-Canada Toons In

TELETOON, a new Canadian animation channel, is set to hit the airwaves in September. The specialty network promises to give French- and English-Canadian audiences of all ages a colorful mix of new and familiar programming.

In addition to popular standbys like Scooby-Doo, Tom & Jerry and The Jetsons, new productions like The Adventures of Paddington Bear, Pippi Longstocking and Captain Star are also slated for broadcast.

John Riley, former vice president of business affairs for the Family Channel in Canada, is TELETOON’s president; Kevin Wright, former director of programming at YTV, is the vice president of programming; Hillary Firestone is vice president of network marketing and promotions; and Carole Bonneau is director of acquisitions and scheduling.

TELETOON is Canada’s first and only 24-hour animation network. It will offer both English and French broadcast feeds.

-Launch of Fox Kids France delayed

PARIS: Plans for the launch of Fox Kids Network in France have been put on hold until mid-November. Benoît Runel, formerly of TF1, has been named general manager of the channel.

-Baby Huey comes alive

Baby Huey, the giant duck who starred most recently in an animated series that ran in national syndication from 1994 to 1996, is again the subject of a TV series this time a live-action show. The program, currently in development, is expected to appeal to a new generation of kids, as well as to parents who remember the classic character from their own childhoods. George McGrath, the two-time Emmy-nominated children’s writer who was an original writer and cast member of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse and co-writer of Big Top Pee-Wee, is creating the show bible, writing the pilot and is a co-executive producer of the series.

-French company uses big screen process on the small screen

PARIS: Antefilms Production, which came onto the French animation scene three years ago, is using a manufacturing process normally reserved for feature films for the television special Les Pirates de N’el. This 26-minute TV special is co-produced with France 3, Canal J, INA and Neurones and integrates 2-D animation with 3-D backgrounds.

Besides enhancing image quality, this technique improves artistic control. And according to Antefilms’ Christophe Di Sabatino, the cost is comparable to a 2-D series and has a shorter production time.