Daniel Carracher

• Browser built in viewer
• PDF Viewer
• Universal Document Viewer
• Google Docs View
• Google Drive View
• Download Document [pdf]
Not Your Device? Search For Manuals / Datasheets:



File Info : application/pdf, 27 Pages, 940.19KB

Document Document

2020 AACTA AWARDS
CHILDREN'S PROGRAM HANDBOOK
1

Contents
Alice-Miranda Friends Forever .............................................................................................................. 3 Are You Tougher Than Your Ancestors? ................................................................................................ 4 Bluey ....................................................................................................................................................... 6 First Day .................................................................................................................................................. 8 The Inbestigators..................................................................................................................................10 ITCH ....................................................................................................................................................... 12 Lamput .................................................................................................................................................. 14 Little J & Big Cuz ................................................................................................................................... 15 Monster Beach ..................................................................................................................................... 17 Mustangs FC ......................................................................................................................................... 18 The New Legends of Monkey...............................................................................................................20 The Strange Chores .............................................................................................................................. 22 Teenage Boss ........................................................................................................................................ 24 Thalu ..................................................................................................................................................... 26
2

Alice-Miranda Friends Forever
Production Company: SLR Productions Broadcaster: Nine Candidate Summary Best Children's Program Candidates Suzanne Ryan Yasmin Jones
Program Summary
Program Duration: 83 minutes
Series Synopsis: The Winchesterfield-Downsfordvale Girls Academy is a place of friendship and fun, but also of high drama, mystery and intrigue: there's teachers and students in urgent need of help; a girl determined to be AliceMiranda and her friends' arch enemy; Fayle School for Boys under threat, a frightening principal who doesn't want to be seen and a scary witch in the woods. Alice-Miranda's two best friends are Millie and Jacinta, and the boarding school they attend is a dream come true for these young girls. A home away from home, where you never have to leave your friends and you can have all the exciting adventures any girl could dream of. The movie is a treasure trove of marvellous mysteries that need solving and a whole stack of challenges Alice-Miranda and her friends must face. Luckily the girls are up for it!
Target Demo: The target demographic is children aged 6 to 9 year olds.
Popularity and Engagement: Alice-Miranda Friends Forever is based on the best-selling book series (19 books and counting) from Australian author, Jacqueline Harvey which has attracted many book fans. The movie launched across 100+ screens with EVENT and Village Cinemas in Australia and New Zealand in 2019. Nine Network had the Australian Television Premiere, followed by STAN as a SVOD exclusive window. The movie has a book deal with Penguin Random House where the screenplay was published along with activity books. The sequel is in production - AliceMiranda: A Royal Christmas Ball and will be released exclusively in 2021 with Nine Network and STAN.
Originality and Innovation: Alice-Miranda is a positive, kind and curious heroine who changes her school with heart. The originality of the story is throughout the movie as each character grows and learns about themselves. Achievements at school are recognised, friendships are formed, lost and reformed. Alice-Miranda and her friends discover the value of working hard to achieve a goal; never giving up on someone; treating others with kindness, respect and equality; and never to single people out for being different. Alice-Miranda is an outstanding screen female character, creatively adapted from the best selling book series and portrayed in a beautiful 2D Animated world.
Notes:
3

Are You Tougher Than Your Ancestors?
Production Company: Flying Kite Pictures Pty Ltd & Sticky Pictures Pty Ltd Broadcaster: ABC
Candidate Summary Best Children's Program Candidates Vanna Morosini Stu Connolly Donna Andrews
Program Summary Season: 1 Average Episode Duration: 24 minutes
Series Synopsis: "Are You Tougher than Your Ancestors?" is a fun and immersive living history series that pits the skills of today's kids against the exploits of children from Australia's past, to find out how they measure up! Fun and fast paced, we challenge modern kids to walk in the shoes of a child from another era. Diving into new worlds, they learn as much about themselves as they do about history... and unearth some unexpected skills in the process!
Target Demo: Children aged 6-12 and their families
Popularity and Engagement: On ABC iview, the series has achieved a VPM average audience of nearly 7K, with the top performing episode achieving close to 20K plays. The series is currently placed in the top 5 shows for ABCME's Winter BEST FEST. Social media engagement has been tremendous, particularly among regional community groups involved in research/filming. Critical acclaim from The Australian: "10 great adventures" - "entertaining and educational" - "a show that has a lot of illuminating things to say about not only the hardscrabble life of our predecessors but the flexible and inventive nature of the working citizens of tomorrow".
Originality and Innovation: This immersive and entertaining children's factual series uncovers buried stories celebrating the diversity of Australian history, while also challenging accepted stereotypes. The series showcases significant historical stories of Australian individuals and communities whose lives and experiences have often been left out of the history books - from Afghan Aboriginal cameleers of the central desert, to Lutheran pioneers, milk delivery boys and 1980s rollerskating champions. Quirky and colourful animated sequences are interspersed throughout each episode, using contemporaneous archival images to reveal the historical context of each story and enrich the visual storytelling, as our young adventurers test themselves to their limits.
Episode Summary Episode A Number: 7 Episode A Title: Plane Sailing!
4

