• AP, Monday, January 9, 2012 11:47 AM

Coming at a critical time for the company, Yahoo has secured the rights to "Electric City" -- a futuristic animated series “staring” Tom Hanks. Created by Hanks and his Playtone production company, the series includes 20 episodes -- each three- or four-minutes long -- which Yahoo describes as an “action-packed sci-fi adventure.” The deal marks Yahoo’s first foray into scripted original programming, according to The Associated Press.

“Yahoo has been beefing up its online video with reality series and wrap-up news shows, many of which rank among the most-viewed series online.” Making the partnership more unique, "Electric City" will be distributed online and through tablet devices in several languages, including Spanish and French. According to AP, Hanks and his partners at Playtone have been formulating “Electric City” and a suitable distribution strategy for years.

"It was always our intent to have this project live and breathe online, and we felt Yahoo would be the perfect home,” Gary Goetzman, co-founder of Playtone, tells AP. Meanwhile, as Erin McPherson, vice president and head of original programming at Yahoo, tells AP, "Electric City" is likely to presage further scripted ventures for the Web giant.

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