Vancouver: Mainframe Entertainment of Vancouver has formed a strategic partnership with toy manufacturer Trendmasters to create three new computer-animated series between 1999 and 2001.

The partnership expands on the companies’ first collaboration on the series War Planets, which was caught in a rule change that eliminated the ctcpf as a funding source this year and forced Mainframe to restructure the production financing.

The first of 40 episodes of War Planets will air in September in more than 94% of the u.s. television markets and, in Canada, on ytv.

The three new series are in development and details about their concepts have not been divulged.

Mainframe ceo and vice-chairman Christopher Brough. says, ‘I’m certain that together we will develop, produce and bring to life many new highly imaginative and exciting `have-to-see’ programs with characters that will readily translate into `must-have’ toys.’

Trendmasters ceo Russell Hornsby, says: ‘Consumers and audiences alike have come to expect dynamic, multidimensional, highly mobile characters, in-depth storylines and breathtaking special effects from both the toy and entertainment industries. It is this quality of product that will result from the partnership between Trendmasters and Mainframe.’

Mainframe, a pioneer in computer-animated series with ReBoot, has 105 half-hours of production scheduled for the 1998/99 season. Trendmasters, based in St. Louis, handles the merchandise for Lost in Space, Godzilla, Dogz and Catz, ID4: Independence Day, Extreme Ghostbusters and Casper.