Samurai 7 on Animania-HD 3/1/06; PICME and Jungle Beat

[Sean Mota]

ANIME ON IFC
Rainbow Media has acquired Japanese digital anime action/adventure series Samurai 7 (26 x 30min.) and will air the series on two of its outlets, IFC and VOOM HD Network's channel Animania HD. Samurai 7 is based on filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's classic movie The Seven Samurai made in 1954. However, this version is set in the future and adds a sci-fi twist. Animania HD will host the US HD premiere of Samurai 7 on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 at 9p. It will then be followed by the series broadcast debut as part of IFC's weekly movie event, Samurai Saturdays featuring Asian martial-arts-themed movies, on March 19, 2006 at 1130p. While Animania HD airs cartoons targeted to all ages, Samurai 7 is targeted to teens/young adults P16-24. The Samurai 7 series was licensed by FUNimation Entertainment, co-produced by Japanese anime studio Gonzo Digimation in partnership with Media International Corporation, and directed by Toshifumi Takizawa. VOOM HD Networks is a package of HDTV channels from Rainbow Media that include movies, sports, music, travel, fashion, arts, cartoons, and news, which are currently available to subscribers of DISH Network.

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[Sean Mota]

more stuff for animania

Animania HD-From the familiar Pink Panther and Felix the Cat to the new Rapido or Smiley, Animania HD entertains young children and the children at heart through a playful, colorful display of cartoon animation.

 

[Sean Mota]

Press Release

Rainbow Media's IFC & VOOM HD Networks Acquire Japanese Anime Series




Rainbow Media has acquired Japanese anime series, Samurai 7 and will cross-broadcast the 26 episodes on two of its brands, IFC and VOOM HD Network's channel, Animania HD. Based on filmmaker Akira Kurosawa's classic 1954 movie "The Seven Samurai," Samurai 7 is loyal to the original plot and characters, but offers a unique sci-fi twist with the action set in the future. The half-hour series will air in conjunction with IFC's longest running film strand, "Samurai Saturdays," a weekly presentation of classic, Asian martial-arts-themed movies. Animania HD will have the U.S HD premiere on Wednesday, March 1, 2006 @ 9:00 PM ET. IFC's broadcast premiere, of Samurai 7, will air on Sunday, March 19, 2006 @ 11:30 pm ET.

Shot in high definition with stunning production values, Samurai 7 revisits Kurosawa's epic tale of a small village in feudal Japan that's persecuted by robbers who return every harvest to seize the village's crops. Faced with starvation, the villagers set out on a mission to find and recruit some samurai (master swordsman who adhere to the strict code of honor and loyalty, bushido) to defend them. With no pay to offer except rice, and knowing full well that only down-on-their-luck samurai would even consider accepting such a deal, the villagers can only hope that their saviors will appear before the rice is ready for harvest.

Offering a platform where cartoon worlds take on astonishing depth and detail, Animania HD, is the only channel actively working with producers and distributors to air true HD animation for all ages. The acquisition of Samurai 7 serves to expand its demographic to the young adult 16-24 audience. The channel is just one of the many diverse programming categories on VOOM HD Networks, the largest suite of high definition channels available anywhere. Others include sports, movies, fashion, music and art. The VOOM HD Networks were developed by Rainbow Media to meet the growing demand for quality high definition programming, building on Rainbow Media's history of original programming innovation.

The Samurai 7 series was licensed by FUNimation Entertainment ( www.funimation.com ), co-produced by Japan's leading anime studio Gonzo Digimation ( www.gonzo.co.jp/english/ ) in partnership with Media International Corporation (MICO), and directed by Toshifumi Takizawa. Samurai 7 is fully digital animation that is an intensely raw anime series full of action, adventure and sci-fi thrills.

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[Sean Mota]

more new content for Animania

Monster scares up US toon deal 16 Nov 2005
Dublin distributor Monster Distributes has sold its toons Picme and Jungle Beat to Voom Networks' US high-definition channel Voom Animania HD.


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[Sean Mota]

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VOOM's Animania HD Licenses Two Animated Series




'PICME' and 'Jungle Beat' to be produced in HD Exclusively for Animania

New York, NY - November 14, 2005 - Animania HD, a channel solely dedicated to high-definition animation allowing for cartoon worlds to take on astonishing depth and detail, announced today that it has acquired two international animated series from Monster Distributes, an international distribution company which finances and distributes television series worldwide. As part of the agreement, the programs PICME and Jungle Beat are produced in high definition exclusively for Animania HD's U.S. broadcast premiere. Animania HD is one of the VOOM HD Networks, the largest and most diverse suite of high-definition channels nationwide and currently available on DISH Network.

