Animal Planet Commissions Aardman Animations to Produce "Animals Save the Planet" Series of Shorts to Air Globally
February 20, 2008
(Silver Spring, Md.) Animal Planet, the world’s leading animal entertainment brand, is announcing the launch of its latest initiative, Animals Save the Planet – an innovative, informative and engaging series of short films focused on celebrating and protecting the natural world, which will roll out on the network in March in more than 200 million homes across the US, UK, Europe, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.
Animals Save the Planet are a series of humorous animated short films that feature tips from animals on how to live an eco-friendly lifestyle. Produced for Animal Planet by Academy Award-winning studio Aardman Animations (Wallace & Gromit; Chicken Run), Animals Save the Planet is a funny, engaging series of eleven short clay animation films (20 to 40-seconds in length) that feature animals, in their own habitats, demonstrating how everyone can make a difference by practicing a greener lifestyle.
As humans continue to damage the environment and animal habitat, viewers can watch as some of their favorite creatures speak up, providing useful and positive tips on living a cleaner lifestyle. These include a penguin who discovers how much effort energy-saving light bulbs can save him, a cow who learns about the environmental impact of his own methane gas and a pug dog who realizes that by turning off electrical appliances in the evenings he will finally get a better night’s sleep. Each entertaining character reveals that by altering our lifestyles just a little, we can all begin to make a big difference.
"These programming shorts bring to life what is at the very core of the Animal Planet brand, which is connecting viewers to the natural world through captivating characters and stories that inform, entertain and celebrate the planet," said Phillip Luff, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Animal Planet International.
"We believe the humor in these environmental messages will especially help them stand out and that our viewers will embrace the unique animal perspective that they offer and that only Animal Planet can deliver," added Marjorie Kaplan, President and General Manager, Animal Planet US.
The world’s leading animal entertainment brand, Animal Planet reaches 300 million households in more than 160 countries worldwide with programming customized in 24 languages. In the United States, Animal Planet Media (APM), a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, connects humans and animals with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for entertainment, information and enrichment. APM consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 94 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; the 24/7 broadband channel, Animal Planet Beyond; Petfinder.com, the #1 pet-related Web property globally that facilitates pet adoption; PetsIncredible, a major producer and distributor of pet-training videos and includes web service PetVideo.com; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service; mobile content; and merchandising extensions.