SOUTHAMPTON-based media firm Britt Allcroft Company continues to take the world by storm with a new contract for Walt Disney to produce programmes for South America.

The Southampton company, which attributes much of its success to the worldwide popularity of Thomas the Tank Engine, has been commissioned to produce 104 episodes of Art Attack - a programme it recently took on board as part of its acquisition of Media Merchants.

This latest contract is in addition to more than 100 episodes of the children's programme Britt Allcroft Company is already producing for the European market - also set to be distributed by Walt Disney.

Due to be ready in December this year, half of the 20-minute episodes will be produced in Latin Spanish and the other half in Brazilian Portuguese.

Art Attack is aimed at 6-11-year- olds and is consistently one of the top five children's programmes in the UK. It is broadcast on the Disney Channel, which broadcasts the programme every day, and on the ITV network in the UK where it is a flagship programme for CITV.

News of this latest contract for Walt Disney comes hot on the heels of news that the Southampton company is steaming ahead with plans for Thomas the Tank Engine and the Fat Controller to conquer America.

As part of a programme to promote the Thomas and the Magic Railroad feature film due out in the summer, Britt Allcroft has licensed US cable network Nickelodeon to broadcast the Thomas TVseries.

Thomas's adventures will be broadcast to 75 million homes in the States and the Thomas feature film will be released in more than 2,000 cinemas across the US and also in the UK and around the world next month.

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