MUMBAI: In a one of its kind partnership, Cartoon Network has partnered with Rovio Entertainment to bring Angry Birds Toons, an animated TV series based on the globally successful and trendsetting game Angry Birds, to Indian kids.

Scheduled to premiere on 16 March, this weekly series will air in the mornings.

The series is based on the life of the Angry Birds living on Piggy Island. Red and his fearless feathered companions, Chuck, Matilda, Bomb, Blues and Terence, must band together to protect their eggs - and their future - from the wily plotting of the Bad Piggies.
 
"We?ve long wanted to tell our fans the story of the Angry Birds and the Bad Piggies, to introduce their personalities and their world in detail," said Rovio Entertainment CEO Mikael Hed. "We?re delighted to partner up with some of the best video-on-demand providers and TV networks across the world. It is an important milestone for us on our journey towards becoming a fully-fledged entertainment powerhouse."

Turner International India Senior Director and Head of Kids vertical Krishna Desai said, "At Cartoon Network, we pride ourselves on understanding kids and delivering innovative and entertaining content to them. The Angry Birds games are a global phenomenon with kids and adults and we look forward to partnering with Rovio Entertainment as the broadcast partner for Angry Birds Toons animated series. We are certain that kids will be enthralled and excited to watch this adaptation of Angry Birds on Cartoon Network."
 
Angry Birds Toons will feature 52 episodes, with a new episode released each week.

Additionally, Rovio Entertainment is launching one of the world?s biggest video networks in its Angry Birds game titles on smartphones and tablets. Fans can watch the latest adventures of the birds and pigs through a dedicated channel available in all Angry Birds apps.

MUMBAI: LucasFilm, which was acquired by Disney, has entered into a new era focussed on the next Star Wars trilogy. A whole new Star Wars series set in a time period previously untouched in Star Wars films or television programming is in the pipeline.

In a statement Lucasfilm said, "After five highly successful and critically acclaimed seasons of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, we feel the time has come to wind down the series. While the studio is no longer producing new episodes for Cartoon Network, we?re continuing production on new Clone Wars story arcs that promise to be some of the most thrilling adventures ever seen. Stay tuned for more information on where fans can soon find this bonus content. In the video below, Supervising Director Dave Filoni offers a peek of what is to come in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
 
At Star Wars Celebration VI last year, George Lucas gave fans a glimpse at the animated comedy series Star Wars Detours from Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, and Todd Grimes. "Detours was conceived and produced before we decided to move forward with the new Star Wars trilogy, and in the wake of that decision, Lucasfilm has reconsidered whether launching an animated comedy prior to the launch of Episode VII makes sense. As a result, we?ve decided to postpone the release of Detours until a later date," Lucasfilm said.

MUMBAI: Cashing in on Ben 10?s growing popularity in India, kids broadcaster Cartoon Network is all set to host ?Ben 10 Live: Time Machine?, the first live action stage show in India as part of a marketing strategy to engage kids.

Through this live show, kids will now have an opportunity to witness their favourite characters from all three Cartoon Network?s shows - Ben 10, Ben 10: Alien Force and Ben 10: Ultimate Alien - live on stage.

There are 18 shows that will play from 30 January to 3 February at Sir Fort Auditorium, Delhi.

Cartoon Network?s Ben 10 Live: Time Machine produced by Life Like Touring, one of the leading forces in quality live family entertainment. The cast and production comes to India all the way from Australia and will be performing 18 shows in Delhi.

Cartoon Networks Enterprises, South Asia Director Gaurav Brar said, "Ben 10 is one of the most loved action-adventure animation series globally and with kids being star-studded by Ben. We are thrilled to be able to bring Indian kids this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness a Ben 10 stage show of such magnitude and innovation."

"We?ve noticed just how fanatical Ben 10 fans are, and the sheer volume of requests of young fans to get this live show to tour India is staggering. When our friends at Cartoon Network discussed the popularity of Ben 10 in their market, we just knew we?d have to go there," says Life Like Touring Executive Producer Andrew Price.