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The ongoing series of chapter books about a quartet of mystery-solving siblings, 'The Boxcar Children,' is coming to home video as an animation production. Publisher Albert Whitman & Co. is partnering with VFX studio Hammerhead to produce the title. Although a release date is still out of reach, the two companies have put out an open call for kids to maybe earn the chance to voice a role in the final cut. 'The Boxcar Children' turns 70-years-old this year.

A collection of notes and updates of cartoon and kid's entertainment properties in the news for licensing agreements, during August 2012. Included here: stylish Batman t-shirts, Princess Fionna costumes, Strawberry Shortcake happy meals, a theatrical distribution update for a new Spanish CG film, and some investment news that finds Disney back in India's entertainment sector. Several news items are profiled.

Another season of the Scholastic Media animated series 'WordGirl' hits the airwaves. Next week, mild mannered grammar expert Becky Botsford returns to her regular post of defending the town against an amusing array of baddies, some of whom crave cheese, others jewelry, and yet others a good sandwich. The vocab-building 2D series has now been on-air for five years.

Highlights of international television animation sales from July and August 2012. In the news, several CG preschool items ('Justin Time,' 'Mike the Knight,' 'Bubble Guppies'), the ensemble exploits of an RPG fantasy ('Wakfu'), and the little world of elves and fairies ('Ben & Holly's Little Kingdom') found new homes. Nickelodeon also marked several programming deals for southern Asia. Several news bites inside.

Jazwares (Sunrise, FL) added select properties of the Hanna-Barbera library to its portfolio this past month. Three-, five-, and six-inch collectible figures of Captain Caveman, Fred Flintstone, and Hong Kong Phooey are scheduled to retail on through autumn 2012. A separate line of plush toys is likely to follow. Jazwares has previously produced toys for Nickelodeon's 'Fanboy & ChumChum' and Cartoon Network's 'Adventure Time.'

DreamWorks Animation's latest entry in the world of TV animation has long since been sneak-peeked. 'Dragons: Riders of Berk' returns to the island of Berk, where a scrawny boy and his friends do their best to train dragons ahead of whimsical adventures, brash challenges, and the threat of new villains. The older Vikings have placed a lot of trust in Hiccup's new Dragon Training Academy; hopefully, he and his trusty pal, Toothless, will deliver.

New executive hires/promotions in animation, VFX, and kid's media management. Key notes for August 2012 are few and far between, but do include a new executive director for the animation-friendly San Francisco Film Society, a territory expansion for Ink Brands, as well as a new North American guide for Zodiak Rights. Last week, Nickelodeon made several small moves regarding its west coast operations. Several additional companies are profiled within.

Nick has promoted Russell Hicks to the newly created post of President, Content Development and Production, where he will oversee everything under the Nickelodeon banner on the U.S. west coast. The previous President of Animation, Brown Johnson, leaves the company, and several executives in series development and production, gain new titles. No new hires were announced. The executive shift reflects Nickelodeon's new and aggressive content strategy, if in response to refreshingly competent competition.

'Intrigue in the Bakumatsu: Irohanihoheto' is a swordplay drama with a flair of the supernatural. The closing days of the Tokugawa shogunate ("bakumatsu") is littered with violent grabs for power, among them a wandering assassin, a troupe of vengeance-driven actors, and plenty of other characters willing to betray one another for the chance to own a mythical relic. 'Intrigue in the Bakumatsu: Irohanihoheto' comes to DVD/Blu-ray via Sentai Filmworks.

Sony Pictures Animation has plotted a busy month ahead: film screenings, director-guided panel discussions, unveiling of archive materials, and more. The animation studio celebrates ten years on the books, and just in time for its latest feature release, the SPA campus is both taking a look back and taking a glimpse into the future. A screening of 'Hotel Transylvania' will be hosted by Genndy Tartakovsky (director) and Michelle Murdocca (producer).