According to an article in the Hollywood Reporter, the Russian animated series Smeshariki will begin airing in the US on TheCW4Kids block. This pick-up marks the first time a Russian animated series has been sold into the US market. It was announced this summer by 4Kids Entertainment, who fill the CW animation block, that they were representing the property, which currently sees 5.5 million viewers each broadcast. Broadcasts on The CW start in November.

Dan and Jason, one of the director teams at Hornet Inc, have created a new series pilot for the 4Kids TV network. Rocket Monkeys is a Flash-animated series featuring a pair simians, Wally and Gus, who were blasted into space. The pilot episode is now “on the bubble” over at the 4Kids website - and if enough people vote, the series will continue. The pilot was animated by Markus Wagner, Justin Roth and Efrin Citron. NOTE: at two points during the stream, commercials play, but the show returns after 30 seconds.

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Tonight, I’ll be joining a panel discussion at Cartoon Network
Studios in Burbank, California called ‘The Evolution of Flash.’ Joining me on the panel will be Flash animator Alx Meza; author, Producer and Director Clifford J. Parrott; Renegade Animation Executive Producer Ashley Postlewaite and JibJab co-founder Evan Spiridellis.

In thinking about tonight’s discussion, I figured it might be a good time to look at where Flash stands in the TV animation world. I’ve broken the list down into three categories - 1) Flash shows that are currently on the air and also in production, 2) Flash shows that are in pre-production or production and will be airing within the next year and 3) Flash shows that have completed their production runs and are currently on the air. This list is certainly incomplete, as I’m sure your emails will prove, so please send along anything I’ve missed or reported incorrectly. And let’s remind ourselves that this list is TV-centric, telling only half the story. Web-only projects like ‘College University,’ ‘Making Fiends’ or ‘Ninjai;’ or DVD/Internet shows like ‘Mr. Wong‘ or ‘Broken Saints‘ - these shows are almost more important, because they represent the new models of delivery.

And as we celebrate the rapid emergence of Flash animation production, let’s also remember that this amazing software is but a tool - and the real story here is the creativity, inspiration and vision that brings us armfuls of fun shows to work on and watch.

IN PRODUCTION AND CURRENTLY AIRING
01) Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi Show - Cartoon Network
02) Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends - Cartoon Network
03) Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law - Adult Swim
04) Atomic Betty - Cartoon Network
05) Bruno and the Banana Bunch - Nickelodeon
06) Being Ian - YTV
07) BB3B - BBC
08) Happy Tree Friends - MTV Int’l

IN PRODUCTION AND AIRING SOON
09) Coconut Fred’s Fruit Salad Island - Kids’WB!
10) Wubby Widget & Walden - Nick Jr.
11) Squidbillies - Adult Swim
12) Shuriken School - Nicktoons
13) Kappa Mikey - Nicktoons
14) Princess Natasha - Cartoon Network
15) The Wumblers - 4Kids TV
16) Captain Flamingo - YTV
17) George of the Jungle - Teletoon
18) Katbot - Disney
19) Omega Dome - Fox Sports Net
20) The Buzz On Maggie - Disney TV Animation

CURRENTLY AIRING
21) Mucha Lucha - Kids’WB! & Cartoon Network
22) Incredible Crash Dummies - 4Kids TV
23) Yakkity Yak - YTV

Last month I posted news of MTV Networks’ purchase of ‘Kappa Mikey,’ a Flash-animated anime spoof, for global distribution. The intention is to roll out the show on Nicktoons in the US and Nickelodeon Interenational (both under the MTV Networks umbrella) next year. The show, which was created by Animation Collective’s Larry Schwarz, focuses on “once-struggling American actor Mikey Simon as he adjusts to his new role as the biggest anime star Japan has even seen. But fame doesn’t come without a price.” On the heels of this news is the announcement that 4Kids Entertainment, the New York-based provider of children’s entertainment and merchandising, just picked up the the worldwide licensing, marketing and promotional rights for the show, which bodes well for Kappa Mikey’s future. Along with this recent press release comes some new show art, which feels reminicent of Comedy Central’s ‘Drawn Together,’ a show that marries various animation styles into one show. But now that I see the art, I’m starting to think that this show won’t be produced in Flash. The models, especially the anime-inspired characters, are fairly intricate, and might not be very Flash-friendly. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.