Kartoon Studios announced today a package of original full-length animated features for children based on its existing properties, which will leverage AI technology. Created under the new Kartoon Films banner, the movies will debut exclusively across the Kartoon Channel! U.S. streaming platforms, as well as being distributed to broadcasters and streamers globally.
Films slated to debut in 2024 and 2025 include:
- Stan Lee’s Cosmic Crusaders (featuring Stan Lee)
- Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten
- Llama’s Big Adventure (a Llama Llama movie)
- An Omaha Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club)
- Fix and Foxi
- Rainbow Rangers Hot Concert to Cool Global Warming
“We have observed a strong appetite for recognized brands that began in either television, toys, video games, or publishing, to become full-length animated feature films,” says Kartoon Studios CEO Andy Heyward. “We have seen this with top brands like Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, Spider-Man, the Grinch and Hotel Transylvania, which were translated into animated movie hits. Much of our catalog has such roots and pedigree, with a number of brands coming from successful books like Llama Llama or Rainbow Rangers and from brands and pedigrees like Stan Lee.”
Overseeing creative for Kartoon Films will be multi-Emmy-winning producer/director Mike Maliani (The New Adventures of Madeline, Where on Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?, SHerlock Holmes in the 22nd Century).
“By using both AI, human creativity, and the existing assets that have already been developed with the brands, production costs will be reduced, while upholding the highest levels of quality,” Maliani adds. “Previously the costs of producing an original full-length animated feature for a streaming service were prohibitive, however with the advent of AI technology, and using existing key materials, footage, and animation cycles already in place, we now have an incredibly cost-effective model that we believe is a game changer, which will enable quality animated films to be brought to the consumer for a fraction of what it would have previously cost. We can do all this while maintaining our focus on content written by proven industry creators.
“We like this model, because we are investing in our own brands, as we additionally drive awareness for consumer product sales, as well as viewership for our channel, and creating an evergreen asset that can be used again and again.”
The company will additionally draw titles from its Munich-based affiliate company, Your Family Entertainment. Certain films will feature celebrity voice actors, as well as original music sound tracks, while highlighting a diversity of characters, global names, and a mix of ages, genders and ethnicities. Kartoon Films is also planning seasonal titles (Halloween, Christmas, etc.).
Paul Robinson, President of Kartoon Channel! Worldwide, who will oversee global distribution, stated, “Full-length animated features have consistently been one of the most successful genres of all entertainment, and are very attractive to broadcasters worldwide. They steadily over-index, attracting large audiences. Whether the timeless classics from Disney, or hits from Pixar, DreamWorks and Illumination, we know they perform well. The films will be family friendly, non-violent, and embrace positive themes. We view the animated feature film business for global services as the game changer catalyst to propel the channel forward to significant earnings.”