PICME is an award-winning interactive animated series where a child literally stars in his/her own cartoon. Each episode features a different child where their picture is placed directly in the pre-made cartoon using the specially developed PICME software. Each also entertains and teaches basic concepts to preschool children. PICME launches on Animania HD in April of 2006. Jungle Beat is the first animated series from Zimbabwe, which features a cast of animals in bizarre situations with hilarious results. This fun and quirky series consists of 5-minute self-contained episodes, all dialogue-free and suitable for all ages. Jungle Beat premieres on Animania HD in January of 2006.

"Both series reinforce our commitment to showcasing amazing and entertaining animation from all over the world, and contribute to our growing library of quality high definition animation," said Keith O'Connell, Vice President of Programming for Animania HD. "PICME is a wonderfully innovative show that will allow us to interact with our audience, and Jungle Beat brings animals and scenery to life with incredible color and stunning animation."

Animania HD is the only channel actively working with producers and distributors to air true HD animation for all ages. The channel is just one of the many diverse programming categories on VOOM HD Networks, the largest suite of high-definition channels available anywhere. The VOOM HD Networks were developed by Rainbow Media to meet the growing demand for quality high-definition programming, building on Rainbow Media's history of original programming innovation.

Last August, VOOM HD announced its distribution agreement with Echostar Communications to carry ten of the HD channels on its Dish Network, and soon to come in '06 are more of these special niche offerings. Since the launch, VOOM HD has gone on to produce groundbreaking original HD content for a wide variety of consumer interests ranging from a one-of-a-kind live memorabilia auction on Gallery HD to delivering the world of fashion on Ultra HD. Most recently, VOOM HD solidified a co-production deal with Singapore to create mostly nonfiction niche programming. This new announcement for Animania HD confirms VOOM's commitment to growing and to investing in the brand's aggressive move into the marketplace.

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[Sean Mota]

More details

PICME (Children's Series)

A new experience in television for kids, this animated series entertains and teaches basic concepts to preschool children. Each episode star a different child. Each star’s picture will be selected by the broadcaster and then place directly into the pre-made cartoon using the specially developed Picme software. This creates an interaction between the broadcaster and audience never before seen in television. Great emphasis is put on the stories themselves, so that children who are not in the story also get huge enjoyment out of it.

Jungle Beat (Children's Series)


Jungle Beat, a fun quirky CGI animated series of 5 minute self-contained episodes, is the first animation series from Zimbabwe and is dialogue-free and suitable for all ages. The series, which has already won several international awards, will consist of 13 episodes initially.

From producers Sunrise Productions, Jungle Beat features a cast of animals in bizarre situations, with hilarious results, including 'Always Take The Weather With You', where Monkey wakes to a very unfamiliar sight - snow covers the jungle in which he lives. It is the start of a very trying day for Monkey as the weather continues with its naughty tricks. Other stories feature adventures with Frog, Tortoise, Giraffe, Bee, Ant and Ostrich.

Jungle Beat is part of a package of animation from Sunrise that Monster will be representing internationally, including Once Upon a Stable and The Legend of the Sky Kingdom. Sunrise Productions was founded in 1998 by a group of Zimbabwean entrepreneurs whose priority is to consistently produce content-driven high quality entertainment to inspire people from all over the world.

The full list of episodes are as follows:


MONKEY 1 (Always Take the Weather With You)
Monkey wakes up as he has every other morning, although this morning is not like every other morning. Snow blankets the landscape, something monkey has never seen before. He has never known his mouth to be on fire before either, but smoke now comes out with every breath so it must be on fire. He rushes to the river to douse his mouth with water but the frozen surface doesn’t offer the relief he had hoped for. He proceeds to get his lips stuck to the ice and, after, finally breaking through, he turns into a monkey popsicle. This is the first of the four seasons to play tricks on our poor monkey. Just shows what happens when you wake up on the wrong side of the tree.

BEE (You Give Me Fever)
Our bee wants to do a good job; he really does. It’s just that collecting pollen when you happen to be allergic to it is not the easiest task in the world. But try he does and sneeze he does, often! His swarm moves on and he has nothing to show for his efforts. He gets more determined with every flower he encounters, but pollen ends up being the least of his worries when a spider’s web gets involved.

