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

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.

 

Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir live experiences come to Spain

Kids and family entertainment company Planeta Junior and award-winning global entertainment studio ZAG have signed a deal with Madhouse to create immersive experiences based on the globally successful animated series MiraculousTM – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. The series was created by ZAG and co-produced with ON kids & family (Mediawan).

Madhouse is the leading integrated leisure activity and entertainment management company behind MadLab, the chain of pioneering retail entertainment centres. Miraculous experiences premiered at the MadLab Oviedo in November, featuring three immersive activities: Parkour Tech, VR Escape Room and VR Labyrinth. MadLab Zaragoza also offers visitors an immersive Miraculous experience.

Parkour Tech is designed for 5–12 year-olds. This new concept allows fans of Miraculous to test their psychomotor skills and complete team missions against the clock. Each group wears an RFID bracelet with a built-in LED reader to practise their teamwork and skills.

The VR Escape Room is an interactive experience for the whole family. This 50 m2 space allows 2-4 people to become Marinnette’s classmates. They have to solve a series of tests in under five minutes to help their favourite superheroes.

Finally, the entertaining Virtual Reality Labyrinth individual experience gives fans of all ages  seven minutes to explore the Eiffel Tower and help stop Akuma, the supervillain from the popular show, from attacking the city.

“MadLab Oviedo allows the whole family to travel to Ladybug and Cat Noir’s Paris and enter the series, becoming a character that helps their superheroes. Joining forces with sector leader Madhouse guarantees our success,” says Antonella Ceraso, Consumer Products Director at Planeta Junior.

“Reaching an agreement with Planeta Junior and ZAG is part of our global strategy to offer new experiences based on entertainment’s most iconic brands and characters. This is just the first of several launches we aim to work on together,” adds Raluca Gavrilovici, Sales Business Manager at Madhouse.

 

ON Kids & Family appoints bRAND-WARD to build Petronix Defenders brand

European studio ON kids & family, part of Mediawan, has appointed kids IP consultancy bRAND-WARD to develop a UK licensing programme for comedy-animation adventure series Petronix Defenders. 
The 52 x 13′ series is aimed at children from 4 to 7 years old. It is produced in association with the M6 Group (Gulli and M6Kid) and Super RTL, in partnership with the Chinese toy manufacturer and global media group Alpha, the segment leader in the Chinese market, and one of the main players in the toy market worldwide.

When the world’s wild animals are in danger, a team of young superheroes rush to their rescue: their backpacks are transformed into small animals equipped with incredible technology, and together they set off on ever more daring missions to help them.

The series’ environmental values and the empathy created by the characters address the current concerns of young audiences and their parents.

In addition to bRAND-WARD Services, ON kids & family is setting up an international network of experienced licensing agents: Gulli (France), Super RTL (Germany, Benelux and GAS), Planeta Junior (Spain, Portugal, Italy, Eastern and Central Europe), Megalicense (Russia, Ukraine), Lotus Global (Brazil and Latam), and Plus Licens (Nordic countries).

In the UK, Tiny Pop will be the free to air broadcast partner.

“Our L&M strategy is based on major exposure of the series on the best free TV broadcasters, to ensure our partner Alpha the best possible visibility from the beginning of the broadcasts,” says Erick Rouillé, SVP co-productions, Business Development, Licensing & Merchandising. “Our series is generating an enthusiastic response from our broadcast and licensee partners who are convinced of the project’s potential. Alpha will also be launching its toy line worldwide, outside of China, for Christmas 2023. Our organisation also relies on the strong local involvement of agents to whom we have chosen to entrust the exploitation of the brand in many territories.”

Jean-Philippe Randisi, co-founder of bRAND-WARD, adds: “ A superb series, featuring engaging characters, fantastic toys and a very compelling message, Petronix Defenders will take the world by storm in 2023 and beyond. We are proud to be able to join forces with ON Kids & Family to make this series a success in the UK.”