FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment and CBeebies to Produce More Spellbinding Tree Fu Tom Adventures
Skwigly
Children’s Broadcaster Orders a Third Series of the Successful Pre-School Animation
London, Thursday 4th December 2014 –CBeebies’ Controller Kay Benbow has commissioned a third series (20 x 22’) of the hit pre-school action adventure series Tree Fu Tom for transmission in 2016 it was announced today.
A co-production between CBeebies in-house and FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment (FMKFE), Tree Fu Tom has been a huge hit all over the world since its debut on CBeebies in 2012. The high rating show has consistently performed well on the channel and is now broadcast in over 123 territories across the globe.
The third series maintains mini but mighty superhero Tom’s magical adventures but also introduces some exciting new developments. Tom and his friends will have to get to grips with Red Magic: a mysterious extension of Tree Fu. Red Magic can only be created using a special Red Crystal. By performing Tree Fu moves with the red crystal, Tom can draw on attributes of real world animals such as the strength of an elephant or speed of a cheetah. There will be imaginative new locations to discover including the mysterious Deep Root Caverns and the arid, desert of the Dead Branch. And some new characters will pop up in Treetopolis including, enigmatic Red magic mentor Muru, troublesome spiderling Racquette and shy, nocturnal sprites Rootle and Shade.
Bob Higgins, EVP Creative and Production FMKFE said, “We are thrilled the BBC has continued its commitment to Tree Fu Tom by commissioning a third series. This new batch of episodes will further cement both the show’s opportunity for growth and its reputation as a major pre-school property.”
Kay Benbow said, “Tree Fu Tom is immensely popular with our audience and we are delighted to be commissioning 20 new adventures for Tom, Twigs and the gang. This new series will include all the elements which have made Tree Fu Tom so beloved by the audience whilst introducing some new developments to keep the series fresh and exciting.”
Aimed at 4-6 year olds, Tree Fu Tom combines innovative elements of heroic action, fantasy and magic, coupled with unique interactive physical activity. Set in an enchanted world, Treetopolis where movement creates magic, viewers are encouraged to interact with the show through physical actions that have been devised and approved by movement development specialists to assist in the development of children.
With animation by award-winning Blue Zoo Animation, Tree Fu Tom is a co-production between FremantleMedia Kids and Family Entertainment and the BBC for CBeebies. The executive producers for the BBC are Jackie Edwards and Alison Stewart, and Bob Higgins for FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment. Tree Fu Tom was created by Daniel Bays and is produced by Mark Barnard and features the voices of Sophie Aldred and Mark Bonnar.