One of the big trends at this year’s MIPTV market in France is the high visibility of shows that mix live-action with CG-animated sequences. German company EM Entertainment GmbH will be exploring the possibilities of the genre as it takes its latest edu-tainment series Croco Loco to the market in April.
Co-produced by EM-Entertainment and peekaboo productions GmbH, each 11-minute episode of Croco Loco helps young viewers at home (target audience: four- to eight-year-olds) learn English and other languages while interacting with the animated characters Croco the Crocodile, Zizzi the Dragonfly and Mrs. Lester the Turtle. The animals live in a secret place behind a junkyard and are connected to the outside world via a device called the Crocophone. The gadget helps them observe the children in their everyday lives as they comment on their activities and try to figure out exactly what is going on in their world. The producers believe that getting viewers immersed in children’s activities such as singing and dancing will help them understand and speak a new language faster and easier.
The show is billed as one of the first immersive program designed for children around the world. It is created in association with the award-winning German Institute for Immersive Learning (GIFIL). Three episodes of the show are scheduled for delivery in July 2006. EM.Entertainment will be responsible for worldwide sales. For more info, visit www.em.tv
