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Pingu is the latest cartoon to get the reboot treatment, courtesy of Aardman, and details of the revival have landed. More here.

Stop motion master Aardman has confirmed that it is developing a new series of Pingu in collaboration with toy company Mattel, who acquired the rights to Pingu when they purchased Hit Entertainment in 2011.

The new series will use a mixture of stop motion and 3D animation.

Pingu was originally created in Sweden in 1986 by Otmar Gutmann and Erika Brueggemann. After some years of development, the show made its debut in 1990. The stop motion cartoon followed the adventures of the titular mischievous penguin, who speaks in a series of noises and mumbles that came to be known as ‘Penguinese’. Because of the lack of a language barrier, the show became popular in other countries, particularly the United Kingdom and Japan.

The description for the new series reads as follows:...

With Barbie setting the stage on fire, Mattel learnt how much potential their toys hold. Though it made waves for its story (and the acting genius of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling), the toy giant realized that nostalgia can guide them to a new era of success. Not long after the Ryan Gosling starrer’s success, Mattel has officially announced its decision to come up with another series around a toy that has brought them great fortune over the years – Pingu.

Mattel all set to ally with Aardman for new Pingu series Mattel plans to come out with its own Pingu series || Image by Pingu-Official Channel, via YouTube

Mattel has made its partnership with Aardman, who are known for churning out series of the likes of Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep, and Wallace & Gromit, for coming out with an animated Pingu television series.

Revolving around the penguin who hails from the South Pole,...

Barbie giant Mattel is teaming up with award-winning animation studio Aardman (Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep, Wallace & Gromit) to co-develop a new stop-motion, animated Pingu television series.

The series is inspired by Mattel’s beloved cheeky penguin who lives in the South Pole and has stayed on our screens for decades, famous for his mischief and catchphrase, “Noot Noot!” Designed by Otmar Gutmann in the 1980s, the show first aired on the U.K.’s BBC One in 1990.

Josh Silverman, chief franchise officer of Mattel, told The Hollywood Reporter at MIPCOM Cannes on Monday: “You couldn’t ask for a more perfect marriage [than between Mattel and Aardman]. I was just with their their team. We are overjoyed about the project. It’s going to be really, really special. Pingu just continues to, organically, have a tremendous amount of affection and attention. And a tremendous amount of relevance.”

The Pingu series will...

Netflix has ordered a new kids animated series, “Dino Girl Gauko,” Variety has learned. The program is from creator and showrunner Akira Shigino, who previously served as a director on a number of popular Japanese animated TV series, including “Crayon Shin-chan,” “Line Town,” “Osomatsu-kun,” and a remake of “Yatterman.”

The comedy series is set in Japan and follows Naoko Watanabe, a typical tween girl aside from the fact that she possesses strange and sometimes troubling powers. When her anger exceeds a maximum level, she turns into Gauko, the fire-breathing dinosaur girl.

An episode of “Dino Girl Gauko,” entitled “Dad’s Little Secret,” will screen in competition at the 2019 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The first season of the series is expected to launch on Netflix in late 2019.

The move comes as Netflix is amping up its kids and family content. With Disney set to launch its own streaming service, Disney Plus,...

Chicago – The ballots were counted at the recent 54th Chicago International Television Festival – which has become a separate Spring event presented by Cinema/Chicago, the agency of the Chicago International Film Festival – and there were numerous honorees in the categories of Commercials and Television Production, given on Thursday, March 22th, 2018, at the AMC River East Theatre in Chicago. The highest award is the Gold Hugo, but also conferred were the Silver Hugo, Gold Plaque, Silver Plaque and Certificate of Merit.

Awards Ceremony, March 22th, 2018, at the AMC River East 21 Theater

Photo credit: Cinema/Chicago

The Chicago International Television Festival evolved from the annual Film Festival into a separate international event in 2016, celebrating the best in television production, series, commercials and the innovative of online programming. Cinema/Chicago, the presenting organization of the Chicago International Film Festival and the Television Festival, is a non-profit cinema/TV arts and education organization. In addition to the annual festivals,...