Tag Archives: news

MGA Entertainment named worldwide licensing agent for Moonbug’s Little Baby Bum

Posted on by

Moonbug has appointed MGA Entertainment its worldwide licensing agent for the global pre-school sensation, Little Baby Bum. Under the new partnership, MGAE will develop a consumer products programme for the brand to accelerate its availability and accessibility across the globe.

The move follows on from the success of the Little Tikes Little Baby Bum toy line released last autumn.

“Little Baby Bum’s engaging and playful nursery rhymes have resonated with millions of kids around the world, and we’re excited to bring fans new ways to deepen their connection both online and offline,” said Simon Philips, Moonbug. “It is a favourite for parents, too. During these difficult times where educational content has been in high demand from parents, Little Baby Bum has seen a huge uptick in views as parents have chosen it to entertain their kids.”

As a part of this agreement, MGAE will manage new licensees and work with both physical and digital retailers to ensure that Little Baby Bum fans of all ages can bring home a piece of their favourite characters – from apparel to bedding to fast-moving consumer goods to digital and traditional publishing.

“Little Baby Bum is a worldwide favorite among kids as we’ve seen with the initial launch of our Little Tikes Little Baby Bum toys that launched last fall,” said Isaac Larian, CEO and founder of MGAE. “Our worldwide licensing team has generated much success for the L.O.L Surprise! brand and this is an exciting time to bring the Little Baby Bum digital IP into the real world for its millions of fans.”

Little Baby Bum has captivated audiences with its playful nursery rhyme storylines that help kids learn and grow through song. It has expanded exponentially both offline and online in the last year and can be found on over 40 platforms globally including Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. On YouTube alone, it garners over 1.5 billion views per month and has surpassed 80 million subscribers.

Messaging app Rakuten to develop licensing programme with Medialink

Posted on by

The messaging app service, Rakuten Viber has signed a deal with Medialink Animation International Limited, to transform the popular app’s sticker characters into a merchandising programme for the Philippines. Medialink is regarded as on of Asia’s biggest licensing agents.

Violet, LegCat, Freddie, Lola, and the rest of the Viber gang have been an integral part of the messaging app users’ daily conversations, encouraging them to communicate and express themselves in a more genuine and playful manner. Over 2 billion stickers are sent globally on Viber each month.

A survey conducted by Viber showed that over 90 per cent of Filipino respondents were familiar with the app’s sticker characters, while over 85 per cent said they were interested in owning Viber-character branded products.

Soon, they will be able to find merchandise based on these beloved sticker characters in leading stores in the Philippines.

“Medialink brings solid expertise, knowledge and great passion to help us take our massively successful sticker characters into the real world in the Philippines – a market with an 85 per cent interest in owning Viber-branded products. Just knowing that Viber fans will soon get to extend their love for Violet, LegCat and other characters in more tangible quality ways is truly exciting and a great step into deepening our relationship with our audience of over 1 billion users globally,” said Matan Kaufman, product marketing director at Viber.

“We’re very excited to be working with Viber on this project. With our best effort and experienced team, we are sure that we can create the first successful Viber licensing,” added Noletta Chiu, executive director of Medialink.

“We know that this venture will be a success because Viber’s sticker characters are already so ingrained in the everyday chats of Filipinos. It’s only natural that consumers will embrace them even more fully through official merchandise. It’s an exciting venture for Rakuten Viber and Medialink is incredibly honoured to be part of it.”

 

Disney’s live action Mulan remake is launching to Disney+, and the cinemas aren’t happy

Posted on by

The release of Disney’s live-action remake of Mulan on its own streaming platform Disney+ has been labelled as ‘frankly bewildering’ and strongly criticised by the body representing British Cinemas.

The announcement came this week that Mulan has finally confirmed its release date, having suffered a number of postponements owing to the lockdown measures taken around the world in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic and the temporary closure of cinemas. The live-action take on the animated film will now land on September 4th.

However, the film won’t be released in cinemas, but straight to Disney’s own streaming platform, Disney+ at the cost of a Premium Access fee for viewers. This means that those wanting to watch the movie will have to pay a cost of $29.99 (around £23) on top of their Disney+ subscription fee to do so.

