Category Archives: Entertainment

Zavvi’s second Money Heist collection released in line with final season

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Fans of Netflix’s hit Money Heist can now get their hands on the second installment of exclusive merchandise from online retailer Zavvi. 

Launching in line with the new season, which premiered on Friday 3 December, the collection is emblazoned with the iconic Dali Mask and the memorable line “Bella Ciao!”.

The exclusive range contains everything from t-shirts and hoodies, to blankets and face masks. The Dali Mask Cushion and fleece blanket have been designed to help create a cosy environment to binge-watch the latest season on Netflix.

The new range is available on Zavvi.com, with prices starting from £7.99.

Ladybird to produce books based on preschool animation BRAVE BUNNIES

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Glowberry, creator of the popular kids’ series BRAVE BUNNIES, and Big Picture Licensing (BPL), its exclusive licensing agent, have announced the signing of Penguin Random House as a strategic multi-territory licensee, joining DeA Planeta Libri as publishing partners.

A publishing team and series creators are already at work on the first series of books about the journey and adventures of the Brave Bunnies and their friends.

The first products to hit the shelves will be picture books, board books and little libraries, which will launch Easter 2022 around the world.

The deal was made with Ned Hartley, Commissioning Editor, Ladybird, who says: “We fell in love with BRAVE BUNNIES as soon as we saw it, and we knew that it would work brilliantly as publishing. We’re sure that these books are going to hop off the shelves!”

The contract with Ladybird, Penguin Random House Children’s UK is a crucial stage in the sequence of successful deals for the Ukrainian team, following contracts with Spin Master Toys Company, DeAgostini Publisher, and other internationally acclaimed companies.

Olga Cherepanova, the author of the idea behind the BRAVE BUNNIES series and Glowberry’s creative producer, has also announced several regional and European licensing deals that are now are in their final stages.

The series already airs in 63 countries, including the UK, Italy, Spain, Norway, Germany, Sweden, Israel, Latvia, South Korea, Finland, Australia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Ukraine.

 

Preschool animation series Brave Bunnies scores Italian book deal

 

Licensing plans underway for preschool animation Nina & Olga following top award

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Nina & Olga, the new animated series co-produced by Enanimation and Mondo TV Iberoamerica (now Mondo TV Studios) along with Rai Ragazzi, has won a prestigious Pulcinella Award 2021 in the Best Upper Pre-school TV Series (4-6 Years) category.

The award was made at the 2021 Cartoons on the Bay, an international festival held in Italy dedicated to television, film and cross-platform animation. The Pulcinella Awards are presented at the festival for excellence in animation production.

Nina & Olga won the award against strong international competition. A full list of winners appears here.

Nina & Olga is all about Nina, a curious little girl with a head full of curls who lives in our world and plays with her friend Teo. One day she meets Olga, who lives up in the sky and becomes a special friend.

A colourful world of children, parents, grannies and teachers, not to mention animals, birds, the sun, the moon and the stars, all come together as part of Nina and Olga’s daily adventures. Together they and their young audience face all the small daily challenges of childhood, learning together how to understand and manage their emotions.

Made in digital 2D animation, Nina & Olga was directed by Lisa Arioli, written by Steve Middleton and scored by award-winning musician Luigi Meroni.

The concept of the series was created jointly by Nicoletta Costa, the author of the books that the show is based on, and Stefania Raimondi. Nicoletta Costa first developed the character of Olga the Cloud over 30 years ago for the publisher EMME Edizioni. Since her first appearances Olga has been a favourite of young readers in many countries.

Licensing plans for the series are now under way. Nina & Olga has already inspired six brand-new books from Mondadori through its Children’s Books Division.

Federica Maggio, Producer, Enanimation, says: “We thank the Cartoons on the Bay International Jury for recognising the value of our TV series and for this wonderful opportunity. We are very proud of our work on Nina & Olga and delighted that it has been honoured at such a prestigious international event.”

Genius Brands unveils global distribution strategy for Kartoon Channel! Worldwide

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Following the pending acquisition of Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media Inc. and strategic investment in Germany’s Your Family Entertainment AG, Genius Brands has unveiled a new “block” of children’s animated series and expanded distribution for its international channels.

The new lineup and branding is spearheaded by Kartoon Channel! Worldwide’s new Managing Director Paul Robinson, who previously served as Managing Director of Walt Disney Television International and Senior Vice President Disney Channel Worldwide.

The new block on the YFE International channels will be branded KARTOON GENIUS and will deliver positive entertainment for children, underscored by “safety and enrichment”.

KARTOON GENIUS will air every morning on Genius Brands International’s new channel footprint across Europe, the Middle East and Latin America, and is the first step in enhancing the quality and range of content on YFE’s existing platforms.

