Sony Pictures Television – Kids (SPT – Kids), which produces and distributes content for children in over 200 countries worldwide, announced today that the studio is bringing an expansive new slate of animated and live-action kids properties to buyers at MIPJunior.
“Our specialty as one of the industry’s most prolific producers of kids content is to bring buyers the next generation’s high quality, hit children’s franchise, just as we did for Netflix with Creature Cases and Hilda, and for Disney with SuperKitties,”said Joe D’Ambrosia, EVP & General Manager. “Our distinctive and diverse development lineup has already generated early enthusiasm and we’re looking forward to continuing conversations with our buyers at the market.”
- Bewitched: Based on the iconic television series, the new Bewitched follows Samantha’s pre-teen daughter Tabitha and combines the teenage double-life adventures of Hannah Montana with the magic school antics of Harry Potter.
- Stuart Little: A fresh retelling of a beloved classic for kids 6+. It’s Freaks and Geeks… but with a mouse. Freaks and Squeaks?
- Wheel of Fortune: In collaboration with SPT’s game show division comes a kids’ version of Wheel of Fortune that stays true to the format but incorporates gameplay twists for a younger audience such as physical and comedic challenges to earn letters or buy vowels.
- Hotel Whiskers: Welcome to Hotel Whiskers, the first-ever home away from home for animals of all stripes and types, including pets! Think Suite Life of Zach and Cody… but with animals.
- Sharks on Wheels: In an all-shark world, teams of racers in hot-rodded (a.k.a. “sharkified”) vehicles battle it out on the racetrack for the ultimate prize: the Megalodon Cup. It’s Wacky Races meets Drive to Survive!
- The Powers: In collaboration with Sow You Entertainment comes The Powers. Meet five-year-old Will. He’s the youngest member of a family of singing silly supervillains and he’s got a problem: he’s just no good at being bad. Each seven-minute episode is a mini-rock opera with catchy hooks that’ll keep parents and preschoolers singing along as Will helps his family learn how to be good.
- Slayer Family Band: When a family band inherits cursed musical instruments to battle demons, they soon discover that the family that slays together, stays together!
Blue Ant Media will also debut its latest kids, family and animation content offering at MIPCOM this month, as part of the company’s first market appearance as a combined studio with marblemedia and Distribution360. The line-up includes season two of Roku’s first-ever adult animated series, Doomlands, and the animated action-comedy Armadillo Avalanche, currently in development slate.
Doomlands, Season 2 (20 x 11’ | 10 x 22′; Look Mom! Productions for Roku) From the irreverent mind of Josh O’Keefe, Doomlands is Roku’s first-ever adult animated series. The show started as creator O’Keefe’s university film project turned crowd-funded pilot and was later developed by Josh Bowen and Look Mom! Productions with help from writers Mark Little and Kayla Lorette.
The second season of this quirky scripted, animated adult comedy follows the misadventures of Danny Doom, his sidekick Lhandi, their mobile pub and a travelling band of bar flies as they wander through a desert wasteland. All are back to face ruthless desert gangs, memory-stealing creeps and the ultimate spectacle in the wastelands, The Edge Race.
Armadillo Avalanche (10 x 30′) Currently in paid development with two scripts available, this animated action-comedy is available for international co-production and pre-sale partnerships opportunities.
When an all-girl tweenage punk band accidentally rips a hole in the fabric of the universe with their music, they find themselves imbued with superpowers, fighting monsters, and rocking out while doing it together. The series evolved from marbleKids’ original digital shorts of the same name, funded through the Shaw Rocket/Canada Media Fund Shorts Program. Created by Celeste Koon and showrun by Evan Thaler Hickey, the series is inspired by the power of pop punk music and what you can do if you commit to something bigger than yourself.
Lunes (Chile), Villavicencio Studio (U.S.) and MIAM! distribution (France) have inked a worldwide distribution deal on 2D animated preschool series Raffi (12 x 7’). The series will be launched by MIAM! distribution at MIPJunior, joining a lineup that already includes sustainability-themed toons like Edmond and Lucy, Little Malabar and The Tinies.
Raffi is about the special friendship between Ema, a curious little girl, and her lovable dog Raffi (inspired by Ricardo Villavicencio’s own Pomeranian). They live on a farm, and dream of becoming the best farmers in the world, just like Ema’s mother. Through their journey, they discover the true origins of food, far from the aisles of a supermarket!
