Nickelodeon is practically absent from the viewerscope of Indian viewers. Nonetheless the channel, which claims to be available in over one hundred million homes in Asia, is aggressively promoting its latest creation Jimmy Neutron.
Jimmy is a ten-year-old boy who constantly invents gadgets to improve the quality of his life. Unfortunately they often land him in a soup. The story is set in Retroville a suburban small town which reminds one of the 1950’s era. He has a mechanical dog Goddard, and also a close clique of friends Carl Wheezer, Cindy Vortex and Libby.
Two things make Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius unique. First Jimmy is Nickelodeon’s first 3-D, computer graphics imagery (CGI) animated character. Second it is the first time that the channel is coming out with a product that covers at the same time the idiot box, the big screen and the online component (jimmyneutron.com).
From Saturday 22 December the imagination of viewers on the telly will be shaken and stirred by a series of one-minute animated segments. This will be followed by music videos from the movie soundtrack. Teen pop stars Aaron Carter and Nick Cannon will interact with Jimmy. Viewers will also see cast and crew members from both the television series and the film talking about their experiences making them. The segments will give us a glimpse into what Jimmy's life is like in school, at play and at home.
The film has the voices of Patrick Stewart (Jeffrey) and Martin Short (Father of the Bride). It will premiere in Asia next Spring. The series will debut on the channel around the same time. Both have been produced in partnership with screenwriter and director Steve Oedekerk (Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls) and DNA Productions.
Richard Cunningham, senior V-P Nickelodeon/MTV Networks Asia, had these comments to make: “Our goal at Nickelodeon is to provide the best entertainment for kids. With the launch of Jimmy Neutron, kids throughout Asia will experience him not only on the channel but through movies, online, music and consumer products. The Nickelodeon audience will have a blast with Jimmy Neutron and the animated segments on Nickelodeon will be a taste of more to come through Nickelodeon, both on and off-air.”
Nickelodeon Asia has programming blocks in India, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Korea and China. Nickelodeon is a registered trademark of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom Inc.