While Disney’s boss, Bob Chapek has heralded the move as an achievement for the studio and fans, stating that Disney is “very pleased to bring Mulan to the consumer base who has been waiting for it,” and indicating that this form of release for major feature films will be a one-off for Mulan, the move has been strongly opposed by UK cinema owners who have reason to believe that the film will follow the same release format here.

The UK Cinema Association’s chief executive, Phil Clapp has said that any plans of Disney to do so will be a ‘step backwards rather than forwards for many.’

“With cinemas across the UK now continuing to re-open and welcome back their customers, the decision by Walt Disney Studios yesterday to put Mulan on their Disney+ service and not into cinemas will be seen by many as hugely disappointing and mistimed,” he said.

Disney’s Bob Chapek said the cost of Premium Access to view Mulan would vary in other countries, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand and parts of Western Europe. But Disney has not confirmed its plans for the UK.

The Association’s Clapp said: “Rather than playing a great new family film in the best place possible to see it, the cinema theatre, audiences are instead being encouraged to stay home and pay a premium price to watch it.”

Although around 40 per cent of UK cinemas are reported to have reopened, many cinemagoers have not returned. Last weekend’s box office takings were just 3 per cent of the total on the same weekend last year. Many were optimistic that the release of the blockbuster film Mulan would bring them a much-needed customer boost following the lockdown measures.

Rovio taps IMG as worldwide licensing agent for Angry Birds

Posted on by

Rovio Entertainment has tapped IMG as its worldwide consumer products licensing agent for the popular Angry Birds franchise. The new deal will give Rovio a ‘one-stop shop’ global partner to develop a consumer products programme that spans all of the Angry Birds’ franchise’s content and platforms.

The first Angry Birds game launched on mobile devices back in 2009, when it rocketed to viral status and spawned a brand that today continues to draw millions of active users to its games and animated content.

Over the last decade, the Angry Birds characters have been developed into a multi-platform entertainment franchise with two blockbuster movie releases, animated series, location-based entertainment and consumer products. Angry Birds mobile games have been downloaded over 4.5 billion times.

Rovio Entertainment Corp. CEO Kati Levoranta commented: “Over the years Rovio has worked with a number of agents around the world, supporting us greatly in making Angry Birds available to fans everywhere in various physical forms.

“While we continue to focus on developing and publishing memorable gaming experiences and content, in IMG we have found a partner with whom we aim to deliver a more strategic and globally consistent licensing programme that’s aligned with our core business. We’re excited to begin this new chapter of the Angry Birds brand together with IMG.”

Bruno Maglione, president of licensing, IMG added: “The evolution of Angry Birds from mobile game to worldwide global pop culture fixture is perhaps one of the most impressive achievements in recent times in new original animated character creation. Working closely with Rovio, we are enthusiastic about the potential to take this franchise to new levels of success as it embarks on its next decade.”

UK comic book publisher Rebellion launches fundraising t-shirt to support London’s The Cartoon Museum through Covid-19 crisis

Posted on by

Rebellion, the renowned publisher behind one of Britain’s biggest comics, 2000 AD, is raising funds to help the UK’s only musem dedicated to comic books survive the current Covid-19 pandemic. In an effort to support The Cartoon Museum in London, the outfit has launched a special t-shirt bearing classic art from the heyday of British comics.

The new T-shirt is available exclusively from the 2000 AD and Treasury of British Comics web shops and features the cover of Battle Picture Weekly #423 (cover date: 11 June 1983) by the artist Eric Bradbury. As well as the museum’s own logo, it features the cover from the Invasion 1984 comic strip, depicting a Piccadilly Circus invaded by aliens.

All profits from the sale of the shirts will go towards the independent museum’s £150,000 fundraising appeal, which seeks to help it through the difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown.

The Cartoon Museum’s director, Joe Sullivan, said: “We are incredibly grateful to our friends at Rebellion for their kind offer to help with fundraising towards The Cartoon Museum’s survival during this difficult time. It is humbling to receive support from our peers and colleagues in the UK comic and cartooning scene, and shows the depth of feeling for the museum.