TORTOISE (I Want to Break Free)
Tortoise has been lugging his shell around for a long time now, his whole life in fact, and he resents the fact that this clumsy heavy thing has been getting a free ride everywhere. Tortoise decides to step out of his shell and after an almighty struggle rids himself of the burden. He enjoys the new found freedom to start with but when a hungry eagle soars overhead he realizes that his shell definitely had its upside. It’s a bit late to learn that now though. Tortoise lugs a rock onto his back to find safety from his aerial threat, but this is a lot heavier and more cumbersome than his snuggly fitting shell. Tortoise must get back to his shell!

GIRAFFE 1 (Because I Got High)
Giraffe has always enjoyed being tall because this means he can always reach the choicest fruit from the top of the tallest trees. When he drops a piece of juicy fruit and witnesses the mess it creates after falling that long way down he is not sure being this high up is the safest thing for him. The more giraffe thinks about what would happen if he were to fall the more uneasy he becomes and eventually decides it would be better if he were to come down to earth and stay there. So he does, he lies flat along the ground and moves along caterpillar-like with dexterous movements of his neck. This is fine for a while until those juiciest fruits on the tops of the tallest trees start to become irresistible.



OSTRICH (Born To Be Wild)
Mother ostrich is thrilled with one of her egg’s first movements. She watches it wriggle and roll as the life inside starts trying to break out. As timing would have it her other three eggs all decide now is the time to break free too. Mother has a rather hair-raising time trying to contain her four escapees. Things go from bad to worse as one of the eggs ends up on the top of the tallest tree, while the other three make a break for it in the other direction.

HEDGEHOG (Stuck On You)
Hedgehog is a bit of a grumpy chap and does not enjoy the fact that a leaf has embedded itself on his spikes. In the process of trying to shake the leaf loose, hedgehog ends up rolling over a whole lot more leaves and ends up looking suspiciously like a bush. A bush with a very sour expression indeed. Hedgehog continues his gyrating to rid himself of his leafy coat but ends up replacing the leaves with petals by rolling through a field of flowers. And things go downhill from there for the poor fellow.


FROG (Shout, Shout Let It All Out)
A frog’s pride and joy is his croak. It comes as quite a surprise then when our frog’s croak decides to hop it. Frog let’s out a mighty “BWAAAH!” and with that a green musical note jumps out of his mouth and hops away. Frog is speechless, literally. Try as he might he can’t make a sound. A different musical note flutters by overhead. Frog eats it and immediately starts sounding like a bird. Another floats by, frog eats it, frog starts sounding like water every time he opens his mouth. Frog decides this is not fun so tries to catch up with his runaway croak.

ANT (And So The Feeling Grows)
As if ant isn’t small enough, when he gets lost in the maze of tunnels in his underground home he stumbles across a strange liquid. He drinks it. He shrinks. Tiny tiny! His tunnels are now huge caverns and the other ants are giants he now has to evade. He finds his way to a different liquid and drinks it. He grows. Big big! The tunnels now press him in from all sides and he can barely squeeze through them. He hiccups and shrinks again…he hiccups and grows again…oh what a predicament.

GIRAFFE 2 (Moondance)
Giraffe is happily enjoying his nighttime stroll when he bumps his head on the moon and knocks it from the sky. Now giraffe’s aren’t perhaps the most intelligent of animals, but giraffe does know that this wasn’t supposed to happen. Try as he might he cannot get it back in its place, it just won’t stick. Giraffe proceeds to break and swallow the moon and create a few more stars in the process through a magical fusion of moonlight and dandelion seeds. Will the night sky ever be the same again?



MONKEY 2 (Yes We Have No Bananas)
Bananas are any monkey’s delight. But not all monkeys would go to the lengths that our monkey does when a chasm separates him from his favorite food. With the help of a few vines, some dexterous acrobatics and ingenuity monkey makes his way to the other side of the chasm, but in so doing has inadvertently transported the bananas to the side he was originally on with no means of getting back to them. Oh what is a hungry monkey to do?

Bee 2 (I’ve Look At Clouds From Both Sides Now)
“All work and no play” is a phrase that definitely does not apply to our bee. Instead of collecting pollen, which is what he should be doing, he uses a petal of his flower as a springboard and has a ball leaping high into the air. One high spring too many leaves him embedded in a cloud above. From here he discovers what clouds are really made of and gets further distracted from his work.