Episode A Synopsis: In 1912, while on board the three-masted sailing vessel the "James Craig", 14 year old sailor Douglas Bull was awarded the rank of "Ordinary Seaman" by his ship's Captain. Can Stella and Caitlin prove they have what it takes to match Douglas' achievement? Despite having their "sea legs" and confidence on board, our young sailors soon discover that life on the "James Craig" will test their seafaring abilities on a grand scale! Helming the ship, scrubbing the deck, hauling cargo, climbing the mast and unfurling the rigging are some of the tasks Caitlin and Stella need to master if the ship's Captain is going to consider them worthy of a promotion. Assigned to a senior crew member to learn the ropes, they live as Douglas did; sleeping in a tiny cubicle on a scratchy mattress stuffed with hay and eating dinners of boiled meat and hard biscuits! Stella and Caitlin have to prepare for their navigation task while assisting the crew with other duties. And it's not easy. They plot their course the old fashioned way, which means no GPS! Using the ship's instruments, they must calculate their position with sea charts, parallel rules and a pelorus, the ship's compass. And then once the course is set, they have to assist with helming the ship through Sydney Heads to their destination!
Episode B Number: 10 Episode B Title: Dai Gum San! Bendigo Easter Festival Episode B Synopsis: In 1889, 9 year old Christina Tie had the honour of participating in the famous Bendigo Easter Parade. As the oldest Festival in Australia it was one of the first places where Chinese cultural performances were celebrated with the wider community. People flocked to watch elaborately dressed performers like Christina dazzle them with traditional Chinese acrobatic displays, music and dancing. Can Avie and Alyssa master their routines and put on a show that draws the crowds? Avie and Alyssa have a lot of new skills to learn before they are ready to step out in front of an audience. But before they begin their training, it's time to test their gardening ability! Christina helped out in her family's market garden so Avie and Alyssa will have to get their hands dirty. It's hard, hot and smelly work! Once the garden jobs are done, it's off to learn their new sword dance routine. Dancing with a sword isn't easy! And remembering the moves takes a lot of practice. Just when Avie and Alyssa feel they've mastered the dance, G introduces them to a new challenge. They meet the kung fu masters who teach them the skills they need to master the second act in their performance, a martial arts display! Avie and Alyssa have a go at mastering tricks and movements they've never attempted before, and they don't have long to perfect their routines. Can our young performers impress the crowd at the gala concert with their new skills?
Notes:
5

Bluey
Production Company: Ludo Studio Broadcaster: ABC
Candidate Summary Best Children's Program Candidates Joe Brumm Charlie Aspinwall Sam Moor Daley Pearson
Program Summary Season: 2 Average Episode Duration: 7 minutes
Series Synopsis: Bluey is a loveable, inexhaustible little six year-old Blue Heeler dog, who lives with her Mum, Dad and her four year old little sister, Bingo. In every episode, Bluey uses her limitless Blue Heeler energy to play elaborate games that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways.
Target Demo: Primarily conceived as a show for a preschool kids' audience, Bluey has proven that a preschool series can appeal to both children and adults. The show and storylines mean that not only can families watch together, but they can also be inspired together to enjoy activities away from the screen.
Popularity and Engagement: Bluey has consistently maintained the number one spot as the most viewed programme on ABC iView with over 300 million views since its launch in 2018. In New Zealand, Bluey is TVNZ's 2nd Biggest of all kids/preschool titles and in their top 10 titles overall, with over 700K streams on TVNZ OnDemand. Since the series launched in the USA it has reached 24.3 million total viewers on both Disney Channel and Disney Junior through March 2020. In the US, Bluey is #4 on the Preschool reach ranker. Bluey ranks #3 on Disney Junior.
Originality and Innovation: Bluey has been likened to sitcom for kids, giving a `fly on the wall' view of the fun & funny games, adventures and misadventures of family life with pre-schoolers. In Bluey both parents play an active and valued role in bringing up their children and both work. Classic gender stereotypes are avoided for parents and children and there is a refreshing openness and honesty to the family dynamic. Colorful visuals, time spent outdoors, the flora and fauna, relaxed family banter - and some very Australian colloquialisms along the way - make Bluey uniquely and recognisably Australian.
Episode Summary Episode A Number: 24 Episode A Title: Flatpack Episode A Synopsis: Mum and Dad struggle to build new flat-pack furniture, while Bluey and Bingo transform the empty packaging into their own game. The girls start as fish in a bubble-wrap sea and quickly change into lizards discovering a cardboard land. Each time another box is thrown into the backyard, the girls add it into the construction of their brand-new world. And as Mum and Dad see Bluey and Bingo evolve from cave drawings to building an entire cardboard city of the future, they
6

are inspired to stop squabbling and finish the job. Now they can all relax and celebrate what they have achieved. Episode B Number: 26 Episode B Title: Sleepytime Episode B Synopsis: At bedtime, Bingo is determined to have a big girl sleep and wake up in her own bed. Mum tells her to try her best, but she will always be there if she needs her. When Bingo finally falls asleep, her dream transports her into outer space! Luckily Floppy is there too and the pair set off on an epic intergalactic adventure together. Meanwhile sleep-deprived Mum and Dad try to navigate Bingo and Bluey's non-stop bed-hopping. As Bingo travels further into space in her dream, Mum gently guides her back to bed in real life. And when the sun finally comes up, Bingo finds herself in her own bed. Notes:
7

First Day
Production Company: Epic Films Broadcaster: ABC
Candidate Summary Best Children's Program Candidates Julie Kalceff Kirsty Stark Kate Croser
Lead Actress Evie Macdonald - Hannah Bradford (Episode A, Episode B)
Supporting Actress Isabel Burmester - Isabella Murray (Episode A, Episode B)
Program Summary Season: 1 Average Episode Duration: 24 minutes
Series Synopsis: It's Hannah Bradford's first year of high school. As a transgender girl, Hannah not only has to navigate the challenges that come with starting a new school, but find the courage to live as her most authentic self.
Target Demo: First Day is primarily aimed at 8-12 year olds, but due to its unique subject matter for children's content, the appeal of the series carries outside of its core audience and has attracted further audiences amongst teachers and support workers, families and the LGBTQIA+ community.
Popularity and Engagement: The ABC has received a fantastic audience response to First Day, with the ABC ME audience numbers for the premiere being up 50% on the 4:30pm timeslot average. It also topped ABC's BEST FEST in VPM rankings. First Day has sold to Hulu (USA), the BBC (UK), YLE (Finland), NRK (Norway), SVT (Sweden) and MOMOKIDS (Taiwan), with further sales news pending. As well as its traditional audience, the series is proving popular in the education market. The Australian Children's Television Foundation's Teaching Toolkit for the initial episode has had over 15,000 downloads, and is being used in classrooms around Australia.
Originality and Innovation: First Day was the first Australian series to feature a transgender actor in a lead role, and was commended by GLAAD as "a wholesome, age-appropriate story about being yourself... a muchneeded departure from transgender narratives that focus on medical transition and trauma." The original standalone episode has won multiple international awards, including the Diversity TV Excellence Award for Kids' Programming at MIPCOM, the Gender Equity Prize - as well as Runner Up in the 11-14 years category - at the prestigious Prix Jeunesse International, and Best Children's Series (Fiction) at Fan Chile.
Episode Summary Episode A Number: 1
8