“With his background as Managing Director of Walt Disney Television International and his successful history setting up children’s content delivery systems worldwide, there is nobody in my opinion more qualified than Paul Robinson to build value for this company and create the next great global children’s distribution system,” says Genius Brands Chairman & CEO Andy Heyward.

Paul Robinson commented: “I am pleased to announce the first global initiative to enhance and deliver even better content and experiences to kids, families, and our affiliate partners across international markets through KARTOON GENIUS, a daily block of top quality, exclusive, branded, first run animated content, that will be defined by being not just entertaining, but also by being safe and enriching.

“In today’s world, more than ever, parents want to know that what their kids are watching on television is safe. We hear this over and over again, and Genius Brands is committed to fulfilling it not only as a producer, but also now as a global broadcaster through Kartoon Channel! Worldwide.

“There will be no violence, no inappropriate language, images, negative role models, or stereotypes. Kartoon Channel! in the U.S. has embraced these messages, which we plan to now elevate globally to the next level through our expanded lineup and increased distribution footprint across Europe/Middle East/Africa, Asia-Pacific, and South America. We believe that there is no other global channel system for children out there delivering this level quality of curated safe content today.”

KARTOON GENUIS’ new global lineup will include first run and exclusive content led by:

  • Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten (pictured), starring Arnold Schwarzenegger: health, exercise and nutrition
  • Rainbow Rangers: protecting the environment
  • Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club: financial literacy for kids
  • Albert: answering kid’s questions, such as the origins of life and how things work
  • Space Yoghurt: creative problem solving and teamwork
  • Kids Songs: have fun, sing together and get up and dance
  • Reboot: adventures around the first fully computer-generated characters

Robinson adds: “Kartoon Channel! Worldwide plans to grow the existing footprint of its YFE international channels by partnering across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australasia with pay tv platforms that currently don’t carry the channel and need a high quality, safe children’s channel.

“Additionally, as Kartoon Channel! has done in the U.S., we plan to expand distribution in the international markets on connected devices, smart TVs, tablets and mobile devices, with access through Android TV and Apple TV, as well as AVoD, SVoD and FAST channels in international markets.”

Andy Heyward commented: “This launch immediately follows and builds upon the Company’s pending acquisition of WOW! Unlimited Media and strategic investment into YFE, as one of Europe’s largest distributors and broadcasters of high-quality programs for children and families.

“YFE brings a global award-winning streaming and broadcast footprint on satellite, cable, OTT, and terrestrial networks—providing us a streaming foothold outside the United States, in Europe, and the rest of the world.

“The vision of YFE’s CEO Stefan Piech, and the broadcast experience of COO Bernd Wendeln, enriches the Genius Brands’ management team and helps position the Company to become the leading children’s content provider and broadcaster in the future.”

Animaccord marks 100 billion views on YouTube with special episode of ‘Masha and the Bear’

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Animaccord Studio has created a new special episode to express its appreciation to viewers the world over for reaching a milestone of 100 billion views on YouTube.

The release of a short episode titled “We love you to 100 BILLION and back” took place on 6 December on the official Masha and the Bear YouTube channel.

The animated series continues to demonstrate its huge popularity among audiences in different regions. The official YouTube channel of Masha and the Bear in Arabic has passed 10 million subscribers. The fastest-growing Arabic channel (by subscriber growth rate), it has been awarded a YouTube Diamond Play Button, joining the five already awarded to Masha and the Bear’s English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Ukrainian channels.

Moreover, Masha and the Bear’s English YouTube channel has repeated its success of 2020: in less than a year, it has gained another 10 million subscribers and has now reached the milestone of 30 million subscribers.

Dandelooo to adapt children’s book series ‘Gaston’s Emotions’ for TV

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Emmy Award-winning French animation production and distribution company Dandelooo is set to adapt the successful children’s book series Gaston’s Emotions for television.

Written by author and illustrator Aurélie Chien Chow Chine and published by Hachette Enfants, an imprint of Hachette Livre France, the books featuring a unicorn with a rainbow-coloured mane – which changes colour when he experiences strong emotions – have sold over 900,000 copies in France alone over the past three years and have been translated into 24 other languages.

The preschool comedy series, which teaches children to identify their feelings and manage them effectively, is currently being developed by Aurélie Chien Chow Chine, Chloé Sastre and Romain Gadiou.

Dandelooo will hold worldwide distribution rights to the animation series.

“At Dandelooo we fell in love with Gaston, who’s not just unique but cute too, thanks to his humour, spontaneous charm and true kindness,” says Emmanuèle Pétry Sirvin, Co-Founder of Dandelooo. “With all his great qualities, it’s probably why so many children love him as their best friend. We are proud to be chosen by its creator as the production company to develop the concept make this series happen and bring Gaston to life.”

