– Doc and drama producer gets into animation

PARIS: Raspail & Associés, a drama and documentary producer, has made the move into animation for the first time with the series Le Laps et les enfants du Toromino. Jean-Louis de Rauglaudre, head of development for the company, made the trip to Annecy this year to complete financing for the 26 x 26-minute program that tells the story a child’s extraordinary trip through time and space with a strange character called Le Laps. The series, which has a budget of FF40 million (US$22 million), has been commissioned by France 2.

-France 3 lends a hand

ANNECY: French public broadcaster France 3 announced the creation of a fund to help producers finance animated feature films. No budget has been set as yet, but the first project to benefit from this aid could be Ellipse’s movie adaptation of the Blake & Mortimer adventures. Ellipse has already produced an animated series based on the Blake & Mortimer book series.

-TNT & Cartoon Network splits feed into India

TNT & Cartoon Network in Asia has introduced a separate feed on the PanAm Sat 4 (PAS-4) satellite into India, drawing close to six million Indian cable households. The split feed allows TNT & Cartoon Network to offer local advertising packages and customized programming to suit the tastes of Indian viewers.