Raffi has already received recognition from multiple festivals this year. Notably, it is in the Official Selection of Children’s Short Film from Latin America of the 30th edition of the Festival Internacional de Cine de Valdivia, FICValdivia. The series was also selected for the Festival Carton de Argentina 2023 in the category international series, for the Festival Ojo de Pescado category TV & Web Series and for the comKids’s Prix Jeunesse Iberoamericano and for the UNICEF Prize at the Festival of La Guarimba.
Monster Entertainment is coming to MIPJunior and MIPCOM with three new series in production: Tiny Toot (26 x 7′ for children 2-5 years old) from Toolbox Film in Denmark, already pre-sold to DR in Denmark, SVT in Sweden, NRK in Norway, YLE in Finland and RTE in Ireland). The first 13 episodes will be completed in November and the last 13 in March 2024. Doodle Girl (26 x 7′, children 4-8) from Studio Meala in Ireland, commissioned by RTE in Ireland and due to be delivered in September 2024. And Holt (26 x 11′ for children 6-11) from Igloo Animations in Ireland and Digitoonz in India, commissioned by RTE, due to be delivered in June 2025
The distributor is also serving up second seasons of Fia’s Fairies (52 x 7′, children 3-7), the No. 1 rated Irish preschool animation series, from Ireland’s Little Moon; Urban Tails (52 x 2′, children 4-8) from Pink Kong in Ireland, commissioned by RTE; Pins and Nettie (52 x 5′, children 2-5) from Daily Madness; Peek Zoo (52 x 7′, children 4-8) from Ireland’s Igloo Films, commissioned by RTE; the non-verbal internet sensation Noodle and Bun (26 x 5′ children 4-12) from South Africa’s Polycat Animation, pre-sold to Canal Plus amongst others; the hybrid live-action/animation Storybud (30 x 7′, children 8-12) from Ireland’s Kite Entertainment, commissioned by RTE; as well as Season 8 of hit STEM series Earth to Luna (208 x 12′), from Brazil’s Pinguim Content, commissioned by Discovery Latin America.
Other highlights of the Monster MIP slate include the worldwide hit preschool series The Day Henry Met… (104 x 5′, children 3-6) from Ireland’s Wiggleywoo, and the non-verbal animation series Ollie, from Lumiere in Belgium (52 x 4′, preschool).
WildBrain and Mattel, Inc. announced new season greenlights for Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket, based on the popular Mattel brands. WildBrain has also secured a multitude of new international distribution deals for previous seasons of both shows, in addition to new deals for other Mattel hits Bob the Builder and Little People. The new greenlights and distribution deals are part of a multi-year co-development, production, distribution and licensing agreement between the two companies.
The new seasons of Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket are currently in production at WildBrain’s Vancouver animation studio. Buyers attending MIPCOM (October 16–19) are invited to screen the series and visit WildBrain at stand #R7.N13 to learn more. “We continue to see great demand around the world for Mattel’s celebrated and treasured kids’ series Fireman Sam, Polly Pocket, Bob the Builder and Little People. These shows have established themselves as perennial favorites with kids and families, and we look forward to sharing them with new international audiences,” said Caroline Tyre, VP Global Sales & Rights Strategy at WildBrain.
Fireman Sam and the Pontypandy Rescue Team will return in all-new CG-animated episodes in Season 16 (26 x 10’), which is scheduled to begin delivery in spring 2024. In the new season, our titular hero and the Pontypandy Rescue Team are still saving the people and animals of Pontypandy — and they now have an upgraded Fire Station and a state-of-the-art Mobile Command Unit to help them! The people of Pontypandy will be facing dangers from sea monsters, flaming kites, short-circuiting scarecrows, magic shows and a cheeky new mole. The excitement culminates in a thrilling six-episode finale featuring the music, food, parades, and magic of the Pontypandy Festival, all topped off by a special surprise guest star.
