consumer products (licensing and merchandising) in all forms. BKN has worked on numerous successful animation projects. The Company is currently listed on the Deutsche Bourse and AIM and it operates all over the world. BKN has successfully negotiated distribution deals in over 95 countries and territories in the children’s programming market.