Tortoise 2 (I’ve Got You Under My Skin)
Tortoise walks along casually, minding his own business, when he unknowingly steps on a dandelion. As the dandelion springs back up one of its seeds is released and gets blown into the tortoise’s shell. This is a rather distressing thing to happen to tortoise as scratching within his shell is not the easiest thing in the world for him to do. Things go from bad to worse as he tries to rid himself of the pesky seed.

Monkey 3 (Love Is In The Air)
It’s been a long tiring day for monkey so he finds a comfy branch and promptly falls asleep. As he drifts away his tail becomes alert and has a look around. Monkey’s tail spots a vine hanging in a tree a little way off and instantly falls in love with it. Tail proceeds to drag monkey around as it tries to reach the vine. Monkey wakes up now and then confused by his ever-changing position. He keeps heading back to his spot on the branch meaning tail has to start all over again. Where will it end?

 

[Sean Mota]

Animania HD: Gerald McBoing Boing

Gerald McBoing Boing comes to Animania as part of the series 'THE CLASSICS'

Gerald McBoing Boing tells the story of a small boy who when he first tries to talk can only utter sound effects like 'Boing! Boing! His parents are shocked and call in a doctor who says he has no cure for the noises.
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Dougie in Disguise

Spain's Neptuno Films has closed a raft of international deals for interactive preschool show Dougie in Disguise (104x7'), sending the series into France, Canada, the US and throughout the Middle East.

The show, which is produced in high-definition as well as standard format, has been sold to Société Radio Canada & TV Ontario in Canada; France5 & Teletoon, in France; Animania & BFTV in the US; RAISat in Italy.

It will also play out on Cable Arab Network across Saudi Arabia, Bahrein, Egypt, Comores, Algeria, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen; plus Hop! in Israel, Telepool in Switzerland, RTV in Slovenia; RCTI in Indonesia and EBS in Korea.

The show is currently in production and the first batch of 52 epiosdes will be ready for delivery December 2005, with the remaining 52 for February 2006. In each episode, Dougie's imagination brings a new sticker album to life so that he can travel to the world it contains.

Dougie in Disguise follows the success of Neptuno's Connie the Cow. Other shows in its preschool catalogue include The Ugly Duckling and Danny & Daddy. It is also a coproduction partner with Zenith on King Arthur's Disasters for the UK's CiTV.

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[Sean Mota]

