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Rove lends five voices to Cartoon Network’s first local show

Rove lends voice to Exchange Student Zero

Rove McManus is the lead voice actor on a new animation series – the first local production commissioned by the Cartoon Network.

Called Exchange Student Zero, the 70-minute production is produced by Bogan Entertainment and is followed up by a new fantasy card game Battle Day Zero on the network’s website.

McManus voices five characters within the film including school friends John and Max and Hiro – The Prince of Karuta, an anime character from within the card game, brought to life and passed off as an exchange student at school by John and Max.

Following Hiro’s arrival come less savoury characters of the game to terrorise the friends’ hometown of Perth.

McManus said: “Being part of an animation project like this is pure joy for me. Not only because I am such a fan of the art form but also there is no greater pleasure than jumping up and down like an idiot and making silly voices for a day. It’s funny how the stuff that used to get me in trouble at school can now get me a job on a really cool show.”

The series also includes the voices of Star Wars star Mark Hamill, as well as Marg Downey and Peter Rowsthorn of Kath & Kimderella.

Exchange Student Zero has come out of the Cartoon Network’s SNAPTOONS, the Short New Asia Pacific Cartoons initiative, looking to create and expose more talent from the Asia Pacific region.

Robin Stanton, VP and GM Australia and New Zealand of Cartoon Network’s parent company Turner International said: “It is an exciting step for Cartoon Network to be premiering our first locally produced animated TV special. It is great to be involved with the amazingly talented Australian animation industry and we love that a local creative submission was a winning finalist in the first ever SNAPTOONS initiative.”

The series aims at the Nine+ age group and will premiere on the Cartoon Network on 16 December 2012 at 6pm.

Prior to broadcast, an online game of Battle Day Zero is available to play at cartoonnetwork.com.au. It was written and designed by Bogan Entertainment and produced by Indigo Games.

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