LONDON, Dec. 4 The Disney Channel is set to create a cartoon out of British author Enid Blyton's Famous Five, but has decided to update some of the 60-year-old language. The company has made a promise that there will be no lashings of ginger beer and happiness will not be referred to as gay in the new cartoon, the Times of London reported Monday. Disney will develop a 26-episode cartoon to be produced in Britain with the aim of airing on the Disney Channel in 2008.
Disney and Chorion, a British company that owns the rights to the books, will work together to give the 1940s stories a contemporary twist.
Adding that even though some of the old-fashioned phrases will be changed, the project will remain true to the spirit of Blyton's characters.
The president of Disney Channel Worldwide, Rich Ross, said that producing Famous Five is part of Disney ' s new strategy to increase growth in local markets. We realize that if we are going to be a global network then we need to solicit material from around the world, another Disney representative, Gary Marsh, added.
Copyright 2006 by UPI
