Panda to join Little Mole in new cartoon series

SONG CHEN/CHINA DAILY

One's a panda, which for many typifies China, the other is a mole that has delighted fans in the Czech Republic for decades.

Now, thanks to Little Mole's "family" and China Central Television, the two will join forces in a new animated series.

Little Mole and Panda is in the final stages of production and is scheduled to air in China from Monday.

Zeng Weijing, CCTV's director of animation, said 52 episodes will be aired weekly on its children's channel at 7 pm.

The show coincides with President Xi Jinping's three-day State visit to the Czech Republic, the first by a Chinese president since diplomatic relations were established 50 years ago.

Officials hope the trip will enhance trade, sports and cultural links between the two nations.

Little Mole was the brainchild of Zdenek Miler, who created the character 60 years ago. The original cartoon series, famous for its simplicity, was a hit throughout Eastern Europe and in France.

CCTV aired the original in the 1980s, rapidly gaining a large following among children. It was repeated in 2011.

Little Mole was a showcase for Czech animation, and it is hoped that the new China-Czech series, in which the mole is joined by a panda, will be equally popular.

Most of the action, apart from the first episode, will take place in China. And unlike the original, the new version will also include dialogue in Chinese.

"We decided to include dialogue to make it more attractive for children today," Zeng said. "The 26 episodes are now finished. Everything, including pre- and post-production work, was done in China. It is now in Prague to have the voice-overs done."