“We hope Rebellion fans and our visitors love the brilliant shirt design, and look forward to continuing to work with Rebellion in the future.”

Jason Kingsley OBE, the CEO of Rebellion, said: “Comics have a vital place in Britain’s culture and heritage, and The Cartoon Museum does great work protecting that legacy, preserving it for future generations, and showcasing the best creators of today. The heritage sector has been hit really hard by Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown, and so we’re delighted to do what we can to help this nationally important museum survive and thrive.”

75 per cent of the museum’s yearly income is from admission, shop purchases, school visits, and venue bookings. However, since its closure on March 18th at the hands of the pandemic, the museum has been hit hard, with no regular government or local authority funding to supplement it. When visitors do return, the museum is expecting an 80 per cent drop in numbers.

Such a big expected drop in revenue, along with the longer-term impacts of COVID-19 on key audiences for the museum such as schools and overseas tourism, has huge implications and so The Cartoon Museum is fundraising to survive the closure period.

Set up by the Trustees of The Cartoon Museum, so far the fundraising appeal has raised £86,000 towards a total goal of £150,000. Various contributions have come in the form of small grants, proceeds of a half marathon, cover price and book sale reductions from publishers close to the musem, proceeds from a sale of one-off comic art, and donations from friends and the public.

In July 2020, the museum announced an award of £98,700 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Cartoon Museum champions cartoon and comic art, highlighting its importance to culture and society. Since 2006 it has received 420,000 visitors, and built a nationally important collection of 4,300 cartoons, comics and caricatures, and a library of 18,000 items.

The Cartoon Museum runs a well-attended school programme and sell-out school holiday workshops, and over 50,000 children and adults have attended cartooning, comic and animation workshops and the museum receives 3,000 student visits each year. The museum is a registered charity.

If you would like to help secure the museum’s survival, you can donate to the appeal at www.cartoonmuseum.org

Intellivision lines up Mattel and Sesame Workshop partnerships for its gaming system reboot Amico

Posted on by

Intellivision Entertainment, the video game industry pioneer and team behind the upcoming Intellivision Amico launch, has detailed significant additions to its game portfolio, as well as new licensing partnerships with the likes of Mattel and Sesame Workshop.

The latest partnerships were revealed in a virtual press event hosted by Tommy Tallarico, CEO of Intellivision Entertainment, who has made it his mission to bring families back into ‘community gaming’ through the Amico system, the modern reboot of the iconic Intellivision video game console. The console is scheduled for release in April 2021.

Tallaric revealed an extensive list of new Amico games, including Earthworm Jim 4, and new partnerships with Mattel to launch a racing game based on its popular Hot Wheels franchise, Sesame Workshop to develop a suite of educational Sesame Street games, and USAopoly (The Op) to bring interactive versions of its board games Telestrations and Blank Slate to life on the platform.

These announcements come on the heels of recently announced licensing deals with brands such as Major League Baseball, Evel Knievel and The American Cornhole League.

“The magic of Intellivision Amico is that it will bring families and friends together around gaming – something that the world could always use more of – and these new games and partnerships will be a critical part of that,” said Tallarico.

The company also announced its growing network of global retail and online partners including GameStop, Amazon, and Walmart.com among others. The new games and partnerships reinforce the conviction of Intellivision’s mission to reignite the family- and group-oriented benefits of multi-player gaming that were so prevalent at the dawn of the gaming era.

Finally, the company announced that, after painstaking efforts to overcome the myriad of obstacles and constraints imposed by the global pandemic, Amico’s target launch date will shift from October 10, 2020, to April 15, 2021.

“Despite unprecedented challenges, the accomplishments and progress made by our internal team, plus our incredible network of developers and partners, is nothing short of amazing,” said Tallarico. “Our primary focus is delivering a quality product, and we remain steadfast in our mission to bring family fun back to gaming with Intellivision Amico’s launch.”

