Cape Town-based Clockwork Zoo has signed a co-production deal with Canada’s Cookie Jar Entertainment for a 26-part, half hour animation series, Peter Pepper’s Pet Spectacular. The series has been approved for South AfricaÕs Department of Trade & Industry (dti) incentive and is the first animation project to be done under the the South Africa/Canada Co-production Treaty.
Peter Peper’s Pet Spectacular will go into pre-production during the Canadian spring. It is the first South Africa/Canada animation co-production where the work will not be subcontracted outside South Africa.
Cookie Jar Entertainment is a leading global independent producer of children’s entertainment which has created nearly 300 episodes annually of shows such as Caillou, Arther, Hurray for Huckle and Johnny Test. Its library includes classics like Inspector Gadget, The Wombles and Paddington Bear.
Clockwork Zoo is the biggest animation studio in southern Africa, creators of 104 episodes of URBO: The Adventures of Pax Afrika. The studio is currently delivering outsource work for Welsh, French and UK companies. Peter Pepper will be the studioÕs first long-term co-production.
The series is based on the popular book of the same name by mother-son duo Betty and Mickey Paraskevas (Maggie and the Ferocious Beast, Junior Knoll). It will be the first Cookie Jar project using Toon Boom software. Toon Boom has promoted South Africa as an outsource and co-production destination, and now has more than 200 licences up-and-running in the country. Clockwork Zoo is currently the only active Toon Boom Harmony pipeline in the country.
Read more in the April 2009 issue of Screen Africa
