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.

 

Milo celebrates ratings success on Milkshake! as preschool series goes from ‘strength to strengthg

Milo, the new preschool series from Fourth Wall and Planeta Junior, is celebrating high ratings across Channel 5’s Milkshake, the channel’s preschool segment upon which it made its UK debut in mid-May this year.

Within one month of launching on May 10th in its prime time 8am weekday slot, the series has, according to the firm, ‘achieved great ratings on Milkshake!’ with expectations abound that the series will ‘continue to go from strength to strength.

The series is also available for viewers on the broadcaster’s on-demand platform, My5.

Milo follows the adventures of its titular hero, a five year old cat who, together with his friends Lofty and Lark, uses role-play to explore the world of vocations, be that a doctor or mechanic, a hairdresser or chef, or a postal worker. The aim of the series is to introduce preschoolers to a variety of professions in a positive and entertaining way.

Milo is already a successful children’s book character with over 30 titles published and sold in more than 20 territories worldwide.

The production of the preschool series has been supported by the UK Government’s Young Audiences Content Fund. Managed by the BFI, the fund supports the creation of distinctive, quality content for young audiences. The fund is intended for providing content that informs our understanding of the world, stimulates knowledge and learning, as well as representing diversity and alternative viewpoints.

Planeta Junior holds and manages the series’ worldwide consumer products rights and is working with Lisle Licensing in the UK to build a strong brand presence and licensing programme.

Pocket.watch taps Planeta Junior as European licensing agent for Love, Diana

Pocket.watch has tapped Planeta Junior to be its exclusive consumer products licensing agent for Love, Diana across France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and CEE, as well as support opportunities for the property at a wide European level.

It marks the latest licensing development for the popular YouTube series that recently named Spacetoon its licensing agent and toy partner for the MENA region, and handed global rights to Wow! Stuff last month. Love, Diana is a hybrid animation series from Pocket.watch, the team behind the famous Ryan’s World franchise.

Diana is the seven-year-old super-star behind the world’s third most watched YouTube channel: the Kids Diana Show, which has over 76 million followers. Diana, her brother Roma, and their parents create imaginative videos featuring songs and games. 

Love, Diana features 35 adventure-filled episodes that transport Diana into a new world: The Land of Play, where she is transformed into an animated character: The Princess of Play. The series highlights key values like friendship, leadership, family, imagination and the power of play.

Planeta Junior will be responsible for coordinating Love, Diana’s licensing and merchandising program.

Children’s programming is seeing its biggest demand ever globally, and we are thrilled to bring Love, Diana to new territories after an incredible franchise launch,” said Danny Spronz, managing director EMEA, pocket.watch. “Pocket.watch’s work in the kids entertainment sector has blazed a trail for many creator-led franchises, and we’re excited to work with Planeta Junior to deliver more of what kids and families clearly love.”

Diego Ibáñez Belaustegui, Planeta Junior Chief Brand Officer, added: “We have been bringing consumers the best experiences and products based on their favorite entertainment for the last 20 years.

“Diana is a wonderful character, full of charisma. Millions of children around the world adore her already. This IP is a breath of fresh air for the licensing industry. Planeta Junior would like to thank pocket.watch for the opportunity of working on such an innovative consumer products program.”

Planeta Junior launches Maya the Bee ice cream across Poland with Cools Group Studio

The European entertainment company, Planeta Junior, has signed a new licensing agreement with Cools Group Studio and Studio 100 to launch Maya the Bee bio ice cream dots across Poland. The deal marks the first time that the ice cream brand has partnered with a character IP.

Available from the end of April this year, the range will deliver a variety of flavours like bubble gum, cream, cotton candy, and vanilla, while being made of natural ingredients and free of colourants or preservatives.

“The adventures of Maya the Bee bring joy to successive generations. I myself perfectly remember the cartoons from my youth. We are very much looking forward to working with Studio 100 and Planeta Junior and I am convinced that together we will create an excellent product,” said Przemyslaw Rogowski, CEO of Cools Group. 

Joachim Knödler, head of licensing at Studio 100 Media, added: “We are thankful for the trust Cools Group places in us and in Maya to be the first ever license signed for their delicious Bio ice cream. We cannot wait for the first warm days and summer to be here, to bring this amazing product to kids and their families.” 

Planeta Junior holds the licensing and broadcasting rights to the Maya the Bee brand in Iberia, Italy, Greece and licensing rights in the CEE as Studio 100 agents. 

