Tak's Got the Power, But He Hasn't Got a Clue!

Tak's Got the Power, But He Hasn't Got a Clue!

New Series Tak and the Power of Juju Joins Nickelodeon's Hit Animation Line-Up

All-New CG-Animated TV Series Based on the Hit Nick/THQ Video Game Premieres With Two Back-To-Back Episodes on Friday, August 31 from 8:00 - 9:00 PM

NEW YORK, Aug. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon shifts the power of Tak from the video game console to TV sets everywhere this fall as the Nick/THQ video game played by millions now becomes a brand new Nicktoon, Tak and the Power of Juju. As Nickelodeon's first CG-animated series produced at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank, Tak and the Power of Juju premieres with two back-to-back half-hour episodes on Friday, August 31 from 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT). In support of the launch, Nicktoons Network, Nick's 24-hour animation network, will air the premiere episodes the following day, Saturday, September 1 at 11:00 a.m. (ET). The series will air regularly on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070813/NYM023 )

Tak and the Power of Juju follows the teenage jungle-boy Tak, voiced by Hal Sparks (Talk Soup), and his fellow Pupununu villagers as they deal with their fate as the unluckiest tribe in the world. Their lives are sometimes helped - and frequently made more complicated - by the strange and mystical Jujus, magical beings with whom Tak has a special bond. Tak is the only Pupununu who holds the "Power of Juju," which allows him to access magic usually only available to 177-year-old shamans. For most, Juju power could be a recipe for success, but because of Tak's particular combination of imagination and irresponsibility, his powers only get him, the Pupununu villagers, and sometimes the Jujus, into outlandish trouble. Tak is joined by a colorful cast of characters in this fantastical jungle setting: Chief (Maurice LaMarche, Pinky & The Brain), Jibolba (Lloyd Sherr, Modern Marvels), Jeera (Kari Wahlgren, Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!), Zaria (Dannah Feinglass, Mad TV), Lok (Patrick Warburton, The X's) and Keeko (John DiMaggio, Futurama).

"Tak is a great example of Nickelodeon's ability to develop an original character-based property and broaden it to multiple entertainment platforms," said Marjorie Cohn, Executive Vice President of Original Programming and Development, Nickelodeon Television. "As our first in-house CG-animated series, it is another example of Nick's leadership in creating diverse, cutting-edge animation."

In the first premiere episode (8 - 8:30 p.m.), "Woodiefest," the ferocious Woodie creatures are planning to trash the Pupununu village during their annual rampage through the jungle. While the rest of the tribe runs off to hide, Tak, Jeera and Keeko decide to stay behind to fight off the attack using Tak's Power of Juju. Then in "Loser," Tak is tired of Lok bragging about his heroic feats, so he tests his friend with an impossible task. As anticipated, Lok fails the test and then is unexpectedly banished by the Chief for his failure. Feeling guilty and responsible, Tak sets out to reinstate Lok into the tribe.

In the second premiere episode (8:30 - 9:00 p.m.), "A Shaman's Shaman," Tak's magic has been going haywire lately and it seems like Jibolba may be to blame. Conveniently, Jibolba's former student, Traloc, arrives and turns out to be a great magic teacher. He takes Tak under his wing and turns him into a successful shaman. Ashamed, Jibolba leaves the tribe until Tak discovers that Traloc isn't the great, helpful guy he claims to be. Next in "The Gift," it's Jibolba's Shamanic Anniversary and Tak's forgotten to get him a present. Luckily, he finds the perfect gift in the juju marketplace ... a magical Motiki doll. However, when the doll comes to life, it wreaks havoc in the village. Tak must stop the doll before Jibolba's anniversary is ruined.

The Tak franchise was first introduced by THQ as a video game and has experienced great milestones since its inception in 2003 with over 3 million units shipped worldwide. Tak and the Power of Juju was the first installment in the series of games and has since sold-in over 1 million units worldwide. The second installment, Tak 2: The Staff of Dreams, came one year later and was followed by Tak: The Great Juju Challenge.

Leading up to the premiere, Nickelodeon will offer additional short form videos of Tak and the Power of Juju, as well as instant replays of episodes, after its on-air premiere on TurboNick, the network's broadband video service on www.nick.com. In August, short form videos of Tak and the Power of Juju will be available on Nickelodeon Mobile on various wireless carriers. Tak and the Power of Juju post-premiere episodes will stream on Video-on-Demand and will be available for paid download to purchase on Nickelodeon's direct to video distribution partner platforms.

www.nick.com/tak is the online destination for Tak's magical realm. Once on the Tak and the Power of Juju site, visitors can explore multiple worlds, tour Tak's village, hang out in the Juju bizarre and enter exclusive Juju destinations. Exciting games and videos, character biographies, downloadable screensavers, icons and wallpaper, and other distinctive Tak and Nick.com content are included within the site as well. Fans can also visit Tak in Nicktropolis, where they can choose from a Juju or Pupununu tribe member for their avatar, cast spells, collect Tak items, and chat with Jibolba about Juju magic. Nick.com will also launch a Tak themed New Game of the Week entitled "Moonstone Madness," e-Collectibles and exclusive Juju art.

   Tak was originally developed by THQ and Nickelodeon.    About Nickelodeon  

Nickelodeon, in its 28th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 94 million households and has been the number-one- rated basic cable network for 13 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) .

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Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070813/NYM023
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Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Nicole Parker, +1-818-736-3613, Nicole.Parker@Nick.com, or Maria
Poulos, +1-212-846-6283, Maria.Poulos@mtvnmix.com, or Photo Contact, Michelle
Hernandez, +1-212-258-7722, michelle.hernandez@nick.com, all of Nickelodeon

Web site: http://www.nick.com/
http://www.nick.com/tak

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Profile: International Entertainment