Aardman today announced a new global TV distribution partnership between their Rights and Brand Development division and Cape Town based studio Sunrise Productions.

Aardman will represent Sunrise’s brand new non-dialogue animated series Munki and Trunk, which will premiere at MIPCOM Junior.

Commenting on the partnership, Alison Taylor, newly appointed Head of Sales and Acquisitions said: “We are really excited to be teaming up with Sunrise Productions, a pioneering studio who has a similar approach to producing high quality animation as we do here at Aardman. Munki and Trunk is a beautifully crafted CGI series, with wonderful character design and brilliantly funny storylines. It’s sure to make kids laugh out loud and we are excited to be showing it to our partners for the very first time at MIPCOM Junior”.

Phil Cunningham Founder at Sunrise Productions added: “We are delighted to be working with such a prestigious studio as Aardman. We have ambitious plans for Munki and Trunk building off the TV series including a series of feature films, physical attractions and an exciting licensing and partnership strategy. We know that Alison and her team are the perfect distribution partners for our TV series and this is a vital part of building the brand globally”.

Sunrise made several hires this year including former Discovery and Turner Exec Jennifer Burgos, award- winning writer Will Brenton, who has co-created, written, produced and directed some of today’s best known programmes for children, including ‘The Tweenies’, and writer Robin Crowther-Smith who has written on ‘Shaun the Sheep’ and ‘Morph’. The studio is best known for their flagship show Jungle Beat, the award- winning series that has been broadcast in over 180 countries.

Munki and Trunk is a dialogue-free tree-crashing, rock smashing, water-splashing, fruit-mashing, knock about comedy adventure for kids aged 4 – 7 years. Munki is caring, Trunk is crafty. But they are the best of friends.

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Jerry Beck

Writer, cartoon producer and author of more than 15 books on animation history. A former studio exec with Nickelodeon and Disney; currently on the faculty at both CalArts in Valencia and Woodbury University in Burbank, California.

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