‘Vikings’ spin-off ‘Vikings: Valhalla’ to drop on Netflix on 25 February

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Rocket’s stand at Brand Licensing Europe took visitors back in time, as the agency presented the much-awaited new addition to the global sensation that is MGM’s Vikings: brand-new series Vikings: Valhalla. 

Vikings: Valhalla will premiere on 25 February 2022 on Netflix, and fans are already eagerly awaiting the consumer products portfolio.

Following on from Vikings, which transported viewers through the epic adventures of  Ragnar Lothbrok, a Viking warrior and farmer, MGM’s Vikings: Valhalla is set to thrill the original series’ army of fans.

The series will feature an all-star cast including Sam Corlett as Leif Eriksson, Frida Gustavsson as Freydis Eriksdotter, Leo Suter as Harald Sigurdsson, Bradley Freegard as King Canute, Johannes Johannesson as Olaf Haraldson and Laura Berlin as Emma of Normandy.

The UK licensing programme is set to combine three key touchpoints, enabling fans to “look like a Viking, act like a Viking, and express their love of the series”. It will cover a range of categories including apparel and accessories, health and beauty, homewares, collectables, costumes, games, figures, publishing and stationery, interactive and gambling, as well as experiential events and collaborations. Existing licensees include GB Eye, Ecell Global and Winning Moves, with new licensees and categories coming on board soon.

A new style guide has been prepared for the new series, offering a wealth of assets across three main themes – Vikingr (harvest colours combined with woodland greens); Skjaldmaer (Rustic moods combined in neutral winter hues) and Meidmar (featuring the logos and Viking treasures).

Charlie Donaldson, Joint MD, Rocket Licensing, commented: “The anticipation for Vikings: Valhalla is palpable. The original series built up such a huge following as the most in-demand historical drama in the world, and the second most in-demand TV series in the world. The series had a stupendous 11.2 million viewers per episode, and all of those people are eagerly awaiting this follow-up now on Netflix, meaning the demand will be off the scale.

“We had a great response from potential licensees at BLE and are now looking forward to welcoming new partners to the Viking clan. There is so much potential for this brand and we’re excited to get the licensing programme into action.”

Robert Marick, MGM’s Executive Vice President Global Consumer Products and Experiences, says: “The Vikings series has been incredibly popular over the years, reaching millions of viewers and inspiring the pop culture lexicon.

“We are thrilled to work with our new licensing partners to bring fans an exciting slate of new products for the latest installment of the story, Vikings: Valhalla.”

During its successful run, Vikings garnered 11.2 million views per weekly episode.  Beginning 100 years after the original series concludes, Vikings: Valhalla, from MGM Television, dramatises the adventures of the most famous Vikings who ever lived: Leif Erikson, Freydis, Harald Harada and Norman King William the Conqueror (also a Viking descendant). Around the world, Vikings has accrued more than 30 licensees across apparel, collectables, publishing, novelty and gaming.

Genius Brands expands into Europe with acquisition of German company Your Family Entertainment AG

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Following the recent acquisition of Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media, Genius Brands International has entered into an agreement to initially acquire a 28.6% interest in Your Family Entertainment AG,to be followed by a mandatory tender offer of the outstanding shares of YFE.

YFE is one of Europe’s largest distributors and broadcasters of high-quality programmes for children and families, which brings a global award-winning streaming and broadcast footprint on satellite, cable, OTT, and terrestrial networks.

YFE controls over 4,000 animated episodes and feature films, with distribution through its streaming and linear kids’ channels across 100 countries with more than 50M households reached, including free-to-air, pay TV and digital subscription channels in Germany, Austria & Switzerland.

The YFE transaction, alongside the recent announcement of the acquisition of WOW! Unlimited Media, will significantly expand the Genius Brands catalogue and give the company a streaming foothold outside the United States in Europe and the rest of the world, from which it expects to fuel growth.

The announcement was made today jointly by Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Genius Brands, and Dr. Stefan Piëch, CEO of YFE.

YFE, subject to YFE shareholder approval, will be renamed Genius Family Entertainment AG, and will operate its children’s networks under the brand Kartoon Channel! Worldwide. YFE will maintain its independent listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and will be run by the current Management Board of Dr. Piëch and Bernd Wendeln.

Genius Brands and YFE share the goals of bringing “Content with a Purpose” to children worldwide. Dr. Piëch is a recognized world leader in developing and promoting children’s content that supports environmental causes, sustainability, and is non-violent.

Concurrently, it was also announced that Paul Robinson, former Managing Director of Disney Television International and Senior Vice President Disney Channel Worldwide, will become Managing Director of Kartoon Channel! Worldwide and oversee the international buildout and growth of Kartoon Channel! 