Earthworm Jim 4 brings the legendary multi-award-winning side-scrolling game back exclusively for Amico, while  Intellivision and Sesame Workshop announced a series of educational titles that will utilize the unique Amico touch screen controllers, motion controls and couch co-op for the entire family to join in the learning and fun.

Meanwhile, Hot Wheels has ignited the challenger spirit around the world since the brand’s introduction in 1968. In a statement, Intellivsion said it was ‘beyond excited to have this spectacular brand be a part of the game repertoire, and it will challenge parents, kids and fans alike as they race to the finish line.’

‘Through its partnership with The Op, Intellivision will offer the laugh-out-loud party game, Telestrations. Families will be able to experience the joy of laughter and miscommunication while they sketch and guess silly drawings and words. Never before brought to the digital era, this party game will allow for entire families, from children to grandparents, to share a laugh and enjoy the fun,’ said the firm.

‘Another terrific board game coming from The Op to Amico is Blank Slate. This party game allows families to get in sync with one another as they attempt to fill in the blank with just one word to complete the phrase. When players guess the same word, they receive extra points. Blank Slate only takes moments to learn and its simplicity makes it fun for players of any age.’

 

China’s UYoung brings Magic Light Pictures’ The Gruffalo and more to its UKids app

Posted on by

China’s children’s and family entertainment media company, UYoung, has acquired six family favourite films from Magic Light Pictures to broadcast across its educational UKids app and SVOD service.

The new deal will see Magic Light’s hit features The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child, Room on the Broom, Stick Man, The Highway Rat, and Zog all land on the platform, China’s only dedicated content English learning platform for pre-schoolers.

Based on the much-loved children’s picture books written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, the films were first broadcast to audiences of millions on the BBC as an integral part of its Christmas schedules, for which Magic Light has produced a new festive treat each year for the last seven years.

Ukids is UYoung’s recently launched one-stop service of global children’s programming for Chinese families aimed at helping children to speak English through high-quality developmental content. Available on OTT, iOS, Android mobile and tablet, the dedicated kids’ app contains a wealth of specially curated content chosen for its educational value, ranging from STEM, arts and crafts and nature through to socio-emotional programming.

The English language learning elements of the app have been developed in partnership with the British Council.

Clara Yang, vice president international business and newly appointed general manager for Ukids, said: “We are delighted to have added these wonderful films from Magic Light to our UKids portfolio. They are perfect for the platform’s aim of providing educational and entertaining content in a safe and happy environment to help children grow and develop, and are yet another example of our ability to acquire top-class content from leading international production companies.”

Muriel Thomas, Magic Light Pictures’ head of international distribution, said: “The Gruffalo’s films and subsequent TV specials have a huge international appeal and we are thrilled to have signed our first deal with UYoung to bring these wonderful stories to a whole new audience.”

Golden Goose welcomes new product director Rebeckah Dalton as Phillippa Green takes up role at The Royal Mint

Posted on by

Golden Goose is bidding a fond farewell to its product director Phillippa Green who is leaving the licensing agency to take up the role of licensing manager at The Royal Mint. Green has held her position with the outfit for the past five years.

Among the latest changes to the Golden Goose team, it’s TLC’s former head of product development, Rebeckah Dalton, who now joins the company to take on the management of the Original Stormtrooper licensing programme.

Adam Bass, director of Golden Goose, said: “It’s going to be very, very hard to say goodbye to Phillippa who has been such an excellent member of the team for the last five years, the clients and I will miss her.

“On the plus side though, we are excited to have Rebeckah coming on board and we look forward to adding her input, insight, and experience to the successful Original Stormtrooper licensing programme and other new clients joining our portfolio.”

Golden Goose’s new product director, Rebeckah Dalton, said: “It’s great to be joining such a professional company and to be working on such a great property. I can’t wait to get started.”

 

Kevin Smith and WildBrain to develop original Green Hornet animated series

Posted on by

WildBrain has teamed up with the renowned filmmaker, screenwriter, and actor, Kevin Smith to develop an original animated series based on the superhero franchise Green Hornet.

