MUMBAI: Dic Entertainment (Dic) will debut an all-new, adventure-driven animated series, Horseland, at MipTV 2006. The announcement was made by Dic Entertainment chairman and CEO Andy Heyward.

Horseland, which is currently in production on 26 half-hour episodes, is based on the world’s premiere web community for horse lovers, www.horseland.com, on which kids can interactively buy, sell, breed and train virtual horses, and compete with themselves and each other.

Featuring CGI and traditional animation, Dic will also debut the series in the US this August as part of the new CBS branded kids programming block, CBS’s Secret Saturday Morning Slumber Party.

Dic currently plans to synchronise the interaction between the Horseland series and the website for maximum synergy with each character having their own personal page on the site, allowing users to interact with the characters and animals from the series. Additionally, players will be able to watch past episodes as streaming video and may submit story ideas. Dic is currently also developing a unique entertainment and consumer products program for the property that will incorporate Dic’s signature “360 Degree” approach to brand building.

“Our goal is to tap into girl’s love of horses, the outdoors and adventure with this new television series that will extend the experience beyond the web community. We are thrilled to launch Horseland at MIP-TV, and look forward to working with our broadcast partners to make it a global success,” said Heyward.

Horseland is set in the greatest stable ever, where kids and their horses compete and have adventures, and the horses and other animals can talk to each other - about the humans! In this new series, virtual reality horses come together with action adventure storylines.

The episodes follow the relationships of five girls and two boys who have become fast friends trough their love of horses. Each episode features themes that deal with issues such as compassion, honesty, cooperation—both human and equine. But, like all friends, they occasionally have conflicts too.

Each character owns a unique horse, and the horses and stable dogs can talk to each other. All of the horses will be rendered very faithfully to their breeds, with precise, accurate depictions of training, grooming, riding and competition.