Episode A Title: Episode 1 Episode A Synopsis: Hannah Bradford sits next to her mother, Amanda, waiting to hear if she's been
accepted into Hillview High. When Hillview's Principal, Mr. Nguyen, gives her the good news, Hannah is both excited and relieved. For Hannah, a 12 year-old transgender girl who's been presenting as male at Primary School, Hillview represents a fresh start and a chance to be her true self. But as the first day of High School approaches, Hannah becomes increasingly nervous. Mr. Nguyen has already made it clear she's to use the sick bay toilets instead of the girls' toilets and Hannah is worried the other students will question this and find out she's transgender. Hannah summons the courage to arrive at Hillview in her new girl's school uniform and soon discovers that the first day of High School is difficult for everyone. It doesn't take long for her to make friends, in particular Olivia, Natalie and Jasmine. Hannah grows in confidence and starts thriving at her new school. It's then that Isabella, one of the bullies from Primary School, shows up at Hillview. Hannah doesn't know what to do. It takes all of her newfound confidence and strength to confront Isabella and, in doing so, she discovers Isabella has some problems of her own. Hannah tries to get through to Isabella but an incident on the weekend suggests her efforts have been in vain when it appears Isabella has revealed to her friends that Hannah is transgender.
Episode B Number: 2 Episode B Title: Episode 2 Episode B Synopsis: A nervous Hannah arrives at school on Monday to find that Isabella hasn't told her
friends that Hannah is transgender. It's a reminder, though, that Isabella can do so at anytime and Hannah wonders if it's time for her to tell her closest friends before Isabella does. In the lead up to Jasmine's party, Hannah pleads with Amanda to let her sleep over. Amanda refuses, reluctant to let her sleep at someone's house who doesn't know she's transgender. Hannah lies to her friends about why she isn't able to stay overnight. Olivia tries to make Hannah feel better about her situation by revealing her own insecurities about sleeping over. Despite worrying about how she will react, Hannah decides the next day to tell Olivia she's transgender. Olivia takes a moment to process what Hannah has told her but it makes no difference to how she sees her friend. At school, permission slips are handed out for camp. There's a buzz amongst the year group who are excited about the many water activities on offer over the three days away. Hannah takes her permission slip but doesn't share in the excitement. Hannah pushes thoughts of the camp aside and, buoyed by Olivia's support, starts to thrive. The bond between her and her friend strengthens. This is threatened, however, when Hannah is outed on social media and the only two possible culprits are Isabella and Olivia.
Notes:
9

The Inbestigators
Production Company: Gristmill Broadcaster: ABC
Candidate Summary Best Children's Program Candidates Robyn Butler Wayne Hope
Lead Actor Aston Droomer - Ezra Banks (Episode A, Episode B) Jamil Smyth-Secka - Kyle Klimson (Episode A, Episode B)
Lead Actress Abby Bergman - Ava Andrikides (Episode A, Episode B) Anna Cooke - Maudie Miller (Episode A, Episode B)
Program Summary Season: 2 Average Episode Duration: 30 minutes
Series Synopsis: After Maudie, a ten-year-old puzzle prodigy, solves a crime on her first day at school with her new classmates Ezra, Ava and Kyle, the future is obvious: the four children must form a detective agency together. Operating out of the granny flat in Ezra's backyard, these funny and disparate kids from Grade Five solve one thorny school playground or neighbourhood mystery after another, and become best friends in the process.
Target Demo: The Inbestigators is aimed at children 6 - 12 across both genders.
Popularity and Engagement: Screened across 189 countries in 28 languages, The Inbestigators has enjoyed enormous popular and critical success both in Australia and internationally. A Remi winner at the Worldfest Houston International Film Festival, the show constantly receives fan mail, art and videos from all around the globe. In the UK, The Inbestigators was voted by parents into the top ten of most beneficial children's programmes during lockdown. The series' popularity is illustrated by its 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and by its Sixty Seconds with the cast of The Inbestigators video garnering over a million views on youtube.
Originality and Innovation: The Inbestigators takes the wry comic tone of Little Lunch and marries it with the `detective' genre to create a ground breaking procedural comedy for kids. The crimes solved by the Inbestigators are small injustices and misdemeanours ­ but not to children, and the cracking of each case involves an exploration of human behaviour. A truthful comic rendering of a child's worldview, each episode is a funny, inventive and cleverly woven mystery, solved by characters who are identifiable and yet aspirational. Kind and respectful, the series is a gender balanced, ethnically diverse, smart comedy with heart.
Episode Summary Episode A Number: 1
10

Episode A Title: The Case of the Concert Catastrophe and The Case of the Soccer Saga Episode A Synopsis: Maudie is crushed when her tickets to a pop concert go missing, especially since it seems likely that she herself has misplaced them. Kyle asks Maudie and Ava to make a video of his soccer match but Maudie discovers something about the game is not quite right. Episode B Number: 10 Episode B Title: The Case of the Unhappy Camper and The Case of the Triple Inbestigation Episode B Synopsis: When Mr McGillick's phone goes missing at the Grade Five camp, Kyle is accused of hiding it as part of a prank. While on the hunt for Ezra's missing goldfish, Maudie uncovers two more puzzling mysteries to be solved. Notes:
11

