In exciting news for children’s entertainment this week, ABC TV and Australia’s mememe productions joined forces to announce a new animation series, dirtgirlworld.
Targeting the 4-7 year old market, dirtgirlworld is a celebration of life in the big world outside. Dirtgirl, who has a backyard full of friends, is a gumboot-wearing girl who grows awesome tomatoes, knows cloud names and drives a big orange tractor.
dirtgirtworld, commissioned by ABC TV, CBeebies (BBC) and CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Commission), is a co-production between the Canadian-based DECODE Entertainment (Angela Anaconda) and mememe productions.
dirtgirlworld is created by writer/producer Cate McQuillen and composer/writer Hewey Eustace of the Northern Rivers, NSW-based mememe productions. They will also executive produce along with Jenny Lalor and Daniel Besen in Australia and Steven Denure for DECODE Entertainment. dirtgirlworld’s distinctive animation style and design has been pioneered by James Hackett and Jean Camden of Hackett Films.
ABC TV Executive Head of Childrens, Tim Brooke-Hunt, today said, “I believe dirtgirlworld is a winning combination of innovative, stand-out design and a positive environmental message. It will encourage young kids to have fun planting and playing in the garden or the park. This is a very special show, which ABC TV is proud to commission alongside the BBC UK and CBC Canada”.
Beth Stevenson, Executive Vice President, Development and Production at DECODE Entertainment said: “We’re looking forward to working with mememe productions who have created a wonderfully original concept with dirtgirlworld. It’s a truly standout show with fantastic characterisation, and with ABC TV, CBeebies and CBC already on board, we have a strong team in place to take this series to its full potential.”
This is the first production for Cate McQuillen and Hewey Eustace from mememe productions. “This is very much a story from our hearts. dirtgirlworld is entertainment with an environmental focus that invites children to be involved in a world where nature first is second nature.”
52 X 11 minutes of dirtgirlworld has been commissioned and will screen world-wide from September 2009.
[Release by ABC TV]