The Independent Film Channel and ANIMANIA HD Present: SAMURAI 7



Anime Series, based on Akira Kurosawa's Epic Seven Samurai 26 x 30-minute episodes
Cable TV Premiere April 1
Saturdays at 10:30pm ET / 7:30pm PT immediately following The Henry Rollins Show re-launch
HD Premiere March 1
Wednesdays at 9:00pm ET/ 6:00pm PT as part of NEW Animayhem block
SAMURAI 7 - Synopsis
IFC and ANIMANIA HD introduce the Japanese anime series, Samurai 7, to US audiences, in 26 mind-blowing episodes. Filmed in High Definition with stunning production values, Samurai 7 is loyal to the plot and characters of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai (1954), but has a sci-fi twist. This series promises to be an anime classic.
Set in a feudal, futuristic world that has just witnessed the end of a massive war, scores of villages are terrorized by Nobuseri bandits. But the Nobuseri are no ordinary bandits. They were once Samurai, who during the war integrated their living cells with machines to become dangerous weapons, now appearing more machine than man. Absolute power corrupts, and their reign of terror is increasing its hold on the countryside.
But one group of villagers has had enough. Facing starvation, a young water priestess, Kirara sets out to the city with her little sister, Komachi and fellow villager, Rikichi to recruit samurai (master swordsman, who adhere to the strict code of honor and loyalty, 'bushido') to defend them. With no pay to offer except rice, and knowing full well that only down-on-their-luck samurai would even consider accepting such a deal, the villagers can only hope that their saviors will appear before the Nobuseri return at harvest time.
One by one, Kirara encounters brave samurai that the war has left behind. These men of skill and valor are each unique and not without their quirks. But can they come together as one to defend the helpless village?
SAMURAI 7 - Overview
IFC will air the 26 episodes of Samurai 7 at 10:30pm/ 7:30pm PT, beginning April 1, following the re-launch of "The Henry Rollins Show" (previously "Henry's Film Corner") hosted by IFC's own samurai!
Samurai 7 builds upon the theme of IFC's highly successful and longest-running film strand, "Samurai Saturdays." Throughout the year, this evergreen, weekly presentation of classic, Japanese Samurai movies airs 8am ET/ 5am PT and re-airs in the afternoon (times vary, see upcoming titles at ifc.com).
For ANIMANIA HD (available on DISH network), Samurai 7 serves to further expand its audience to young adults, 14-18. ANIMANIA HD will air one hour of Samurai 7 episodes every Wednesday, beginning March 1, as part of a NEW "Animayhem" block.
SAMURAI 7 - Episodic Descriptions
PART 1: SEARCH FOR THE SEVEN
Episode 1: The Master
ANIMANIA HD: March 1
IFC: April 1
Facing starvation at the hands of the Nobuseri, the farmers of Kanna Village make a desperate decision: hire samurai to wage war. The village's Water Priestess, Kirara, her little sister Komachi, and a heartbroken man named Rikichi journey to a giant merchant city. Navigating dangerous streets filled with ronin, they must find willing samurai before their village is lost.
Episode 2: The Pupil
IFC: April 8 Kirara's Dowsing Crystal finds a samurai, Kambei, strong enough to lead them, but he refuses to help. Volunteering instead is the untried Katsushiro, but the Crystal does not point to him. When the Magistrate's pleasure-loving son kidnaps Kirara, the young samurai faces his first real test.
Episode 3: The Entertainer
ANIMANIA HD: March 8
IFC: April 15
Since the Great War ended, society has been turned upside down. Samurai honor has been replaced by the materialism of the merchants, and displaced warriors must find new ways to survive. For one battle-scarred man, Gorobei, that means entertainment, exploiting his skills for daily bread. But with his real-world approach and adaptability, he may be exactly what the farmers need.
Episode 4: The Loner
IFC: April 22
The group has gotten the Magistrate's attention-never a good thing. Viewing samurai "relics" as a threat to merchant authority, their scuffle with his son makes a convenient excuse. He orders the group's execution, farmers and samurai alike. As they battle a string of assassins, Kambei encounters Kyuzo, one silent, incredibly skilled samurai, he is determined to recruit.
PART 2: ESCAPE FROM THE MERCHANTS
Episode 5: The Drifter
ANIMANIA HD: March 15
IFC: April 29
Frustrated by their inability to find willing (and capable) samurai, Kambei's group stops at a teashop to recharge. There, they are told of a wandering, moneyless man, Heihachi, who chops wood with his sword to pay for meals. As they soon learn, that is only the start of this nomad's peculiar, rice-loving, philosophizing ways. But his uniqueness could prove invaluable.
Episode 6: The Fool
ANIMANIA HD: March 15
IFC: May 6
After the mysterious murder of the Imperial Envoy in the Magistrate's home-with a bloody sword as the only clue-a citywide hunt for all samurai begins. With a high price suddenly on their heads, the band of samurai must escape the city fast. Kikuchiyo, the erratic and blundering machine, seizes the moment to prove himself to the team.
Episode 7: The Friend
IFC: May 13
With Kikuchiyo's fate uncertain, Kambei leads the samurai into a city of relaxation-and pays a visit to a trusted friend. Shichiroji fought with Kambei in the Great War, but has settled down to a peaceful life with a woman he adores. Can samurai truly abandon the warrior way? Will Shichiroji leave his love, and take up his sword again?
Episode 8: The Guardians
ANIMANIA HD: March 22
IFC: May 20
The samurai escape a merchant raid, only to find themselves in a cavern city under the watchful gaze of the Shikimoribito. Who are these mysterious "Guardians"? Man or machine? Ally or enemy?
PART 3: FROM FARM TO FORTRESS
Episode 9: The Bandits
IFC: May 27
Kikuchiyo has been foolishly captured by the Bandits, and the samurai must leave the caves to rescue him. But as soon as they reach daylight, the towering machines of the Nobuseri ambush them. Clearly, there's a traitor in their midst. Can Kambei and the others survive their first clash with the Nobuseri? And who is the traitor?
Episode 10: The Journey

ANIMANIA HD: March 29
IFC: June 3
Knowing legions of Nobuseri will be searching for them soon, Kambei decides the group must go to Kanna immediately, though the team of seven is not yet complete. Dividing into smaller groups to avoid detection, the samurai and farmers embark down three separate paths to the village. To survive the trek, new bonds of trust must be quickly forged.
Episode 11: The Village
IFC: June 10
The samurai finally arrive at Kanna Village? and find no one there to greet them. Recent threats from the Bandits have shaken the farmers' resolve, and not all of them want the samurai's help. As the samurai begin their preparations for war, they must confront something even more dangerous: betrayal from the farmers who have hired them. Stay tuned for 26 exciting episodes!

 

[riffjim4069]

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