Paramount’s Ananey Studios, a Tel Aviv-based company that develops and creates content for children and teens, announced that it will be partnering with the Jim Henson Company on a new series with the working title The Season Keepers, a 2D-animated series for children ages 6-12 and their families, to encourage climate awareness and love and respect for nature.
Ananey has created Greenhouse Academy for Netflix, Spell Keepers for HBO Europe, Spyders for Nickelodeon International, and Craft Party for CBBC, among many other series. The Jim Henson Company is known for Fraggle Rock on Apple TV+ and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on Netflix. The company was founded by Jim Henson, who created the muppets on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, with his wife, Jane. It is run by his children, Brian and Lisa Henson.
The Season Keepers will be a modern-day fairy tale, inspired by Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” and will tell the story of twins Lia and Ben, who have to spend what they are sure will be a boring spring break in their grandmother’s village.
To their surprise, they learn they have landed in the middle of an epic battle between the seasons and Lia discovers her gift to mediate between humans and the Nature Makers—a realm of magical creatures who are the guardians of nature itself. Lia must harness her newfound powers to stop a group of vengeful Nature Makers from plunging the world into a perpetual winter.
Frequent Henson collaborator Craig Bartlett (Dinosaur Train, Sid the Science Kid) will be writing the series, which is being designed by Bosmat Agayoff (Where is Anne Frank?, Barbie Dreamtopia). Gili Dolev will direct it, Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford will serve as executive producers for the Jim Henson Company and Orly Atlas-Katz will executive produce for Ananey Studios, as well as Dolev, Hila Pachter, and Shirley Oran.
Stanford, president of television at the Jim Henson Company, said, “At its heart, The Season Keepers is about the healing of a family and of the natural world around them. And this series about climate hope is wrapped up in a luxurious whimsical world filled with magical and never-before-seen creatures. To work with this extraordinary creative team from Israel is an honor; and then handing the story reigns over to Craig Bartlett ensures this adventure will captivate kids for generations.”
Joining forces with Jim Henson Company
“We couldn’t be more excited about joining forces with the legendary Jim Henson Company, responsible for some of the most loved and known kids’ shows,” said Atlas-Katz, CEO Ananey Paramount & EVP Paramount Israel. “In this modern-day animated fairytale, a breathtaking journey will intertwine magic, adventure, and heart to inspire young viewers everywhere.”