With strong values of respect for the environment, care of nature, biodiversity, freedom and friendship, Maya has become the face of a number of bio and natural products as well as social responsibility actions such as the recent Greenpeace campaign #SOSABEJAS, aimed at raising awareness and sensitizing children to the need to save bees. 

Lisle Licensing named UK and Ireland licensing agent for Planeta Junior’s pre-school IP Milo

Lisle Licensing has signed a new deal with Planeta Junior to promote and represent the pre-school property, Milo across the UK and Ireland. The deal will see Lisle’s initial focus land on toys, publishing, apparel, and dress up ranges.

A co-production between Planeta Junior and the indie family producer, Fourth Wall Animation, Milo will launch to UK screens this spring via Channel 5’s Milkshake.

Through this new partnership Milo now joins Lisle Licensing’s exclusive portfolio, which includes major kids brands like Gormiti, 44 Cats, Masha and the Bear, and Superzings.

Milo is described as a warm, funny pre-school series made up of 52 11 minute episodes about an adventurous five-year old cat who, together with his best friends Lofty and Lark, uses role-play to explore the world of vocations, introducing little ones to a variety of professions.

Milo’s world celebrates vocations such as Delivery Workers, Explorers; Nurses as well as Astronauts – every vocation is shown in a positive light so kids feel they can grow up to be anything they want to be. 

Planeta Junior extends licensing reach for The Smurfs across Spain, Portugal and Central and Eastern Europe

Planeta Junior has secured an agreement with the global license holder IMPS to coordinate The Smurfs’ brand licensing programme across Spain, Portugal, and Central and Eastern Europe.

The deal acts as an extension to Planeta Junior already established remit as The Smurfs’ agent across Iberia. Thanks to the success that the company has seen across the territory, IMPS has decided to renew the agreement with the added regions.

Planeta Junior will manage the licensing program in all categories, except publishing, in all aspects of The Smurfs IP including: the classic brand, (which targets millennial audiences,) and the animated feature films and series, (causing a storm among younger audiences). The new The Smurfs CGI series will hit TV screens in 2022.

“We are happy to extend our collaboration with such a strong and passionate partner as Planeta Junior. They have been very successful increasing the value of The Smurfs in the Iberian market with a broad range of great products that embody the joyful spirit of The Smurfs,” said Véronique Culliford, president and founder of IMPS / LAFIG and daughter of Peyo.

“With the new TV series coming, we want to collaborate with the best partners and Planeta Junior is definitely one of those.”

Ignacia Segura, managing director of Planeta Junior, added: “The Smurfs are some of the most iconic and best loved characters ever created. We are proud to renew this property’s management in Spain and Portugal and to add CEE countries to the agreement. Adults and children will love the amazing products we are developing, which will take The Smurfs into unexplored territories.”

This historic brand is based on the characters and uninverse Belgian cartoonist Peyo created in 1958. The brand has been made contemporary thanks to recent film projects in CGI animation and live action, as well as the latest TV CGI series for five to ten year olds, which will receive its world premiere in 2022.

This new series will feature all the elements that made The Smurfs iconic: comedy, adventure, action, pace and quick-fire dialogue.

Planeta Junior invests in ZAG Entertainment as the studio eyes greater presence in Europe

The European family entertainment company, Planeta Junior has acquired a participation in ZAG Entertainment in an extension of a long-standing relationship between the two who have successfully expanded ZAG Entertainment’s presence across Europe.

Under the new agreement, Planeta Junior will join the production company’s management board.

Planeta Junior and ZAG began their relationship in 2016 with an agreement to promote and represent the globally renowned, empowering and aspirational action-comedy series, Miraculous – The Adventures of Ladybug and Cat Noir, in Europe. In 2017, the two companies expanded their relationship with a coproduction agreement covering five new Zag Heroez series.

Among these was the 3D CGI-animated/live-action hybrid series Power Players, a recent global release about a boy who transforms into a living action figure who embarks on the biggest “small” adventures a kid could ever imagine alongside his favorite toys; and Ghostforce, currently in production for Disney Channel EMEA and Discovery Kids Latin America, about three junior high school students who form a secret team to defend their city from the ghastly ghouls haunting it.

