„yourfamily entertainment“ - new label on the DVD market

Immediately following its relaunch, Your Family Entertainment AG (YFE) has taken new forces on board in the form of Sony DADC and the media distribution company M.i.B. Medienvertrieb in Buchholz.

The three partners are aiming to firmly position YFE´s new home entertainment label, "your-family entertainment" in the marketplace. The co-operation is to take immediate effect with the retail launch of seven titles on a total of 19 DVDs. The first issues will be the successful tales of "Tobias Totz" and the "Fix & Foxi" series.

Sony DADC, based in Salzburg, will be taking over the entire DVD production which includes authoring, replication, packaging and transaction processing. Sales partner M.i.B. will be positioning the DVDs both in the traditional, stationary trade and in non-traditional outlets, including food retailers.

"Relaunching a company calls not only for a new CI and a new website. Much more impor-tant are strategic partnerships that promote our goal of successfully positioning YFE on the DVD market. With Sony DADC and M.i.B., we now have competent and experienced part-ners at our side," said Dr. Stefan Piëch, Director of Your Family Entertainment AG.

"Based on our market expertise and our supply chain know-how, we aim to actively support YFE in building up its DVD catalogue. We´re looking forward to a close and successful co-operation," said Michael Hechler, Managing Director of Sony DADC Germany.

"M.i.B is delighted to act as YFE´s sales partner and position its premium children´s offering at a national level. YFE products such as "Tobias Totz, the Series" or "Fix & Foxi" certainly enhance our product portfolio, and establishing this new label in the marketplace is an excit-ing assignment," commented Stefan Crank, Sales Director at M.i.B.

Co-operation is to be based on YFE´s extensive, high-quality program library which includes some 80 titles in the DVD sector alone. This is equivalent to some 1,500 half-hour programs for children and families.

The following titles are due to be launched:

Tobias Totz
,(Germany, 3 DVDs, two episodes on each)
Tobias Totz is a delightful animation series by the makers of "Little Polar Bear", whose books and movies have created such a stir. Tobias Totz is a retired zookeeper who is frequently called in if there are any problems at the zoo. Together with his friend the lion, he solves these problems with the obligatory aplomb and humor.

Fix & Foxi
(Germany, 3 DVDs, two episodes on each)
The comic series „Fix und Foxi" was launched by Rolf Kauka in 1953 and for many years, was the most successful German comic production, its circulation figures outnumbered only by "Micky Mouse". After the comic series was discontinued in 1994, little more was heard of „Fix und Foxi" until it returned as a cartoon series in 2000.
Storyline: Together, two world-famous brothers go through thick and thin. If anyone pro-vokes them, the cheeky twosome react not with their fists, but with clever tricks and quick-witted answers. Fix, the reckless one who´s afraid of nothing and Fox, who thinks before he acts, are the two main characters in „Fix and Foxi“. In the course of their adventures, they never give the impression of being superheroes, but project themselves more as self-confident, courageous and sometimes even foolhardy kids, accompanied of course by Lupo, Grandma Eusebia and Lupinchen.

Hugo The Movie Star
(Denmark, 72 minutes)
In Denmark, Hugo was a star even before his film career started (in the comics created by his "father", Flemming Quest Moller). In Germany, "Hugo The Movie Star“ ran as a success-ful movie.
Storyline: The scrupulous multimillionaire Conrad wants to make a film. Everything is ready except that the main animal character is still missing. Conrad is determined that Hugo should star in his film. Meanwhile, this cute little jungle animal is playing with his friends in his beloved tropical forest, suspecting nothing. But Conrad finds ways and means of tracking Hugo down - he buys the entire rain forest and burns it down to catch the jungle animal. Then he has Hugo transported to his well-guarded film studios. Hugo succeeds in contacting his girlfriend, Rita the fox. While she is anxiously wondering how she can free him from his prison, Hugo slowly starts to enjoy his luxurious life as an unwilling movie star...

Rescue Heroes
(USA / Canada, 3 DVDs, two episodes on each)
The Rescue Heroes are figures that have long been successfully sold in toy shops.
Storyline: They turn up everywhere where people´s lives are in danger - the Rescue Heroes. This emergency team is always on call to save people from threatening situations anywhere in the world. An international team ready to risk their own lives for the lives of others...

Turtle Island
(Germany / Canada / France, 3 DVDs, two episodes on each)
Turtle Island has been popular in Canada for many years.
Storyline: The lush tropical paradise Turtle Island is the realm of the wise and benevolent turtle king, Tikki and his loyal subjects, the bookworm Wormy, the aggressive octopus Ingrid and the eccentric inventor Sydney. The four friends live peacefully on their dream island until a band of cunning pirates decides to steal the valuable treasure-trove on Turtle Island. At first there is total confusion on Turtle Island until it turns out that seedy Captain Minus and his buddies, Zero and Splash, are not exactly the cleverest of their kind. And so Tikki, Wormy, Ingrid and Sydney always manage to thwart the pirates´ sinister plans.

Country Mouse & City Mouse
(France, 3 DVDs, two episodes on each)
In Germany, this worldwide hit was screened with great success by ARD and Ki.Ka.
Storyline: The adventures of the city mouse and the country mouse are set at the beginning of the 20th century. Emily, a country mouse with a practical streak, and her cousin Alexan-der, an urbane city mouse visit endearing friends and relations all over the world, explore exotic locations and experience exciting and breathtaking adventures during their travels.

Jim Henson´s Dog City
(USA / Canada, 3 DVDs, two episodes on each)
Dog City, from the Jim Henson hit incubator, is the first series to combine puppetry with cartoon elements. Storyline: Dog City is set in the times when the legendary gangster boss Al Capone was running the show. But in Dog City, the barking four-legged hounds are in command. This merry crowd was created by the comic artist Eliot, who doesn´t always have an easy time with his furry gang - the yelping bunch lead a lively life of their own and are reluctant to keep their opinions to themselves.