ITCH
Production Company: Komixx Entertainment Pty Ltd Broadcaster: ABC
Candidate Summary Best Children's Program Candidates Amanda Morrison Tania Chambers Melanie Halsall
Lead Actor Samuel Ireland - Itch Lofte (Episode A, Episode B)
Lead Actress Kylah Day - Lucy Cooke (Episode B, Episode A)
Supporting Actor Charles Russell - Tim (Episode A, Episode B)
Supporting Actress Melanie Wozniak - Jack (Episode B, Episode A) Keala Kern - Chloe Lofte (Episode A, Episode B)
Program Summary Season: 1 Average Episode Duration: 24 minutes
Series Synopsis:
"Itch" Lofte lives in the small town of Seaburgh. As someone who doesn't fit in easily to daily Seaburgh life, or with the other kids at school, Itch prefers to retreat into his extraordinary hobby ­ collecting all the elements in the periodic table. Itch is halfway to his goal when a local named Cake gives him an unusually warm rock he found by one of the old mines following an earthquake. Curious to learn more, Itch takes it to school to show his science teacher. But when the rock seemingly makes his class sick, further testing reveals the rock to be highly radioactive. Itch discovers that the rock is a new element, Element 126, a source of clean energy that could both power the world or potentially destroy it. As an avid element collector Itch is excited to have discovered the new find. But when someone tries to steal his backpack and his house is robbed, Itch realizes someone's after Element 126, and that he has to stop them, unaware that it's the dark forces of Greencorp, an international energy company with dubious morals working to get their hands on 126 in order to weaponize it. Greencorp will stop at nothing to get the rock, but Itch knows that if it gets into the wrong hands the world could be in danger. Itch, and the future of the planet, are running out of time. Will Itch be able to escape Greencorp and destroy the rock before it's too late?
Target Demo: Children aged between 8 years and 12 years old. Gender neutral with family viewing.
Popularity and Engagement:
The series aired on ABCMe and iView - launching on the 31st December 2019 for school holiday viewing to great popularity. The series has sold throughout the world, significantly to the BBC (Ceebeebies) in the UK and to BYUtv throughout the USA (reaching over 65 million households) as well as to TVNZ in New Zealand, public broadcaster YLE in Finland and other regions. It was one of the most viewed shows at MIPJnr and was singled
12

out by the international press for the relevance of it's envinronmental theme and for it's writing of positive and diverse roles for young females.
Originality and Innovation:
Australian children's TV series rarely venture into the action adventure genre and rarer still is a teenage protagonist who is as passionate about science as Itchingham Lofte. Itch is a powerful story that cleverly puts kids in the driving seat exploring the huge ethical dilemma of climate change, an increasingly frustrating and relevant issue for our audience. With a fresh cast of relative newcomers, many excitedly landing their first ever TV role, Itch provided a wonderful opportunity to harness and celebrate new Australian talent.
Episode Summary Episode A Number: 9 Episode A Title: End Game Episode A Synopsis: Itch pursues Tim on a quad bike and manages to chase him down and get the rock back,
but the Police are following close behind and Itch and Tim are forced to hide out for the night in separate locations. The following day, as Itch makes his way back towards civilisation, his quad bike runs out of fuel, leading him to make his way on foot to a roadhouse. While there, Itch buys a ticket to Sholl Cove, before secretly stowing away on a bus full of mine workers headed out to the mines, in a different direction. Back in Seaburgh, Jack's accosted by the Bikers who take her hostage, while Greencorp engage the services of Flowerdew to get the rock back. Meanwhile Itch's dad Nick drives down the coast in search of him. Along the way he runs into Tim and together they head to an abandoned mine in search of Itch. Once there they split up and Nick finds a sickly Itch close to collapse, but he convinces Nick they need to destroy the rock before it's too late. Only before they can, Tim knocks Nick out.
Episode B Number: 10 Episode B Title: 376 Down Episode B Synopsis: A weak Itch is forced to try and evade Tim with the rock, locking himself in a sea
container. Tim starts to break the door down and Itch is forced to come up with a way to escape. After finding some chemicals, he creates a reaction that allows him to escape, just as Flowerdew arrives. Flowerdew tells Itch to hand over the rock. When he refuses, Flowerdew reveals he has Jack tied up in the back of his car. Itch is given the impossible choice ­ the rock or his cousin. Itch chooses Jack and throws the rock to the ground. But as Flowerdew goes to get it, a fight breaks out and Flowerdew drags Jack to the edge of a large drainage system. Tim launches at Flowerdew, sending them both over the edge. In shock, Jack goes to get help and Itch descends a deep mineshaft to hide the rock before he collapses. Back in Seaburgh, Itch recovers in hospital and the police bring down Greencorp. Meanwhile, on the coast, Tim and Flowerdew make it to shore.
Notes:
13

Lamput
Production Company: Fragrant Gumtree Entertainment & Cartoon Network Broadcaster: Foxtel ­ Cartoon Network Candidate Summary Best Children's Program Candidates Leslie Lee Program Summary Season: 3 Average Episode Duration: 6 minutes Series Synopsis:
This timeless chase transcends language and borders, by bringing us that most universal story of all; the one where a shapechanging orange blob has escaped from a Lab, pursued by its two obsessive, incompetent creators. Yeah, that one. It's a high energy slapstick comedy which careens through constant surprise and mishap, driven by an engine of inventive animation, atom-sharp timing, and gorgeous, vibrant design.
Target Demo: Kids and Family Popularity and Engagement: N/A Originality and Innovation: N/A
Episode Summary
Episode A Number: 1 Episode A Title: The Chase Episode A Synopsis: Lamput escapes the Lab, and unenviable task of orange-blob-retrieval falls to Specs and Skinny. The Boss equips them with increasingly expensive vehicles. The real issue might be staffing. Episode B Number: 9 Episode B Title: Origin Episode B Synopsis: Locked up in the back of a police van is a great opportunity to reminisce about where it all went wrong. The Docs ponder their shared childhood at "Lab School".
Notes:
14

