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CBeebies Acquires Ronja the Robber's Daughter

The British children's television channel CBBC has announced in a press release that it has acquired Goro Miyazaki and POLYGON PICTURES' Ronja the Robber's Daughter television anime.

The series was previously acquired by Scotland's BBC Alba, which broadcast it in Gaelic. The English version was created in 2017, overseen by Serious Kids, Studio Ghibli and The Astrid Lindgren Company.

The director Goro Miyazaki commented, "'I am delighted to see Ronja on CBBC. With Ronja the Robber's Daughter, the great old dame Astrid seems to be telling children to believe in their own power to grow… all the while telling both children and adults alike to respect each other and to attain freedom in the true sense of the word. Nothing will bring me more pleasure than having those same messages played to the CBBC audience."

"Ronja is a household name in Germany and the Nordics, and we hope that the title will now be enjoyed by a wider public in the UK,” said Hans Jagerholm from the Astrid Lindgren Company.

United Kingdom-based distributor Serious Lunch previously acquired the worldwide rights to the series. World Screen also reported that Serious Lunch had licensed the anime to UYoung Media in China and PTS in Taiwan. The company also signed deals with TF1 Max in France, RTBF in French Belgium, and RTS in French Switzerland to begin production of a French version.

The anime adapts a children's book of the same name by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (Pippi Longstocking). Amazon describes the story:

The daughter of a professional robber, Ronja realizes the complicated nature of her father's profession when she befriends Birk, the child of a rival tribe. Ronja struggles to balance the relationship with her family and the bond with her self-proclaimed brother Birk as she comes to understand the intricate issues of family and friendship and how differences can be overcome with the help of love and understanding.

Goro Miyazaki (Tales from Earthsea, From Up On Poppy Hill) directed the Ronja the Robber's Daughter television anime series, titled Sanzoku no Musume Ronia in Japan. POLYGON PICTURES (Knights of Sidonia, The Sky Crawlers) animated the 3D CG series in collaboration with Studio Ghibli. Hiroyuki Kawasaki (The Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Sorcerer Hunters, Ryoko's Case File, Psychic Detective Yakumo) handled the series composition. NHK Enterprise produced the series, and NHK and Dwango handled production and writing.

The series premiered in Japan in October 2014 and ran for 26 episodes. Amazon began streaming the series internationally in January 2017. David Freedman adapted and directed the English version, and actress Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) narrated the series.

The anime won the Animation category at the International Emmy Kids Awards in April 2016.