Furthermore, Miraculous: the Ladybug show, co-produced by Planeta Junior, leapt onto the stage in Madrid last December with the musical and moving soon to Paris followed by key cities around the world in 2021

Alongside this capital agreement, both companies have drafted a European strategic plan, which includes an ambitious content creation agenda for cinema and television audiences and experiences, as well as a road map to strengthen licenses and merchandising.

A toy line from Zag Lab, ZAG’s new toy division, and Playmates Toys will debut this fall in key territories around the world, and in fall 2021 across the U.S. And, a $70M budget animated Miraculous feature, co-produced by ZAG, ON kids & family and Planeta Jr., will also be released globally, scheduled to premiere in fall 2021 or early 2022.

“We are very proud to announce this agreement, which intensifies our business relationship and our longstanding friendship with ZAG. Planeta Junior shares ZAG’s enthusiasm for creating quality content that excites and entertains children, and is capable of becoming a very powerful brand,” said Ignacio Segura, general manager, Planeta Junior and future Zag board member.

Jeremy Zag, founder and CEO of ZAG, added: “Planeta has always believed in Zag and has given us the strength to push beyond our limits, and we are thrilled to have them on board in this next new chapter to continue the journey to build the ZAG dream.”

Planeta Junior launches global Gormiti and Pucca campaigns to help kids and families through COVID-19 lockdown

The European family entertainment company, Planeta Junior, has launched its own #StayAtHome campaign in order to raise children’s awareness of COVID-19, and to provide them with entertainment to help pass the time during lockdown.

Characters from across its Gormiti and Pucca properties carry the global initiative across two stand-alone campaigns: We will face this problem together and #StayHome.

Given that many families are being forced to juggle work and family life in a single space, Planeta Junior has also made all episodes of Pucca and several special clips featuring extras from the new season of Gormiti available on the each of these series’ YouTube channels.

On top of this, Planeta Junior has joined the Kids’ Cluster #JugarEnFamilia (FamiliesPlayTogether) campaign, an initiative that joins the sector together in providing families with content and resources for the lockdown.

To raise children’s awareness of the importance of following health advice, Planeta Junior has created a video featuring the Gormiti characters that teaches them how to wash their hands properly to the series theme tune.

The Gormiti explain the basic hygiene rules for fighting the virus together through a video available on YouTube and the official Facebook and Instagram pages.

Meanwhile in Pucca, Planeta Junior is not only able to provide information about COVID-19, it is also giving away ideas to do at home. The overarching digital campaign will feature a series of publications featuring instructions from the health authorities, for example, frequent hand-washing, coughing and sneezing into your elbow, social distancing and information phone numbers you can call to find out more about the coronavirus.

Planeta Junior has also prepared a special TikTok action to launch a challenge for Pucca followers.

The fun at home campaign aims to help raise awareness about staying in and to provide a range of fun inspirations. A series of activity ideas will be published on the Instagram and Facebook feeds to inspire people to make the most of this time by reading, cooking, dancing or doing a spot of exercise.

The Pucca campaign will be complemented by two YouTube videos, one entitled Stay At Home, containing ideas on how to have fun inside four walls; and a second Time to disconnect, which suggests taking a break and staying at home to do absolutely nothing.

Planeta Junior names Paula Taborda dos Guaranys as director of content

Planeta Junior has bolstered its executive team with the appointment of Paula Taborda dos Guaranys as its director of content. She will lead the creation of a strong content portfolio through co-productions, original productions, and acquisition.

She will report directly to Diego Ibáñez, Planeta Junior’s international commercial director.

Paula Taborda dos Guaranys was the creative and business mind behind the Globo Group children’s channels, responsible for putting Brazil on the map of major kids’ players, closing several coproduction agreements including Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Paper Port, Trulli Tales, Denver, Power Players, Alice & Lewis, Dronix, and others.

“It is an honour to have the opportunity to work at Grupo Planeta, a communication leader in Spain, and to extend my content expertise from Planeta Junior in Spain throughout the group’s offices in Europe,” she said.

“It’s a brand new start full of challenges and joy and I’d like to thank Ignacio Segura and Diego Ibáñez for entrusting me with this opportunity.”

Paula Taborda’s new role forms part of the Planeta Junior strategy for becoming a global children and youth entertainment company. It currently owns over 350 hours’ co-produced content featuring big name series like Gormiti, Power Players and Squish, with further series in development including: That’s Joey, Milo, Tilly, Superpigs and Pio Rocks.