Portfolio Entertainment introduces Where Oliver Fits: A Christmas Eve Tale
Portfolio Entertainment’s award-winning animation studio, in partnership with the CMF/SRF Digital Animated Series Program and Corus Entertainment’s Treehouse TV, has produced a brand-new family Christmas Special, Where Oliver Fits: A Christmas Eve Tale, and an accompanying series of 9 x 2.5’ shorts based on the hit Canadian children’s book Where Oliver Fits by Cale Atkinson.The heartfelt animated comedy special and series explore the challenges of not knowing where you fit in with your friends, and how to be yourself. Portfolio Entertainment holds global distribution rights to both the special and the series.
Aimed at children aged 3-7, the half hour special features Oliver, a little puzzle piece from a loving puzzle family who is happy, outgoing, and maybe just a little too focused on what he wants over the needs of others. When Oliver finds himself separated from his family in Santa’s workshop one Christmas Eve, he quickly learns that the world away from his family isn’t so easy to figure out. Luckily, Oliver meets some other lost toys during his adventure, and he realizes that each of us are different: we have different abilities, likes, skills, shapes, differences in lots of things! When Oliver slows down and learns about the needs of his new friends, he discovers he is just one small piece in a much bigger world. By working together, Oliver and the toys are able to find their way back to Santa’s sleigh where they are reunited with family and fly off to bring Christmas joy to kids around the world.
The series of shorts follows Oliver’s adventures in the playroom where he lives with his family. Here, playing is an everyday activity and Oliver wants to join in on whatever his friends are doing, he wants to do it all! Oliver will show that with a little resilience, we can find ways to be with others and participate in lots of different adventures, especially when you are OK with who you are. And that’s what Where Oliver Fits is all about!
Along with being a playful comedy, the series will have a soft focus on developmental learning as it relates to a preschooler’s social interactions with their peers and the skills that can help them become successful in integrating with others. Where Oliver Fits seeks to celebrate the differences between us all and demonstrate that while we can’t all do everything, we can all find ways to have fun and grow through interactions with our peers.
“As we move toward the world re-opening and people around the world reuniting with friends and family, this is the perfect time to launch this hopeful new Holiday special about the joy of finding your place in a world filled with others who have their own unique tastes, interests and talents,“ said Donnie MacIntyre, Portfolio’s VP of Sales & Business Development. “Oliver’s adventurous spirit and can-do attitude are just what kids will be looking for this holiday season.”
The series will be accompanied by an on-line game titled “The Where Oliver Fits Puzzle Party”. Parents and teachers will be able to find a downloadable activity booklet on the Treehouse.com website. Along with a variety of activities and colouring pages, this booklet with be an excellent resource for parents to help guide discussions with their children about how to find your fit; just like Oliver!
The children’s book, Where Oliver Fits, was first published in 2017 and has received critical acclaim. It was named a “Best Book for Kids” by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre in 2018. The Christmas Special and series of shorts will be available for distribution in Spring 2021.
