UK preschool block Channel 5 Milkshake! has scooped up Millimages’ animated series Pirata & Capitano. Co-produced by national public broadcasters France Televisions and Italy’s Rai, the 52 x 11-minute series will make its Milkshake! premiere this summer.

Pirata & Capitano currently airs on France 6 and French pay-TV broadcast Tiji, as well as on Rai TV in Italy. The series is set to launch shortly on SVT (Sweden), YLE (Finland), RUV (Iceland), TV3 (Spain), Gloob (Brazil), Al Jazeera (Middle East), Canal+ (Poland), Gulli Girl (Russia), ETV (Estonia) and LTV (Latvia).

Following the adventures of Pirata as she helms her own ship, while her best friend, Capitano, flies a red seaplane, the series focuses on teamwork and friendship. It is being touted as the first animated show to be fully produced in “Global Illumination,” a system that models how light bounces onto surfaces using technology developed by Dwarf Studios. (This form of indirect lighting is meant to give toons a more realistic and lifelike look.)

Channel 5 recently revamped its Milkshake! preschool block with a number of new acquisitions, including Poppy Cat, and original content such as Shane the Chef and Milkshake! Monkey Bananas About Food.