 

New licensing opportunities for hit animation Bluey as it launches in Italy and Greece

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Produced by Ludo Studio and co-commissioned by BBC Studios and ABC Children’s, the much-loved global-hit animation Bluey will make its free-to-air debut on 27 December in Italy on Rai Yoyo, the public broadcast service’s preschool channel. The series will also air on ERT in Greece.

BBC Studios will also launch a new Italian language YouTube channel in January 2022 featuring clips and bonus content from the series.

Master toy partner Moose Toys will lead the product launch this coming Easter with their highly successful toy range via their distributor Giochi Preziosi. Other products from partners including global publishing partner Penguin Random House will follow. Maurizio Distefano Licensing was recently announced as BBC Studios’ licensing agent for Italy.

In Greece, Bluey will air on public broadcaster ERT, with transmission dates to be confirmed shortly. BBC Studios are in the process of finalizing the appointment of Partner Plus to act as licensing agent for Bluey in Greece and Cyprus. Giochi Preziosi will also handle distribution of Moose Toys in Greece and Turkey.

This marks further expansion in EMEA for the award-winning animation which has recently launched on free-to-air TV in Ireland, Denmark, Sweden and France. Bluey is also available on YouTube in French, Spanish and Danish and English with more than 950,000 subscribers.

The series follows Bluey, a six-year-old Blue Heeler dog who loves to play and turn everyday family life into extraordinary adventures that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family, friends and community into her world of fun.

Bluey has won the hearts of kids and parents around the world since it first launched in Australia in October 2018, and has quickly become a global hit.

In Australia, Bluey is the number one kids show on broadcast television in 2020 and is the most-watched series ever on ABC iview. In June 2019, BBC Studios struck a global broadcast deal with Disney to premiere Bluey in all territories outside Australia, New Zealand and Greater China; it now screens in over 60 countries.

In the UK, it was the most viewed show on CBeebies in August and is also available on Disney+. In the US, across Disney Junior and Disney Channel in Q2 2021, the show was the #1 most watched TV series with kids ages 2-5.

Bluey has also won multiple awards, such as the International Emmy Kids Award in the prestigious Preschool Category in 2020, and its second AACTA Awards for Best Children’s Program that same year. The accolades continue in 2021, with Bluey winning four Kidscreen Awards in February.

Bluey is produced by multi-Emmy award-winning Ludo Studio for ABC Kids Australia, co-commissioned by ABC Children’s and BBC Studios, and distributed internationally by BBC Studios outside of Australia.

Sinking Ship partners with Paper Owl Films on Finding Audrey movie

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Canada’s Sinking Ship Entertainment and Northern Ireland’s Paper Owl Films announced today their new partnership on the latter’s movie adaptation of the bestselling Sophie Kinsella novel, Finding Audrey.

The two award-winning companies are co-developing the project, with Paper Owl Films producing and Sinking Ship Entertainment distributing internationally.

The movie adaptation is being envisioned as a family film, and is in the advanced stage of development ahead of Kidscreen in February 2022.

Based on Sophie Kinsella’s bestselling novel of the same name, Finding Audrey is the heartfelt, meaningful, and sometimes hilarious story of a teenage girl suffering from social anxiety disorder. After a triggering bullying incident at school, Audrey is unable to venture out of her house and hides from the world with the help of dark sunglasses.

This new family film tells the story of Audrey’s journey to recovery, with the help of her chaotic but loving family and a boy named Linus. Finding Audrey mixes live-action, animation and special effects to create a quirky, comedic, and emotive viewing experience that will resonate with today’s families.

Sophie Kinsella says: “I’m thrilled to have worked with Paper Owl Films on this exciting and imaginative adaptation of Finding Audrey. I can’t wait for fans of my book to see the characters come to life on screen, and also for a wider audience to meet Audrey and her family. I hope viewers will really engage with the storyline and the issues surrounding teenage mental health.”

“Using Sophie’s novel as our springboard, we’ve deliberately included a mix of live action, animation and special effects in Finding Audrey to create a highly engaging and emotive viewing experience for our family targeted audience,” says Grainne McGuinness, Creative Director at Paper Owl Films “Together with the characters’ mix of perspectives and their evolution within the story, we hope this adaption will continue Sophie’s mission to blow the lid off existing social attitudes to mental health.”

Kate Sanagan, Head of Sales and Distribution from Sinking Ship Entertainment adds: “We’re excited to be partnering with Paper Owl Films on this important project. We were immediately drawn to Finding Audrey’s perceptive take on mental health and teenagers, and we are confident that the series’ creative and engaging format will resonate with both broadcasters and audiences worldwide.”