Category Archives: Entertainment

Cartoon Saloon Brand Development to oversee global licensing and merchandising for Netflix film My Father’s Dragon

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Cartoon Saloon Brand Development, the ancillary rights division of five-time Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Emmy-nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon, will spearhead the global licensing and merchandising strategy for the 2D animated family feature, My Father’s Dragon, a Netflix Film, to premiere in 2022. 

The announcement was made today by Brian Tyrrell, General Manager of Cartoon Saloon Brand Development, who will be attending Licensing Expo for in-person meetings.

My Father’s Dragon is inspired by the Newbery Honor Book of the same name by Ruth Stiles Gannett about a young boy who, struggling to cope with a move to the city with his mother, runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. It was first published in 1948 and has since been published in over 20 languages.

My Father’s Dragon is the first book of a trilogy whose other titles are Elmer the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland. All three were published in a 50-year anniversary edition in 2011 as Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon.

“My Father’s Dragon is a timeless and classic story with inspirational qualities which has been pleasing kids and adults alike across the globe for over 70 years, and will for years to come,” says Tyrrell. “Discussions are already well under way with key potential licensees and we look forward to presenting this evergreen property to a wider audience at the upcoming Licensing Expo.”

Directed by Cartoon Network’s Nora Twomey (Song of the Sea, The Secret of Kells, The Breadwinner), My Father’s Dragon is written by Meg LeFauve (Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur), with story by Meg LeFauve and John Morgan, who are also executive producers, along with Tomm Moore, Gerry Shirren, Alan Maloney, and Ruth Coady. Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn of Mockingbird Pictures (Raymond & Ray, Heart of Stone, and Albert Nobbs) are producing together with Cartoon Saloon’s Paul Young.

The talented voice cast includes Jacob Tremblay, Gaten Matarazzo, Golshifteh Farahani, Dianne Wiest, Rita Moreno, Chris O’Dowd, Judy Greer, Alan Cumming, Yara Shahidi, Jackie Earle Haley, Mary Kay Place, Leighton Meester, Spence Moore II, Adam Brody, Charlyne Yi, Maggie Lincoln, Jack Smith with Whoopi Goldberg and Ian McShane.

 

Cartoon Saloon Brand Development to oversee global licensing and merchandising for Netflix film My Father’s Dragon

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Cartoon Saloon Brand Development, the ancillary rights division of five-time Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Emmy-nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon, will spearhead the global licensing and merchandising strategy for the 2D animated family feature, My Father’s Dragon, a Netflix Film, to premiere in 2022. 

The announcement was made today by Brian Tyrrell, General Manager of Cartoon Saloon Brand Development, who will be attending Licensing Expo for in-person meetings.

My Father’s Dragon is inspired by the Newbery Honor Book of the same name by Ruth Stiles Gannett about a young boy who, struggling to cope with a move to the city with his mother, runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. It was first published in 1948 and has since been published in over 20 languages.

My Father’s Dragon is the first book of a trilogy whose other titles are Elmer the Dragon and The Dragons of Blueland. All three were published in a 50-year anniversary edition in 2011 as Three Tales of My Father’s Dragon.

“My Father’s Dragon is a timeless and classic story with inspirational qualities which has been pleasing kids and adults alike across the globe for over 70 years, and will for years to come,” says Tyrrell. “Discussions are already well under way with key potential licensees and we look forward to presenting this evergreen property to a wider audience at the upcoming Licensing Expo.”

Directed by Cartoon Network’s Nora Twomey (Song of the Sea, The Secret of Kells, The Breadwinner), My Father’s Dragon is written by Meg LeFauve (Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur), with story by Meg LeFauve and John Morgan, who are also executive producers, along with Tomm Moore, Gerry Shirren, Alan Maloney, and Ruth Coady. Bonnie Curtis and Julie Lynn of Mockingbird Pictures (Raymond & Ray, Heart of Stone, and Albert Nobbs) are producing together with Cartoon Saloon’s Paul Young.

The talented voice cast includes Jacob Tremblay, Gaten Matarazzo, Golshifteh Farahani, Dianne Wiest, Rita Moreno, Chris O’Dowd, Judy Greer, Alan Cumming, Yara Shahidi, Jackie Earle Haley, Mary Kay Place, Leighton Meester, Spence Moore II, Adam Brody, Charlyne Yi, Maggie Lincoln, Jack Smith with Whoopi Goldberg and Ian McShane.