New deals for Fireman Sam in Germany include KiKA for S14, Leonine Studios for S13-14, Prime Video for S14-15 plus The Great Fire of Pontypandy special, and Deutsche Telekom/Magenta TV for S11-13 plus the specials The Great Fire of Pontypandy, Heroes of the Storm, Norman Price and the Mystery in the Sky, Set for Action! and Alien Alert. In France, new deals have been struck with Canal+Kids/Piwi+ for S13 and Okoo/France 5 for France télévisions for S14. In Poland, new deals have been inked with CDA Premium for S12-13 plus the Alien Alert special, Puls 2 for S13 and Top Kids for S9-10. Also on board for new seasons are CANAL+ (Austria) for S10-11; Cartoonito (Italy) for S14-15; Cartoonito (U.K. & Eire) for S15; RTL Telekids (Netherlands & Luxembourg) for S14-15; RIK (Slovakia & Czech Republic) for S6-7; RTÉ (Ireland) for S14-15; Britbox for S1-4 and Milkshake! for S14-15 in the U.K., and NRK (Norway) for S15.
Additional international deals brokered include Quebecor Content (French-speaking Canada) for S13; Showmax (Africa) for S11-15 plus Heroes of the Storm and Alien Alert specials; ETV (Africa) for S11-12; Canal+Ethiopia for S11-13; Hop! (Israel) for S16; ABC Commercial (Australia) for S1-15 plus Heroes of the Storm, Alien Alert, The Great Fire of Pontypandy and Snow Business specials; Jim Jam for Middle East and Africa (S11) and Europe (S10-11); and Edye (the U.S. and its territories, Latin America & the Caribbean) for S7.
Polly Pocket and her friends will return in Season 6 (38 x 11’), slated for delivery in summer 2024. In the new season, Polly and friends are travelling our world and dimensions beyond — from Brazil to Unicorn World to Skatesville! They’ll be exploring new pocket-sized worlds, rescuing animals in Littleton and beyond, and helping their favorite dance star as she takes the stage in Rio de Janeiro. Through each episode, they discover that every new place is filled with potential new friends and fun!
New European deals inked by WildBrain for the 2D-animated Polly Pocket series include POP for S3-4 and ITVX Kids for S3-5 and the Sparkle Cove Adventure special in the U.K.; Gulli for S5 and TFOUMAX for S4 in France; Cartoonito (Italy) for S5; Sweet.TV (Ukraine) for S1-2; CANAL+ (Austria) for S1-2 and Leonine Studios (Germany) for S2.
Additional international deals include Family Jr. (Canada) for S5; Amazon Kids+ (U.S.) for S4-5; Showmax (Africa) for S1-4; Warner Bros. Discovery (Latin America) for S5; TVNZ (New Zealand) for S4-5; Stan (Australia) for S1-5; SBC (Seychelles) for S3-4; Canal+ Ethiopia for S2-4; and True Visions (Thailand) for S1-5. Broadcasters have also picked up Mattel’s classic version of Polly Pocket, which originally premiered in 2010, including CDA Premium (Poland) for S3 and S6 alongside Viet Content (Vietnam) for S1-11.
Mattel’s CG-animated Bob the Builder series, produced by WildBrain Studios, has been picked up by broadcasters including CANAL+ (Austria) for S1; Sweet.TV (Ukraine) for S1; Top Kids (Poland) for S2-3; Rik for S1-2 in Cyprus and S2-3 in Slovakia and Czech Republic; Viet Content (Vietnam) for S3; Box Kids TV (Brazil) for S1 and TIGA (Thailand) for S2-3.
Additionally, WildBrain has secured new partnerships for Mattel’s classic Bob the Builder series, including with Amazon Kids+ (U.K.) for S14-15; Kixi (Germany) for S1-4; Baby First (U.S. and its territories, plus Latin America) for S17-18. Additionally, Quebecor Content (French Canada) and CDA Premium (Poland) have picked up S3 of the CG version and Mega Machines: The Movie; and Showmax (Africa) has picked up the movie and S1-3. In Germany, Deutsche Telekom/Magenta TV has picked up S1-4 of the classic series, plus the specials Roads and Bridges, A Christmas to Remember, Snowed Under: The Bobblesberg Winter Games and Built to Be Wild. In Australia, ABC Commercial has acquired S1-18 of the classic version, S1-3 of the CG version and a package of specials.
For seasons one and two of Mattel’s preschool CG series Little People (total 104 x 11’), based on the Fisher-Price brand, WildBrain has also inked new distribution deals with Top Kids (Poland) and Box Kids TV (Brazil).