Little J & Big Cuz
Production Company: Ned Lander Media Broadcaster: SBS - NITV
Candidate Summary Best Children's Program Candidates Tony Thorne Ned Lander Colin South Alicia Rackett
Program Summary Season: 2 Average Episode Duration: 12 minutes
Series Synopsis: Little J, he's five and Big Cuz, she's nine. They're a couple of Indigenous Australian kids living with their Nanna and Old Dog. Little J and Big Cuz are busy with the ups and downs of playground and classroom. There's always something surprising going on whether it's at school, in the backyard... or beyond. The gaps in Nanna's ramshackle fence lead to Saltwater, Desert and Freshwater Country. With the help of Nanna and their teacher Ms Chen, Little J and Big Cuz are finding out all about culture, community and country.
Target Demo: Indigenous and non-Indigenous children aged 4 to 6
Popularity and Engagement: The second series of Little J & Big Cuz ran on NITV Jarjums & ABC Kids with very strong ratings and on-demand numbers, excellent press and heartwarming online feedback from Indigenous and nonIndigneous families alike. Series One took out Logie, AWGIE, ATOM and SDIN Awards and Series Two was a finalist in the prestigous Prix Jeunesse International 2020.
Originality and Innovation: This is the first animated children's series on Australian television for and about contemporary Indigenous kids. The scripts are written by Aboriginal writers from across Australia and is voiced by Australia's top Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander talent including Deborah Mailman, Miranda Tapsell, the late Ningali Lawford and Aaron Fa'aoso. The show has been re-voiced in eleven Australian Indigenous languages to date with more languages to be added on Series 3, now in production.
Episode Summary Episode A Number: 9 Episode A Title: Picnic Day Episode A Synopsis: Tin rollers are the latest school craze, and the school picnic race will be Little J's chance to prove his roller is the fastest. Meanwhile Big Cuz struggles to understand why Mirra doesn't like picnics. Can Big Cuz change Mirra's mind?
Episode B Number: 12 Episode B Title: Big Bruz Episode B Synopsis: Little J is jealous ­ Big Cuz is going away to a science fair without him. Enter imaginary Big Bruz - best friend ever! But soon Levi is heartbroken, isn't he Little J's best friend?
15

Notes: 16

Monster Beach
Production Company: Fragrant Gumtree Entertainment & Cartoon Network Broadcaster: Foxtel ­ Cartoon Network Candidate Summary Best Children's Program Candidates Leslie Lee Program Summary Season: 1 Average Episode Duration: 11 minutes Series Synopsis:
Cartoon Network's Monster Beach (48'x11) follows the frightfully funny adventures of surf-siblings Jan and Dean. Enjoying an endless summer vacation, they have a monster good time on the island of Iki-Iki hanging out with their laidback uncle and a bunch of mischievous, thrill-seeking monsters. Together with their new fiendish friends, they cruise around in hopped-up hot-rods, unravel mysteries of a local surf legend and prevent the bad guys from ruining their fun. Monster Beach is much more fun than your typical tropical getaway. After all, life's a real adventure when your friends are misfit monsters.
Target Demo: Kids & Family
Popularity and Engagement: N/A
Originality and Innovation: N/A
Episode Summary
Episode A Number: 15 Episode A Title: Treasure Hunters Episode A Synopsis: Widget and Brainfreeze find a treasure map and the entire town joins the search for the buried treasure. They all have plans for what to do with their winnings... but they're not great at reading maps.
Episode B Number: 25 Episode B Title: Micro Monsters Episode B Synopsis: Dr Knutt is humiliated in argument and vengefully shrinks everybody. Trouble is, he accidentally shrinks himself too, and the antidote is all the way back at the lair. This could be a long walk.
Notes:
17

Mustangs FC
Production Company: Matchbox Pictures Broadcaster: ABC
Candidate Summary Best Children's Program Candidates Amanda Higgs Rachel Davis Debbie Lee
Lead Actor Jacek Koman - Danny (Episode A, Episode B)
Lead Actress Emmanuelle Mattana - Marnie (Episode A, Episode B) Ashleigh Marshall - Liv (Episode A, Episode B) Celine Ajobong - Ruby (Episode A, Episode B) Monique Heath - Lara (Episode A, Episode B)
Supporting Actress Gemma Chua-Tran - Anusha (Episode A, Episode B) Molly Broadstock - Bella (Episode A, Episode B) Pia Miranda - Jen (Episode A, Episode B) Tharanya Tharan - Zee (Episode A, Episode B)
Program Summary Season: 3 Average Episode Duration: 25 minutes
Series Synopsis: The merger is on like Donkey Kong but how can the Mustangs stand united, in a team that now includes the Wildcats? And how are they going to kick goals in the A league when they've also got to handle the complicated business of friendships and feminism? Strap on your shinpads, Mustangs fans, it's about to go off.
Target Demo: Mustangs FC season three's target demographic is children aged 8 - 15 years old and co-viewing families.
Popularity and Engagement: Mustangs FC S3 premiered in ABC ME's Super Summer BEST FEST with all episodes up on iview from Tuesday, 31st December 2019. It was hugely popular for the 8-15 year old market, ranking within the top 5 programs in BEST FEST (when ranked by plays and by vpm). Active engagement of the audience can be seen through social media with high traffic of communication across the Mustangs and ABC ME channels. In 2020 year-to-date, Mustangs FC S3 ranks in the top 10 ABC ME programs on iview.
Originality and Innovation: Mustangs FC is a distinctive show with complex, relatable stories about real and diverse young Australian women, and their friendships, challenges and triumphs. The show uses humour and heart,
18