 

ZAG signs over 30 new partners in Mexico for Miraculous

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Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG has announced that since opening its first Latin American office in Mexico City just six months ago, over 30 new licensees, retailers and various promotional partners have come on board to partner with the company’s flagship brand, Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.   

The announcement was made by Julian Zag, EVP Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products.

Most recently signed partners include Yuyin (shoes); Fotorama (school products including backpacks); Novelties Best Trading (stationery, novelties and kids cosmetics); Cool Things (accessories); Área Creativa (gifts) and Helados Willy (ice-cream).

These new products will start to roll out at retail in autumn 2022. Additional current strategic partners for the territory include Union Kids and Avante Textiles (apparel); E Fashion (pajamas and sleepwear); Fantasy Ruz (costumes); 4E (health and beauty); Flying Wheel (skates, scooters tricycle, bicycles, and protective gear); Andromeda (stationary and dinnerware); Granmark (party goods); and Siglo XX1 (melamine).

Additionally, ZAG has created a unique promotion for Miraculous branded merchandise to be featured at Emoción Deportiva, a race that takes place later this year in Mexico City. Parents and children will run in pairs, and runners will receive an exclusive Miraculous bag, medal, face mask and t-shirt with options of 1, 2, 3, and 5 kilometre runs.

In Mexico, the toy line from ZAG Lab and Playmates, distributed by Bandai Mexico since 2017, has been a huge success with a 130% increase in sales over 2021 and 84% product sell-through.

The toy line includes the top-selling fashion doll alongside action figures, role-playing games, stuffed animals, collectibles and roleplay.

Toys are available throughout Mexico at mass market in supermarkets, department stores, and specialised and e-commerce stores. This autumn, the new product line will be available, including an expanded Heroez doll line with new characters and 19 Kwami collectibles.

“Mexico is a the largest and most mature market in Latin America and aspirational to Latino countries,”  says Julian Zag. “Miraculous Ladybug has 91.67% awareness in Mexico for girls ages 7–9 due to the robust content available on key platforms and everyone is excited for the upcoming animated $100M+ feature that will debut later in the year.

“We are focusing on generating the best brand experiences and products for our Miraculous Ladybug fans and are delighted to have signed with such a distinguished group of licensees. We are also in discussion with partners for collaborations that will bring location-based experiences and activities to families, retail pop-ups, and a new line of products for young adults. We can’t wait to get these new products on shelves alongside our hugely successful toy line from ZAG Lab and Playmates, distributed by Bandai.”

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir airs daily in Mexico on Televisa, which holds free-to-air rights, as well as Disney Channel and Disney+. The first three seasons of the series also stream on Netflix.

Miraculous has a huge social media fan base in Mexico with more than 3.8 million followers across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and Mexico is always amongst the top three countries with the most views of Miraculous on YouTube.

Special ‘Miraculous’ episode to highlight the issue of plastic pollution

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International non-profit the Breteau Foundation – which provides quality education tools to disadvantaged children worldwide – has announced a partnership with independent animation studios ZAG and ON kids & family (Mediawan Group) to collaborate on a special episode of the global hit animated series Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir to raise awareness about the global plastic crisis. 

To be released in spring 2023, the episode, which will reach millions of Miraculous fans around the globe, seeks to inspire the next generation to be sustainable changemakers in the fight against plastic.

In the special episode, Marinette, Adrien and their friends want to actively fight plastic pollution in Paris, but as a small group, the task seems just too enormous. It occurs to Marinette that they should try to fix the problem at the root, by trying to meet with the largest plastic manufacturer in person and convince him to change his habits. But the heroes are about to meet an opponent in plain clothes far more fearsome than some of the supervillains they encounter! And what if, on top of that, Monarch, the super villain, decides to akumatize the baron of plastic?

