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40 September 2011
preschool
Boj & Buddies As the new kid in town, Boj, a
rodent-like, nocturnal Australian bilby, fi nds himself in some
peculiar situations when his family emerges from its underground
burrow to see the world above ground for the fi rst
time. Boj doesn’t understand city life, even in the friendly
town of Giggly Park. And his own upside-downy, topsy-turvy
ways—including a penchant for mud—are equally confusing
to his new friends, which makes for many messy and silly
misunderstandings. Just like preschool children, Boj and his
pals are discovering the differences in people around them
and learning the foundations of good social behavior. Music
also plays a key role in the series, with a new song featured in
every episode. In addition, Pesky has tapped UK celeb singer
Jason Donovan to voice Boj’s musical bilby dad.
Studio: Frog Box (Paris, France)
Style: Illustrative 2D animation
Format: 52 x 11 minutes
Budget: US$7.9 million
Status: As a project from eOne Family
MD Olivier Dumont’s Paris-based prodco
Frog Box, the international entertainment
company has sponsored the series
and is on-board for distribution and
consumer products licensing. Fellow
Parisian animation studio Les 3 Ours has
confi rmed interest in taking on designs
and animation.
Studio: Pesky (Lewes,
England)
Style: 2D animation
Format: 50 x 11 minutes
Budget: US$5.7 million
Status: Boj has strong
interest from CBeebies, its
Cartoon Forum sponsor,
and Pesky is looking to
either secure presales and
distribution in the UK or
possibly fi nd an Australian
co-pro partner.
preschool
Oscar & Hoo Inspired by a series of
books about an imaginative boy and his best
friend, a little cloud named Hoo, this toon fi nds
Oscar telling his fl uffy companion all about the
ways of the world, even though his theories are
sometimes wrong. And Hoo is always ready to
lend a helping hand and share in subsequent
comic adventures that often go awry. Hoo can
also shift shapes to show how he’s feeling,
whether it be happy fl uffi ness, dark gloominess
or even a curious giant question mark. Not
surprisingly, each episode hangs on imparting a
lesson in emotional intelligence and empathy.