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Rai Ragazzi arrives at MipTV (and at Cartoons on the Bay, from April 11 to 13 in Turin) with a package brimming with new titles that tackle the most diverse topics.
“Jams” stands out amongst these – the first series for kids about the sexual abuse of minors.
Ten episodes have already been aired on Rai Gulp from March in the evening prime-time slot ( international distribution Rai Com), telling the stories of four kids, inseparable friends and middle school classmates who, while they are taking part in a cookery contest, find themselves having to tackle a problem that undermines their carefree lives.
Produced by Rai Ragazzi and Stand by Me with the consultancy of the Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital in Rome, the series was filmed using the constructed reality technique where the acting consists of spontaneous improvisation while still following a script.
“Just like “La stella di Andra e Tati”, the first cartoon feature film for children which talks about the Shoah”, explains Luca Milano, director of Rai Ragazzi, “Jams” is the first series for kids made in Europe in which an episode of sexual abuse is tackled in the story.
It was essential to find a way to talk about this. Here it is done by linking the topic to a story; viewers can identify themselves with the protagonist and the group of friends.
Also broadcast on Rai Gulp from mid April in the evening prime- time slot and then all over the world is “Club 57”, the new live action series from the Rainbow group co-produced with Nickelodeonin collaboration with Rai Ragazzi, filmed in Miami and Puglia, with an international cast.
The series is heavily inspired by musicals and the legendary ’50s, transmitting all the energy and values of those years to the young people of today.
Among the brand new animation projects, Rai Ragazzi has given the green light to “Klincus Corteccia”, “Alice &Lewis” and “Tiny Bad Wolf ”.
Klincus Corteccia is an orphan boy who lives in a city built on trees.
Already the protagonist of the eponymous series of books published by Mondadori, Klincus will have a CGI animated version (26 x 22’) thanks to Showlab in Turin and Grid Animation, already the co-producers of the Rai series “Yoyo”.
A modern-day adaptation of “Alice in Wonderland”, “Alice & Lewis” follows the adventures of a 6 year old girl who finds a magic key that opens the door on to a parallel world: Wonderland.
Here Alice meets Lewis, a cute little rabbit. Undeterred by the odd and irascible Queen of Hearts who reigns over Wonderland, Alice loves going there to play with Lewis and his friends.
There are 52 x 11’ episodes realized by MoBo, the company that has recently been set up by Movimenti Production and Studio Bozzetto and by the French BlueSpirit Productions.
“Tiny Bad Wolf ” is, instead, the new preschool property of France’s Xilam which, alongside Maga Animation, co-produces the adventures of this young wolf called Lupin who dreams of being a fairy tale hero.
Among the series that are coming soon, on the five hundredth anniversary of his death we have “Leo da Vinci” (52 x 13’, Gruppo Alcuni), about the adventures of the Tuscan artist and scientist as a young man, “OPS-What a Hopsri- blePack!”, 52×12’ episodes from Studio Campedelli with Movimenti Production and Cosmos Mayaabout an eccentric and grotesque group of friends, and the eighth series of “Winx Club”, in which Iginio Straffi’s famous little fairies return in 2D with a new look from mid April in the evening prime-time slot on Rai Yoyo.
Finally, if “coding” is the most fashionable school program for children today, Rai has also invested in what, at the recent Kidscreen Summit in Miami was defined as “the new black”, that goes with everything, extending far beyond the IT laboratory to sustain lines of innovative toys, new TV programs and a wide variety of digital proposals to teach children the first rudiments of logical-computational thought.
“From the end of April Rai Gulp will also broadcast the game show “Rob-o-cod” – announces Milano – an original format of 28 x 30’ episodes realized in collaboration with CRITS (RAI Technological Innovation and Experimentation Research Center)”.
