VIZ Media has acquired production and licensing rights to develop an animated series based on the Japanese children’s property Gakkimals. The show will follow the wonderful adventures of the madcap mash-ups of musical instruments and animals as they get in tune to bring happiness and harmony to their fun-filled world.
The Gakkimals series will be produced under license from ShoPro, a subsidiary of three of Japan’s largest publishers — Shogakukan, Shueisha and Hakusensha — that focuses on licensing and merchandising the properties owned by Shogakukan. Gakkimals is based on an original concept created by Japanese production duo, PecanNuts.
“The acquisition of Gakkimals represents an important step in our initiative to develop new and engaging global content in partnership with our creative partners in Japan,” says Brad Woods, CMO, VIZ Media. “Gakkimals is a truly unique children’s property that combines the evergreen appeal of music and animals into a vibrant environment that inspires early childhood learning with a fun cast of endearing characters. We look forward to working closely with our partners at ShoPro to develop this exciting new show.”
