The beloved Pink Panther is returning to TV after a hiatus of 17 years.
MGM Pictures and Rubicon Group are producing "Pink Panther & Pals," which premieres March 7 on the Cartoon
Network.
Each new TV series contains two episodes of a teenage Panther and his friends, and one episode features the Ant & the Aardvark characters. David J. Corbett, Rubicon's executive
producer, stated the snarky, devil-may-care figure is "one of the best-known in animation history.
"The Pink Panther is one of those rare characters that parents trust, yet he is also
versatile enough to entertain generation after generation," he added.
The show is based on the animated Pink Panther character created by David DePatie and Friz Freleng that appeared in
various Pink Panther films by Blake Edwards. The movies were also notable for their catchy Henry Mancini theme music.
advertisement
advertisement
The character's genesis was in the opening and closing credits of the
1963 live-action feature film "The Pink Panther," but its popularity birthed various animated short films. Eventually, the Pink Panther appears in the opening sequence of every film in series except
for "A Shot in the Dark" and "Inspector Clouseau." In the late sixties, it made its first foray into TV.
MGM, through its operating subsidiaries, is involved in the worldwide production and
distribution of movies, television, home video, interactive media, music and licensed merchandise. Rubicon specializes in animation and edutainment.