Boutique French animation production and distribution company Dandelooo has announced that latest pre-school project Billy The Cowboy Hamster (78 x 7’) is now in development with France TV.
Based on the eponym series of six books by Dutch author and illustrator Catharina Valckx, published by l’école des Loisirs, with over one million books sold in France and in numerous countries such as Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, China and Japan, Billy The Cowboy Hamster follows three friends, Billy, Jean-Claude the worm and Little Rain the stone marten as they embark on thrill-seeking adventures.
Directed by the talented Swiss illustrator Antoine Rota (Kaeeloo), Billy The Cowboy Hamster will be produced at Dandelooo’s own animation studio Ooolala in la Cartoucherie, Valence (France). Targeted at four to seven-year-olds, delivery of the series is set for 2021.
Dandelooo joint founders Jean Baptiste Wéry and Emmanuèle Petry commented, “We have found this wonderful unique character in our own greenhouse series: The Treehouse Stories and are eager to bring him alive on screen, along with his best friends Little Rain the stone marten and Jean-Claude the worm. This special series filled with affection, kindness and tenderness will immerse kids with its fun, quirky and absurd humour”.
Growing up in the Wild West and raised on the exciting stories told by his father, Billy with his cowboy outfit has a burning desire to hit the trail! And since every new day presents him with an opportunity to go on an adventure worthy of the greatest cowboys, he is determined not to miss out… He takes with him his faithful friend Jean- Claude the worm, and his accomplice Little Rain the stone marten, and off they go!
But just like life, the Wild West is unpredictable and Billy is faced with unforeseen situations, some as prickly as cactuses. By overcoming them and finding solutions of his own, Billy reveals his big heart and unfailing ingenuity. He proves that if he is not yet the legendary cowboy he dreams of being, he is still a child who is growing up. A great little hamster in the making, who knows how to spread joy and friendship around him. And in Billy’s cozy Wild West world, that’s the stuff of real heroes.