The new animated series will target a  family audience and feature classic Green Hornet elements that fans know and love, including his ultra high-tech car, the Black Beauty. However, set in contemporary times, the series will deliver some new elements as it follows the adventures of a re-imagined Green Hornet and Kato – the grown son of the original Green Hornet and the daughter of the original Kato.

Kevin Smith said: “It’s an honour to escort the legendary Green Hornet and Kato into their very own animated series for the first time in the rich history of these iconic pop culture characters. We’ll be telling a tale of two Hornets – past and future – that spans generations and draws inspiration from a lifetime spent watching classic cartoons and amazing animation like Batman: The Animated Series, Heavy Metal, and Super Friends.

“I can’t believe WildBrain gave me this job and I can’t thank them enough for the opportunity to extend my childhood a little longer.”

Stephanie Betts, EVP content and current series at WildBrain, added: “We’re thrilled to embark on a new animated Green Hornet series with Kevin, who has set up an incredibly rich world with a cast of  amazing characters – especially Kato, who is no longer just a sidekick, but is now a strong female partner to the Green Hornet.

“With his ingenious talent and passion for superheroes and classic franchises, Kevin is the perfect creator to update the Green Hornet. We’re excited to share the new Green Hornet and Kato with audiences worldwide.”

The Green Hornet originated as a radio series created by George W. Trendle in the 1930s, telling the story of Britt Reid, the wealthy owner and publisher of the fictional newspaper, The Daily Sentinel. By day, Reid oversees his paper’s reporting on crime and injustice, but by night he dons his green mask and ventures across the city with his sidekick Kato – in their ultra high-tech car the Black Beauty – to battle criminals and villains head on.

Over the decades, the Green Hornet franchise has spawned numerous comics series, toy lines, movie serials, a feature film and the classic 1966 live action TV series, which introduced future martial arts superstar Bruce Lee to North American audiences as Kato.

Kevin Smith is best known as the creative force behind such indie classic films as Mallrats, Clerks, Chasing Amy and the Jay and Silent Bob franchise. A self-described “professional pop-culture junkie”, he entertains legions of his fans weekly with his podcasts and YouTube videos, providing exuberant and passionate views on comics, superheroes and pop culture.

Smith has written numerous Green Hornet and Kato comics for Dynamite Entertainment, as well as Daredevil comics for Marvel and Green Arrow for DC. He also owns the comic-book store Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash, in Red Bank, New Jersey, which was the subject of the reality television show Comic Book Men.

Boat Rocker Studios secures raft of global TV partners for Love Monster

Posted on by

Boat Rocker Studios, a division of global media company Boat Rocker Media, has secured a raft of TV sales for its quirky new pre-school series, Love Monster. The new slate follows the series successful launch on CBeebies in late January this year.

Love Monster has achieved over six million views on iPlayer to date, and has now secured a suite of international broadcast partners, including ABC Australia, CBC Gem Canada, RTE Ireland, YLE Finland, and TVNZ New Zealand. These partners are joined by MBC, the largest private media company in the Middle East, and the Iberian kids’ subscription channel Canal Panda for Spain as well as the free-to-air channel Viu TV in Hong Kong.

The international roll out started with ABC Australia in June 2020.

Love Monster is a 2D animated series that follows the adventures of the one-of-a-kind, huggable hero Love Monster and his friends in Fluffytown. Full of heart and helping pre-schoolers understand different emotions, Love Monster showcases the importance of kindness, empathy, connection and instinct.

The series is based on the bestselling pre-school books by Rachel Bright, published by HarperCollins Children’s Books.  The production is a ground-breaking collaboration between BBC Children’s In-House Productions, Boat Rocker Studios and the Chinese kids’ entertainment company UYoung.

Love Monster is executive produced by Tony Reed for the BBC, Chapman Maddox for Boat Rocker and James Chen Gu for UYoung. The UK share of the animation for the series is produced by Karrot Animation and A Productions, whilst a proportion of pre-production on scripts, storyboards and design is provided by UYoung’s studio in China.

Boat Rocker Studios is managing the global content distribution and consumer products program for the franchise, excluding China and South East Asia which is managed by UYoung.