wrapped around stories about bullying, body image, sexuality, the politics of moon cups and menstruation and how to handle the over spraying of boyoderant! Its lead cast is entirely made up of teenage girls with a variety of backgrounds and body shapes and more than 60% of the cast and crew are female.
Episode Summary
Episode A Number: 12 Episode A Title: In the Struggle, There's Joy Episode A Synopsis: The countdown to the semi-final is on, and the Mustangs are on a serious training schedule. Nothing's going to slow them down. Not even Ruby's huge news - she's got a scholarship and is leaving for the States. Wow. Of course everyone's thrilled for her, but Lara seems to be having some difficulty processing what that means. Bella's mind, on the other hand, has gone into overdrive ­ this is her chance to step up as captain. But when she builds up the courage to vocalise her goal to Danny, he seems totally oblivious ­ why is she thinking about that when they've got the semi to focus on? Crushed by his less than enthusiastic reception, Bella lashes out ­ she doesn't care what he has to say anymore, he's just a patronising old man. Ouch. Meanwhile Liv's preoccupied by Zee's weird behaviour ­ why is she avoiding hugging everyone? Hugs are what sport and friendship are all about, right? It's hard to believe that maybe not everyone loves physical contact quite as much as Liv does. But when Zee explains that she's just not feeling the love, the girls decide to create a hug charter. Still feeling low and realising that her knee problems are in her head, Marnie is definitely avoiding the game, secretly hoping to stay in PJs for the rest of her life. But when a trip off the couch to Danny's shop reveals a shocking blow, she knows there's only one place she needs to be ­ with her team.
Episode B Number: 13 Episode B Title: Mustangs Forever and Ever Episode B Synopsis: Blunt Zee is already telling it like it is ­ they don't have a coach or a captain and they bombed the semis ­ the Mustangs are over. Does she have no sense of shame?! But maybe's she right... noone has really thought about what will happen now. Except for Ruby of course ­ it's definitely all over for her, with a flight out of the country in two days. Oops ­ that's crept up quickly, with everyone caught up in the dark grief fog. And it's hanging particularly thick around Bella ­ with her not-so-nice last words to Danny echoing in her mind. Lara meanwhile pours her concentration into a scrap book for Ruby, but when she drops it on her doorstep without so much as an xoxo, the girls are shocked. Doesn't she want to say something... more? And finally, the feelings Lara's bottled up are unplugged ­ she wants to say so much more, but is it too late?? The girls leap into action, and when Lara comes face to face with Ruby, the words she's struggled with for so long, finally turn out to be the easiest thing in the world to say. As the team comes together for a final celebration, Marnie has an announcement ­ she'd like to coach the Mustangs... maybe they can stay together after all? Mustangs forever ­ teammates and best friends who have come so far, laughing, crying and kicking goals together, no matter what the future holds.
Notes:
19

The New Legends of Monkey
Production Company: See-Saw Films Pty Ltd & Jump Film & TV Ltd Broadcaster: Netflix
Candidate Summary Best Children's Program Candidates Rachel Gardner Jamie Laurenson Hakan Kousetta Emile Sherman Iain Canning Robin Scholes Peter Andrikidis
Lead Actor Chai Hansen - Monkey (Episode A, Episode B) Josh Thomson - Pigsy (Episode A, Episode B)
Lead Actress Luciane Buchanan - Tripitaka (Episode A, Episode B) Emilie Cocquerel - Sandy (Episode A, Episode B)
Program Summary Season: 2 Average Episode Duration: 25 minutes
Series Synopsis:
Shocked by the return of Monkey and his defeat and destruction of Davari, the Demon Lords overcome some of their traditional suspicion of each other and gather at the Broken Temple to plan their fight back. Monkey admits to his companions that he has no clear idea of where he scattered the seven sacred scrolls. The quest to retrieve them is set to be long and hard. Fortunately, the first scroll they recover is the scroll of knowledge. Its pronouncements may be cryptic but as Tripitaka learns to decipher it, the pilgrims get some guidance to the next scroll in their quest. They discover that each scroll is protected by a guardian empowered to protect it. These powerful guardians will need to be vanquished, cajoled or tricked into giving their scrolls to Tripitaka. The Demon Lords confront Monkey and the gang, and are defeated. However, each defeat wins the demons more knowledge of the scrolls and the quest. Demon Lord Gorm and his slavish companion Hagfish steal two scrolls from Monkey and Tripitaka and insist on absolute submission from the remaining demons. Inspired by the victories of Monkey and his companion, humans begin to rebel against demon rule and the demons reform their ancient armies to fight the resistance. The quest for the scrolls will now be complicated by roving demon armies, slave conscripts, human rebels and guerrilla forces and ambitious Demon Lords looking for any tactical advantage they can get from the wandering Gods and their Monk, Tripitaka.
Target Demo: 8 - 12 year olds. Gender Neutral.
Popularity and Engagement: The New Legends of Monkey season one was well received by audiences across the ABC and Netflix, enough so for Netflix to commission a second season. The New Legends of Monkey Season 2 is yet to air (August 7) and popularity and engagement is yet to be measured.
20