The Breteau Foundation initiated the collaboration with ZAG and ON kids & family (Mediawan Group) in 2020 after searching for an entertainment partner with a strong presence among children. ZAG and ON kids & family (Mediawan Group) are producing the special episode on reducing plastic, and the Breteau Foundation will work with them to enhance the script with key educational messages. Furthermore, the Breteau Foundation is developing an accompanying series of workshops that will include lesson plans, teaching resources and STEAM learning tools catered to local primary school curriculums and available to download for free.

“At the Breteau Foundation, we believe in providing opportunities for children to become engaged in real-world issues that transcend classroom walls. Partnering with Miraculous to produce a special episode on plastic was a unique opportunity for us to reach millions of children worldwide to raise awareness on the global plastic crisis and inspire them to become active change makers,” says Sebastien Breteau, Founder of the Breteau Foundation.

“We are sensitive to ecology and environmental protection through the actions we plan to launch shortly within our future foundation ZAG Forest,” adds Jeremy Zag, Founder and CEO, ZAG. “In this context, it seemed obvious to us to participate in the initiative of the Breteau Foundation and to put our heroes at the service of this cause. Ladybug and Cat Noir are the best ambassadors of tomorrow’s issues and will be able to accompany children in their mission to create a better world.”

“We are very happy to get involved with the Breteau Foundation in an absolutely essential initiative: to enable our children to be aware of current issues and to protect the future of the planet,” says Aton Soumache, Founder and President of ON kids & family. “This message will be all the more powerful as it is carried by Ladybug, a heroine as famous as she is aspirational. The DNA of our series and the values it conveys are naturally in line with the issues defended by the Breteau Foundation.”

The educational film and workshops will be accessible for free on the Breteau Foundation website in spring 2023, available initially in six languages:  English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Italian and Norwegian.

For more information, head to this link on the Breteau Foundation website.

 

Hot Wheels is latest Mattel IP heading for the big screen

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Mattel and Warner Bros. Pictures have announced that J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot will produce Hot Wheels, a live-action motion picture featuring the iconic toy racing car.

“As the global leader in car culture, Hot Wheels has been igniting the challenger spirit in auto enthusiasts for generations,” says Robbie Brenner, Executive Producer, Mattel Films. “Fans of all ages are now in for the ride of their lives with the incredible talent of J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot joining us alongside Warner Bros. Pictures to transform Hot Wheels’ legendary IP into a thrilling story for the big screen.”

Hot Wheels is the #1 selling toy in the world, with over 8 billion vehicles sold. The franchise has proven its influence through unparalleled collaborations with global leaders in automotive, streetwear, fashion, luxury, entertainment, gaming, action sports and motorsports.

“Growing up, Hot Wheels were more than just cars, they were vehicles for our imaginations,” says Peter Dodd, Vice President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures. “Today, we at Warner Bros. are thrilled to bring that imagination to the big screen with Robbie Brenner and the creative team at Mattel along with the ingenious minds of J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella and the team at Bad Robot.”

Hannah Minghella, Bad Robot’s President of Motion Pictures, adds: “Before Hot Wheels became the global household name it is today, it was the dream of Elliot Handler, who was inventing and building toy cars at home in his Southern California garage. It’s that imagination, passion, and risk-taking spirit that we want to capture in this film.”

Kevin McKeon, Vice President, and Andrew Scannell, Creative Executive, will lead the project for Mattel Films. Peter Dodd will lead the project for Warner Bros. Pictures. Hannah Minghella and Jon Cohen will oversee for Bad Robot.Mattel Films and Warner Bros. Pictures are also partners on the upcoming motion picture, Barbie. Now in principal photography, the film is targeted for theatrical release in 2023. The film stars and is produced by Margot Robbie under her Lucky Chap Entertainment banner and directed by Greta Gerwig, who also wrote the screenplay alongside her husband Noah Baumbach.

In addition to Hot Wheels, the Mattel Films development slate features movies based on American Girl, Barbie, Barney, Magic 8 Ball, Major Matt Mason, Masters of the Universe, Polly Pocket, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Thomas & Friends, UNO, View Master, and Wishbone. Mattel Films is also developing Christmas Balloon, based on all-new IP.

Miraculous and Bing join tonies® lineup

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tonies®, the leading children’s audio system, has three new releases lined up for May: Pride Tales, Bing and Miraculous.

