Toonz Media Group and Epic Story Media have teamed up with chef, cookbook author and television personality Aliya LeeKong to whip up a new culinary-themed 52 x 11′ animated children’s series, Issa’s Edible Adventures. The series aims to tell multicultural and multiracial stories using food and cooking as narrative, entertaining viewers globally.
“After the birth of my first daughter, Asya, I realized there were no interesting food properties out there for kids nor was there a central character to be its ambassador — the way Doc McStuffins taught about wellness, for example,” says LeeKong. “There were also very few characters that were multiracial and multicultural, which I clearly think is important for children, like my daughters, to see. And, thus, Issa’s Edible Adventures was born — combining my own loves of food, cooking, travel and kids.”
The show follows seven-year-old Issa, a tiny aspiring chef with a big heart who, with her best friends Tartufo the hilarious Basque pig and Maha the magical bird, ventures into the world in search of the one ingredient that’ll complete the amazing dish she knows will bring joy to the life of a friend, a family or guest of the Hotel Du Monde, where her mother is Executive Chef.
In search of the most delicious and extraordinary culinary experience yet, Issa journeys from the center to the edge of the Earth, inspiring young viewers with a curiosity about the world and an openness to knew flavors as well as the important lesson that the things that make us different can also help bring us together.
“Issa’s Edible Adventures offers authentic educational content for kids in an area where kid’s content is scarce — food. The series is being developed into a wholesome content with focus on education, inclusivity and adventure around the world,” notes P. Jayakumar, CEO of Toonz Media Group. I am confident that this series will become the household name in the near future.”
Toonz, Epic and LeeKong have agreed to jointly develop, finance, produce and distribute the series. While Epic will have exclusive distribution and L&M rights in U.S.A., Canada, U.K., Australia and New Zealand, Toonz will retain the distribution and L&M rights in rest of the world. The teams will expand Issa’s world beyond the animated series via books, consumer products and more.
Ken Faier, President of Epic Story Media, says, “We’re extremely excited to work with Aliya and the Toonz team to bring this unique show and Aliya’s vision to a global audience. The series will resonate with today’s families by celebrating different cultures and bringing people together … all through food! A guaranteed recipe for success!”
The Toonz delegation will be at MIPCOM this year at R7 L23 in Italian Pavilion for meetings regarding this series and others between October 14-19.