Originality and Innovation: More action, more stunts, more jokes, more fun, more demons ­ The New Legends of Monkey returns in season two with everything fans loved first time around, but this time bigger in every way. Every episode has at least two big staged pieces of action but also the humour is a crucial part of this season and the chemistry between Chai, Luciane, Emily and Josh is so strong both on screen and off, that we really get the best of them performance wise
Episode Summary
Episode A Number: 5 Episode A Title: Finding Paradise Episode A Synopsis: Without the Scroll to guide them, the gang make their way by following Mycelia's plant. However, passing through a forest hung with human bones, they are attacked by Harvesters, only to be saved by Pigsy who manages to drive the creatures away by calling down lightning. Although he is now near death, Monkey, Sandy and Trip drag Pigsy into a hidden garden where they are met by Mycelia who may be able to save him. Here, Monkey finds himself the object of adoring fans, while Trip and Pigsy also are promised their hearts' desire, which makes Sandy extremely anxious. Despite momentarily forgetting their quest, Trip manages to bring everyone back to reality, except for Pigsy, who refuses to confront Mycelia with them. At the risk of being trapped forever in this false paradise, they battle Mycelia, defeating her and reclaiming the Scroll. However, as they flee Trip is wounded, and the gang find themselves caught between opposing forces who all seek the Monkey King. As the false paradise begins to rot, a heroic Sandy returns to save Pigsy from being pulled underground.
Episode B Number: 10 Episode B Title: Shadow Boxing Episode B Synopsis: Hagfish attempts to seduce Shadow Monkey to join his plans for world domination. He insists that Hagfish takes him to meet Monkey. Monkey, Tripitaka, Pigsy and Sandy use the recovered Scroll of Knowledge to seek out the real Scroll of Creation. On the road to the Burnt Sands, Monkey confronts his doppelgänger, who insists they should join together. Shadow Monkey kills Hagfish as a `love' offering, but then asks Monkey to kill Tripitaka. Monkey refuses, Shadow Monkey leaves in a sulk. Monkey realises that he must kill his evil `twin' to protect Trip. Mycelia `stumbles across' the pilgrims and leads them to a ghostly tree amidst an apocalyptic black sands beach. Gaxin steps forward to claim the scroll but finds himself entangled in the strangulating roots of the tree. Amidst the chaos, Shadow Monkey appears determined to either have Monkey or kill him. Monkey and Shadow Monkey fight their titanic battle. Evenly matched, Monkey decides to trick Shadow Monkey. He offers him friendship and a shared commitment to selfishness and destruction. He uses Shadow Monkey's joyous embrace to steal the shadow scroll and fly both himself and the scroll into the sun and annihilation. Tripitaka begs Mycelia for the Scroll of Creation. When used with the Scroll of Immortality perhaps it can bring Monkey back to life. On a distant mountaintop a stone egg cracks open and Monkey is reborn. And in the Broken Temple of Queen Hakuru, Monkey's evil nemesis lives again.
Notes:
21

The Strange Chores
Production Company: Ludo Studio Broadcaster: ABC
Candidate Summary Best Children's Program Candidates Daley Pearson Charlie Aspinwall Colin South Scott Vanden Bosch
Program Summary Season: 1 Average Episode Duration: 11 minutes
Series Synopsis: Two teenage wannabe warrior heroes and a spirited ghost girl master the skills they need to replace an ageing monster hunter by doing his strange supernatural chores.
Target Demo: 8 to 12-years-old
Popularity and Engagement: We successfully launched The Strange Chores on ABC on Halloween, with a spookily themed triple bill to a large morning prime-time audience. A launch video, posted by a lead cast member on their own YouTube channel, has generated almost 660k views amongst their 8 - 12 audience to date, and our social promos have reached over 1 million people. The Sydney Morning Herald says of the show "It's another winner!" The series has since sold to broadcasters around the world, including Sony's Pop (UK), CBC (Canada), Cartoon Network (Italy), Discovery Kids (Latin America) and Disney (South East Asia) to date.
Originality and Innovation: We wanted to create a show the audience would love and relate to. Tone and comedy were top of the list, alongside characters that kids would get, would like, and see themselves in. We designed a hand drawn world that uses light and colour creatively, to help tell these stories. The series of original episodes captures the power of friendship against the supernatural world, with a balance of scary, cool appeal and a bit of wonder about the world. Despite some big concepts ­ monsters, the afterlife, parallel universes ­ the kids' idiosyncrasies, kind-heartedness and friendship keep us invested in their stories.
Episode Summary Episode A Number: 5 Episode A Title: Put the Barbarian Back in the Box Episode A Synopsis: When Charlie ignores the rules of Pierce's magical boardgame, the living pieces escape, creating a dicey situation that the gang's gotta roll with. The quest is on to put them back in the box before it's game over - for reals.
Episode B Number: 7 Episode B Title: Save Li'l Helsing
22

Episode B Synopsis: Having transformed himself into a teenager to help expose a nest of vamps at school, Helsing's got no class when he joins Daisy's bullies instead! Now the gang have to stick their necks out and find the head vamp themselves! Notes:
23

Teenage Boss
Production Company: McAvoy Media Broadcaster: ABC Me
Candidate Summary Best Children's Program Candidates John McAvoy Simon Steel
Program Summary Season: 2 Average Episode Duration: 27 minutes
Series Synopsis: As we arrive at the front door of Teenage Boss series 2 ­ our new group of teens know what's in Eddie Woo's suitcase, but are still shocked by how much money they've just been put in charge of! 13-year-old James can't believe his eyes, "You said we were poor Mum!" Fifteen brave families of diverse backgrounds once again open their doors and agree to a lifechanging experiment. The teenager of the house is put in charge of the families spending money for a whole month!! Under the watchful eye of star Maths teacher and mentor, Eddie Woo, our teens (aged 11-14 years) want to show their parents they can be responsible with money, and hopefully make a saving by the end of the challenge.
Target Demo: The subject matter of Teenage Boss holds very broad appeal and has been proven to attract a diverse audience. Whilst the target audience are primarily children / teenagers, parents are also drawn to the series as it has lessons for all concerned. Hence its encore on the ABC primary channel.
Popularity and Engagement: Due to the overwhelming feedback and success of Series 1, (including two Logie nominations and extensive national publicity), ABC ME commissioned a second series. The network are thrilled with the performance of the episodes that have aired so far. Eddie Woo has engaged with young people, parents and educators from across the Country on several ABC social media accounts including ABC Kids Community Facebook page (256K), ABC Education's Facebook page (95K), and ABC ME's Instagram (21.7K) and YouTube (45.2K). He's hosted a Q&A on ABC ME's Instagram Story & Facebook where teenagers asked questions and he responded with tips and advice.
Originality and Innovation: A series like this which is targeted directly at teenagers is a really accessible and engaging way to get young Australians and thier families talking about the importance of financial literacy. It's the first of its type to tackle this topic here in Australia. It forces the teenagers to put down thier iphones and ipads (albeit temporarily) and firmly places the important issue of managing money front and centre. Teenage Boss is an entertaining, compelling and original way to make the topic of financial literacy the rates of which are in decline across the country - part of the national conversation.
Episode Summary Episode A Number: 1 Episode A Title: Latifa
24

