MattBrady
02-18-2003, 10:14 AM
Press Release
<blockquote>Film Roman, Inc., the leading independent animation company best known for its primetime hits THE SIMPSONS and KING OF THE HILL announced today its development agreement with Classic Media, the New York-based family entertainment company that is home to UNDERDOG, LASSIE and CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST, to create a new animated DICK TRACY television series based on the original UPA shorts. UPA's animated Dick Tracy, Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing Boing, which are now a part of Classic Media's entertainment library, helped define the modernist cartoon style.
The new series episodes will feature cutting-edge animation that captures the style and originality of the popular UPA animated series, and will follow the adventures of the legendary detective as he encounters a new crop of law breaking villains.
"The timing is perfect to return Dick Tracy to television. He is the classic detective who originally defined the genre," said Bob Higgins, Sr. Vice President of Production & Creative Affairs, Classic Media.
John Hyde, Film Roman's President & CEO added, "The colorful characters, ingenious gadgets and relevant stories of good over evil, will make the series both fun and unique."
Dick Tracy, known for his persistence and integrity, was originally created as a newspaper comic strip in 1931 by Chester Gould and forever changed crime comics. During the 1940s and '50s Dick Tracy was a highly successful publishing, radio and film franchise. In 1960, UPA Studios, best known for its animated characters Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing Boing, produced a series of 130 five-minute cartoon television episodes, which ran in syndication through the 1990s. More recently, Touchstone brought Dick Tracy to the big screen with a 1990 live-action feature film starring Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman and Madonna.</blockquote>
<blockquote>Film Roman, Inc., the leading independent animation company best known for its primetime hits THE SIMPSONS and KING OF THE HILL announced today its development agreement with Classic Media, the New York-based family entertainment company that is home to UNDERDOG, LASSIE and CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST, to create a new animated DICK TRACY television series based on the original UPA shorts. UPA's animated Dick Tracy, Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing Boing, which are now a part of Classic Media's entertainment library, helped define the modernist cartoon style.
The new series episodes will feature cutting-edge animation that captures the style and originality of the popular UPA animated series, and will follow the adventures of the legendary detective as he encounters a new crop of law breaking villains.
"The timing is perfect to return Dick Tracy to television. He is the classic detective who originally defined the genre," said Bob Higgins, Sr. Vice President of Production & Creative Affairs, Classic Media.
John Hyde, Film Roman's President & CEO added, "The colorful characters, ingenious gadgets and relevant stories of good over evil, will make the series both fun and unique."
Dick Tracy, known for his persistence and integrity, was originally created as a newspaper comic strip in 1931 by Chester Gould and forever changed crime comics. During the 1940s and '50s Dick Tracy was a highly successful publishing, radio and film franchise. In 1960, UPA Studios, best known for its animated characters Mr. Magoo and Gerald McBoing Boing, produced a series of 130 five-minute cartoon television episodes, which ran in syndication through the 1990s. More recently, Touchstone brought Dick Tracy to the big screen with a 1990 live-action feature film starring Warren Beatty, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman and Madonna.</blockquote>