YTV'S PLAYTIME BLOCK PREMIERES THE CGI ANIMATED SERIES BABAR AND THE
ADVENTURES OF BADOU

Multiple Gemini award-winning actor Gordon Pinsent reprises his role as the voice of the famous children's book character King Babar

Premieres Monday, November 22 at 11 a.m. ET/PT on YTV

TORONTO, Nov. 1 /CNW/ - Corus Entertainment's Nelvana Studio and YTV are pleased to announce the return of the classic children's book character in the new CGI animated series Babar and the Adventures of Badou, featuring the voice of Gordon Pinsent and premiering in YTV's Playtime block on Monday, November 22 at 11 a.m. ET/PT.

"Corus and Nelvana have a long history with the Babar brand and we are delighted to continue our relationship with this world-famous elephant, to once again bring this popular literary character to life on television with new storylines, a new generation of characters and with CGI technology for today's audiences," said Ted Ellis, VP, Kids/Family Programming, Corus Entertainment.

Produced by Nelvana Studio and TeamTO, in association with The Clifford Ross Company, Babar and the Adventures of Badou is based on the bestselling children's book collection and follows eight-year-old Badou and his famous grandfather King Babar. Badou has an appetite for adventure and a tendency to get caught in some tricky situations along with his colourful friends Chiku the monkey, Zawadi the zebra, Jake the scruffy little fox and Munroe the deviant and brave porcupine. Navigating the ups and downs of growing up in Celesteville's royal palace, Badou never forgets that his grandfather King Babar will always be there to offer guidance and support.

In episode one, Babar and the Adventures of Badou: Kite Flight/Zoomerblimps, premiering on Monday, November 22 at 11 a.m. ET/PT (r) Friday, November 26 at 11 a.m. ET/PT, Chiku volunteers Munroe for a kite flying contest against the Crocs. She promises to build him the best kite ever but keeps getting distracted by newer, better design ideas. Badou tries to help her focus so Chiku can deliver on her promise. Then, the kids are competing for their Zoomerblimp Junior Pilot wings. Badou and Rhudi are the favourites but when Dilash sabotages both their ships the two have to team up - and learn a little about sportsmanship - in order to compete.

Beginning on Wednesday, November 10, viewers can visit YTV.com to immerse themselves in Badou's adventures online with 10 new customizable web games, nine exclusive web animations, visits to four neighbourhoods in Celesteville, as well as clips of the show. The online fun doesn't stop there as fans can also access 23 different colouring pages and printable stickers, and download their very own customized adventure storybook.

YTV will be participating in Toronto's 106^th annual Santa Claus Parade - the longest running children's parade in the world. Fans won't want to miss the Babar and the Adventures of Badou float on Sunday, November 21 at 12:30 p.m. ET. YTV will air a repeat broadcast of the parade on Sunday, December 5 at 12 p.m. ET/PT.

TFI in France will premiere Babar and the Adventures of Badou on Monday, November 8. Corus Entertainment's Nelvana Enterprises has also secured sales of the series to Playhouse Disney in the United States and Japan, Disney Channel in Italy and Spain, Discovery Kids in Latin American, KI.KA in Germany, ABC TV in Australia, TV2 in Norway, YLE 2 in Finland, DR TV in Denmark, Thai PBS, SRC for French Canada and M-Net in South Africa, among others. Licensing opportunities are also available through Nelvana Enterprises.

Seen in over 10.5 million homes across Canada, YTV is a leading entertainment brand for kids. As a major force in kids' television, YTV offers great programming for kids and families with hit Nickelodeon series, blockbuster movies and original Canadian programming. YTV reaches kids online at YTV.com and in local communities with the travelling road show WOW!. Visit www.ytv.com.

Nelvana Studio is a globally recognized animation studio that produces a stable of award-winning and globally renowned brands - from literary classics Babar and Franklin to shows such as 6TEEN, Rolie Polie Olie and The Backyardigans, the #1 preschool series in Canada.  Many of these series air on Corus Entertainment's kids' services in Canada and in over 150 countries around the world. Nelvana's library now has well over 3,800 episodes of programming and has received over 70 major international program awards including Emmys and Geminis. Visit the Nelvana website at www.nelvana.com.

YTV and Nelvana Studio are owned by Corus Entertainment Inc., a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's animation. The company's multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, Nickelodeon (Canada), W Network, CosmoTV, VIVA, Sundance Channel (Canada), Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can Press and radio stations including CKNW, CFOX, CKOI, 98,5 FM, Q107 and 102.1 the Edge. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto (CJR.B) exchange. Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com.

Based in Paris and Valence in France, TeamTO is an independent animation studio focused on producing innovative TV series and feature films. The company has partnered with Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Nelvana, TF1, France Télévisions and Canal+ and has earned numerous awards and nominations, including Emmys® and Cartoons on the Bay Pulcinella awards.

Founded in 1985 by artist/photographer Clifford Ross, The Clifford Ross Company focused on three classic properties during its early years: the works of Edward Gorey, Tom Swift and Babar.  After optioning the rights to Babar in 1986 directly from Laurent de Brunhoff and the de Brunhoff family, CRC entered into a working relationship with Nelvana on all aspects of the property.  For over 20 years, the companies have worked together producing both television and feature length movies featuring the Babar characters and developing a worldwide licensing program. Ross recently completed "Harmonium Mountain", an animated, computer generated landscape video, with an original score by Philip Glass.

For high-resolution images, please visit: http://mediacentre.corusent.com

For further information:

Molly Ray
Senior Publicist
Corus Entertainment
416.479.6087
[email protected]