Episode A Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Latifa has a novel approach to saving on the grocery budget by organising for her family to have dinner with relatives nearly every night. Latifa loves books and enjoys wandering around a book store. She is just as passionate about art. If she received pocket money, she would spend it buying art materials. Latifa's dream is to one day illustrate her own fiction novels. Latifa describes herself as a `money hog' and keeps any money that she finds in her jewellery box. She wants to be the Teenage Boss to see if she can manage the family budget better than her parents. Latifa is also hopeful that the experience will improve her numeracy skills. Her parents, Nasrulla and Zaynura, have some reservations about Latifa becoming the boss and her brother, Saleem, thinks his older sister will find her new responsibility to be difficult. Episode B Number: 4 Episode B Title: Tyrone Episode B Synopsis: Tyrone likes dirt bike riding and spending money as soon as he gets it, but as Teenage Boss he has to lead by example, packing his own lunch so the family can reduce their takeaway and canteen expenses. Tyrone is thirteen years old and is a proud Aboriginal Australian. He enjoys going bush and living off the land. Tyrone understands the importance of learning traditional songs and dances. He also likes to play basketball and ride dirt bikes. Tyrone's mum, Wanita, says that Tyrone `thinks money grows on trees' and that he `just wants, wants, wants.' Robert, Tyrone's father, agrees with Wanita. Even Tyrone admits that money slips straight through his fingers. His parents hope that being Teenage Boss will teach Tyrone how to manage money. For Tyrone, being in charge of the family budget means that he might be able to save enough money to buy new motor bike gear. For Tyrone the $200 price tag is an ambitious goal. Notes:
25

Thalu
Production Company: Weerianna Street Media Broadcaster: SBS - NITV
Candidate Summary Best Children's Program Candidates Tyson Mowarin Robyn Marais Bernadette O'Mahony Mark O'Toole
Program Summary Season: 1 Average Episode Duration: 26 minutes
Series Synopsis: With their country under threat from a huge dust cloud and the mysterious Takers that lurk within, a small group of Indigenous kids have to make their way to the Thalu, a place of great power, in order to stop the cloud before it destroys everything in its path. Along the way they encounter friends and foe alike as they search for eight sacred stones and a special key that will unlock the power of the Thalu and, they hope, stop the Takers in their tracks.
Target Demo: *Thalu* is aimed at all children aged 7-12, but is particularly important for Indigenous children, who rarely see themselves in drama made for them. Filmed in the remote Pilbara region of WA, it's a fantasy drama everyone can engage with, featuring an all Indigenous cast.
Popularity and Engagement: *Thalu* has received great media reviews and audience feedback for its positive representation of strong, resourceful, Indigenous kids, as well as for its comedy and fantasy storytelling. It's been a successful series for both NITV and ABC, and is available to children across Australia on the two national broadcasters and their online platform, enabling the widest possible access for Indigenous children and the Australian child audience. Ratings and audience data from ABC and NITV are not yet available.
Originality and Innovation: *Thalu* is the only children's drama to be created, produced, and post produced in a remote Indigenous community, with the series shot on location in Roebourne. Story ideas came from workshops with local children & elders, the theme song was written & recorded in the community, local children & nannas featured in lead roles, and Indigenous teens & adults worked on the production in crew roles. Produced by Weerianna Street Media, led by Tyson Mowarin ­ a proud Ngarluma man ­ *Thalu* celebrates Indigenous culture, giving Indigenous children living in a remote community a chance to learn new skills, perform and see themselves on screen.
Episode Summary Episode A Number: 2 Episode A Title: The Principal/Random! Episode A Synopsis: Hudson, Em, Vinka, Noodles and Lali find themselves trapped in a strange schoolhouse presided over by an ancient principal it falls on Samara and Keile to try and rescue them. With the cloud bearing down and time running out they manage to do just that ­ and find one of the special stones and perform an act of kindness to the Principal along the way. Later, when the
26

kids encounter legendary outlaw stockman Random Dan and his sidekick Big Joey bogged in the middle of a salt flat, he offers them something special if they help dig them out. When Vinka turns up with one of the special stones, Random Dan reveals that he has something even more precious for them ­ water! Free at last Random Dan and Big Joey ride towards the cloud to take on the Takers, their latest sidekick Noodles riding alongside them. Episode B Number: 5 Episode B Title: Brothers/The Thalu Episode B Synopsis: Vinka is sick. She needs rest and food. While the rest of the kids set up camp Hudson, Samara and Keile go on ahead. They enter an old town, deserted except for two brothers who haven't spoken for years. The kids tell them about Vinka and the brothers agree she needs some of their roo tail stew, but they can't make it, because that's what they argued about. Hudson tricks them into making it, and the brothers make up. The kids take the stew back to Vinka and it works, but when they return to the town they find the brothers gone, but one of the special stones in their place. The kids now have all eight special stones, and Hudson is convinced he has the key. They soon encounter the Nannas, who tell them that if they are to win everything is going to need to be in its right place. Arriving at the Thalu ­ eight standing stones in a circle around a central stone they realise they must place the special stones on the matching standing stone. With the stones in place Hudson places his key on the central stone ­ but nothing happens. Vinka steps forward ­ she is the key! She climbs up onto she central stone and starts to sing, summoning a giant tornado that sweeps across the land, into the cloud, destroying it and revealing the Takers. The kids have won! `What do we do now?' asks Samara. `We go home' says Vinka. Notes:
27