Ladybug and Cat Noir fans will be excited for the new Miraculous Tonie (ages 6+), set to bring superhero adventures to life on the Toniebox. Find out how the pair became their city-saving superhero personas with a little help from the Kwamis, with flashbacks based on the original episodes from the hit TV show.

Bing makes his debut on top of the Toniebox this month, with a collection of stories aimed at kids aged 3 and up, featuring Bing, his carer Flop and all their friends. The new Bing Tonie features dialogue from the original episodes paired with songs from the popular series. With a running time of almost an hour, it’s guaranteed to be a hit with preschoolers.

Ahead of Pride Month in June, tonies® is launching ‘Pride Tales’ (4+), an exclusive collection of LGBTQ+ stories, poems and songs. This Tonie offers the perfect way to explain different stories of love to young children, and to encourage them to always follow their own rainbow.

For more information, visit https://tonies.com/en-gb/

Baby Shark marks Earth Day with new series about climate change

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In line with its mission to “make the world a better place with joyful content”, Baby Shark is continuing its efforts to motivate children and their parents to learn what they can do to take care of our planet.

To celebrate Earth Day 2022, The Pinkfong Company has released Earth Day with Pinkfong and Baby Shark, a brand-new playlist consisting of a climate change content series designed to inspire families to take small but significant steps to help protect the environment.

Featuring the beloved Pinkfong and Baby Shark, the 35 minute-long playlist contains 15 fun and engaging videos that educate viewers on the importance of preserving the Earth, and adopting habits to improve the environment. Through content such as The Scary Mr. Greenhouse Gas! and Buzzy Buzzy Bees, audiences will be able to learn how to reduce waste and emissions and conserve endangered species.

The full playlist will be available on Pinkfong’s YouTube channels in six languages, including English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, German, and Portuguese.

In addition to the educational playlist, The Pinkfong Company is teaming up with A Plastic Ocean Foundation (APO), a charitable organisation in Hong Kong, to support Only One Ocean Flag Day 2022, a charity event to conserve the ocean hosted by APO. As part of the collaboration, The Pinkfong Company and APO has launched a series of high-quality flag stickers and collectibles, including the Baby Shark RPET Lunchbags made from post-consumer recycled PET bottles.

Exploding Kittens heading for Netflix

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Netflix is launching a mobile game and TV series from the same franchise, building on the popular Exploding Kittens card game. Exploding Kittens – The Game, an exclusive version of the popular mobile game, will launch on Netflix in May, followed by an adult animated comedy series coming in 2023, starring Tom Ellis (Rush, Lucifer), Abraham Lim (Clickbait,The Boys) and Lucy Liu (Shazam, Elementary).

In the animated series, titled Exploding Kittens, the eternal conflict between Heaven and Hell reaches epic proportions when both God and the Devil are sent to Earth – in the bodies of chunky house cats. The series comes from showrunners Shane Kosakowski and Matthew Inman; executive producers Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Dustin Davis of Bandera Entertainment; executive producers Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping for the Chernin Entertainment Group; and executive producers and creators of the Exploding Kittens franchise, Elan Lee and The Oatmeal’s Inman.

Exploding Kittens – The Game retains the same classic gameplay where players draw cards aiming to avoid the Exploding Kitten. Plus, fans will enjoy two new exclusive cards: Radar, which reveals to players the position of the Exploding Kitten closest to the top of the card deck, and Flip Flop, which reverses the order of the cards in the deck.

Future cards and game mechanics will be themed around the animated series so friends and families can play with their favourite characters and bring the show to life. With both single and multiplayer options, the game will be available to Netflix members without additional fees or in-app purchases.

“The co-development of a game and animated series breaks new ground for Netflix,” says Mike Moon, Netflix Head of Adult Animation. “And we couldn’t think of a better game to build a universe around than Exploding Kittens, one of the most inventive, iconic and original games of this century. Netflix is the perfect place to explore this growing franchise and we are so fortunate to be working with this incredible team.”

“Our goal is to offer our members great entertainment they’ll love in whatever format they may enjoy – whether it be a game or an animated series,” adds Leanne Loombe, Head of External Games, Netflix. “As we expand our mobile games catalogue, we’re excited to partner with the Exploding Kittens digital team to bring this enjoyable game to all age groups, including a few exciting updates exclusively for our members.”

