‘GIVINGTALES’ – EXCITING NEW CHILDREN’S APP – AVAILABLE FOR YOUNG GUESTS AT INTERCONTINENTAL BALI RESORT

InterContinental Bali Resort is delighted to initiate in-room educational entertainment for its young guests, with the provision of a dedicated in-house TV channel, which will be delivering engaging and entertaining versions of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic fairy tales for children, read out loud by celebrity narrators. This exciting new collection of animated stories, known as ‘GivingTales’ and supporting the UNICEF children’s charity, is a highly acclaimed children’s app that was launched earlier this year. In addition to its availability on InterContinental Bali’s Resort’s in-house TV channel, it can also be viewed on tablets at the Resort’s Planet Trekkers Kids’ Club, as well as at the Leisure Concierge, and in the Resort’s ‘Inspiration Space’. The objective is to ensure that kids are entertained at all times, especially while their parents might be busy discussing and organising activities and daytrips with theLeisure Concierge.

In fact, children will be captivated and enthralled by the ‘GivingTales’ stories, which were developed in association with Sir Roger Moore, featuring his own voice talent as well as those of his friends – world-renowned British actors: Ewan McGregor; Stephen Fry; Dame Joan Collins; Joanna Lumley; Sir Michael Caine;  David Walliams; Charlotte Rampling; and Paul McKenna. Taking care not to lose the essence of what makes these timeless anecdotes so great, GivingTales has condensed the stories down to modern-day children’s attention time with each one lastingbetween six and 10 minutes. The fairy tales include: The Princess and the Pea, The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Little Match Girl, The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, Little Claus and Big Claus,  The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, and It’s Quite True! Each is paired with vivid illustrations that capture the universal life lessons synonymous withHans Christian Anderson’s intriguing tales. Furthermore, the text on the screen is highlighted, so that children can read along with the narrator, while an animated version plays in front of their eyes to add a fascinating, visual element to the reading experience. With multi-lingual subtitles currently available in five different languages, the stories aim to educate children from around the world about values such as bravery, selflessness, generosity and compassion, and every story has a moral. The Ugly Duckling, for example, is a marvellous parable about issues with bullying and self-belief, all of which is still very relevant today. If kids are not already familiar with the fables of Hans Christian Andersen, this is a wonderful way for these stories to become part of their education, while also making the reading experience both appealing and fun; there is even a quiz at the end of each story. The app will continue to add more tales, aiming to roll out a new story with a new celebrity every six to eight weeks.

As part of its mission to educate and support children, GivingTales is committing 30 percent of its revenue to the charity UNICEF UK to help children around the world. Sir Roger Moore was appointed as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in 1991, with his role including the promotion of fundraising campaigns, such as this one, while also personally visiting the work of UNICEF around the world. In 2012, the charity presented Sir Roger with a lifetime achievement award. Ewan McGregor is also a UNICEF ambassador. UNICEF ensures that more of the world’s children are fed, vaccinated, educated and protected than any other organisation. Working in over 190 countries around the world, it has done more to influence laws, policies and customs to help protect children than any other organisation in history.

GivingTales now awaits young guests at InterContinental Bali Resort, it will be something new and absorbing for kids to enjoy over the Festive Season and it will be available all-year round. Additionally, the GivingTales children’s app can be downloaded free of charge on the App Store (optimised for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch) as well as Google Play Store, and Windows Phone App Store.  It comes with a free story – The Princess and the Pea, after which, for each individual tale, a US$ 3.99 in-app purchase is required with, of course, 30 percent of the funds raised going to the UNICEF children’s charity.