Famous Five returns to TV with 21st Century makeover

London, Mar 21 : Enid Blyton's Famous Five are set to make a comeback on TV in a new animated series - with an updated 21st Century look.

'Famous Five: On the Case' features the children of the original ginger beer-loving adventurers - and their dog, Timmy.

Exhibiting the updated look, the Famous Five's offspring are multicultural; their enemies include a DVD bootlegger and they sport modern gadgets like iPods and mobile phones.

The new series launches on 5 May on the Disney Channel.

The first Famous Five book, Five on a Treasure Island, was published in 1942 and the series is considered a children's classic.

Series producers say that the animated tales remain faithful to the themes of storytelling, mystery and adventure central to the original books but add a contemporary twist.

They feature 12-year-old Anglo-Indian Jo, short for Jyoti, who, like her mother George, is a tomboy and the group's team leader.

Other characters include Allie, a 12-year-old Californian 'shopaholic' who enjoys going out and looking glamorous but is sent to the British countryside to live with her cousins.

ANI