“Netflix is the only service that could bring Exploding Kittens to life in both a series and a game,” says Matthew Inman, Exploding Kittens Chief Creative Officer and Creator of The Oatmeal. “We actually launched Exploding Kittens on Kickstarter as a weekend project, but our community has been the heart and soul of the company over the past six years. The new series and game will give our fans new ways to connect and interact with the franchise.”

Additional details about the Exploding Kittens adult animated series will be announced at a later date.

Silvergate Media announces new episodes of Octonauts: Above & Beyond

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Silvergate Media has confirmed that a second season of Octonauts: Above & Beyond will make its global debut on Netflix on 2 May 2022. The new episodes follow the debut of this Octonauts spin-off last September where the intrepid crew proved themselves as heroes on land as well as underwater.  

In the new episodes, the Octonauts will continue to explore dynamic landscapes, experience new climates, rescue animals and protect the land they live on. Highlights include a 22-minute special, Rainforest Rescue, which sees the Octonauts embark on an adventure through the Amazon rainforest canopy to rescue a baby eaglet. Fans will also be thrilled by the introduction of three new Terra Gups to the Octonaut’s land-based vehicle fleet, based on a Giraffe Weevil, Turtle and Centipede. 

The launch of Octonauts: Above & Beyond Series 2 is perfectly timed to support the roll-out of the highly anticipated new toy range from global master toy licensee Moose Toys. Set to launch this summer, the new collection will bring the show to life with figures, vehicles, playsets, plush and more. Octonauts: Above & Beyond will feature alongside classic Octonauts lines adding depth to the growing consumer products programme.

“The expansion of the Octonauts and the broadening of the much-loved universe onto land creates a wealth of exciting new opportunities for our consumer products programme,” says Ron Allen, EVP Commercial at Silvergate Media. “We’re delighted to be continuing partnering with Netflix and are wholly committed to working with our partners, including Moose Toys, to entertain and educate young children about the wonders of the natural world.”

Moose Toys partners with Silvergate Media for new Octonauts toy line

Cry Babies Magic Tears launches on Netflix

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Fans of leading doll brand Cry Babies Magic Tears now have even more options to follow their favourite characters’ adventures as IMC Toys has secured a global deal with the world’s leading entertainment streaming service, Netflix.

Full episodes of the popular animated series will be available to stream in homes in 24 languages and over 190 countries where Netflix operates.

The Cry Babies Magic Tears animated series originally launched in the UK on IMC Toys’ YouTube platform, Kitoons, in 2018, alongside the successful launch of the Cry Babies Magic Tears collectible line at retail; an extension of the popular Cry Babies brand. The new Netflix deal builds on the momentum the brand has garnered since entering the market and offers viewers 400 minutes of content that will be released between two seasons this year, the first on 18 April and the second in autumn.

“IMC Toys couldn’t be prouder to be part of Netflix’s content offering,” says Raquel Roca, Communication Manager, IMC Toys. “Our aim is to always provide the best possible experience for our consumers and this premiere on Netflix gives our fans even more accessibility to the content they love.
“Cry Babies Magic Tears is a global brand, and Netflix is the perfect platform to allow kids around the world to enjoy our amazing series and share the positive messaging it brings to our viewers.”
Cry Babies Magic Tears are cute little babies with big personalities. They live in an imaginative world where tears are magical and carry special powers that are used to overcome challenging situations. The series, which is designed for children aged three to six, uses each episode to instil positive values in an interesting and engaging way through content. Viewers will be able to enjoy the best of the best from Cry Babies Magic Tears seasons two and three.
This premiere on Netflix is the latest in a lineup of deals that IMC Toys has concluded with television and streaming entities across the globe, including Nick Junior (UK), Gulli (France), Disney (Spain), Frisbee (Italy), Togo (Germany), Telekids (Holland), RTL (Croatia) and Televisa (Mexico). All of which serve the goal of bringing fans into the world of Cry Babies Magic Tears and making the brand an international powerhouse for both children’s entertainment and toys.

For more information on Cry Babies and other ranges by IMC Toys, contact info.uk@imctoys.com