Cut the Rope: Om Nom Stories, based on Zeptolab’s mobile game franchise, has joined the streaming lineup on Canada’s AmebaTV. Four seasons totalling 39 episodes will be presented on the platform, which is available on over 300 devices including smart TVs, OTT devices and phones/tablets.
“Om Nom [is] the needy, candy-loving monster in developer Zeptolab’s breakout hit,” said Tony Havelka, CEO of AmebaTV. “Cut the Rope is a mobile game that has and continues to capitalize on the appeal of its main character in a variety of media. It’s a hit among kids and their families and is certain to be popular with our own young viewers.”
Zeptolab launched Cut the Rope in 2010, and the property has since expanded into a series of games downloaded more than 700 million times, a short-form animated web series garnering 800 million-plus views, and comic books. In the game, players must snip a string and use a series of contraptions to get sweets into the Om Nom monster’s maw.
International preschool hit Super Wings (52 x 11) is heading to Germany with a premiere set for kids’ channel KiKA on January 25, 2017. The show will air daily, Monday to Sunday with back-to-back episodes kicking off at 6:15 p.m. The aviation adventure series is co-produced by South Korea’s FunnyFlux, EBS and CJ E&M; US-based Little Airplane Prod.; China’s QianQi Animation; and KiKA.
The property’s licensing program is also taking shape in Germany. Master toy partner Alpha’s toy line is already enjoying success in European markets, including Italy through Giochi Preziosi. In German-speaking territories, the line will be distributed, marketed and promoted by Giochi Preziosi Germany in strategic alliance with Stadlbauer Marketing + Vertrieb GmbH, which has responsibility for sales. Super Wings playthings will be presented at International Toy Fair in Nuremberg with a retail launch set for March.
m4e AG, responsible for L&M in German-speaking territories, has lined up regional licensees for Super Wings including Clementoni (puzzles & games), Amijoc/Beluga (beach & outdoor toys), Procos (party goods) and Famous (plush).
Since premiering on EBS in 2014, the series has sold to more than 40 countries, including the US where the toy line launched in April. The brand is especially popular in China, France, Spain and Italy.
The Sundance Film Festival has announced the program lineup for the New Frontier exhibition, which will tackle the latest storytelling innovations during the 2017 event (Jan. 19-29). The slate includes animated explorations like the full episode debut of Asteroids! — Baobab Studios’ follow-up to its hit VR short Invasion! (read about it in Animation Magazine issue 266 – January), Oculus Story Studio’s illustrative film Dear Angelica, Felix and Paul Studios’ Miyubi and Framestore Ventures/Marry the Moon’s Hue.
New Frontier will include live performances, a feature film and augmented reality experiences as well as a total of 20 VR experiences and 11 installations spread across three Park City venues: Claim Jumper (seven immersive installation and two videos), VR Palace (15 experiences plus installations) and VR Bar (mobile VR). Three projects are part of the festival’s The New Climate program, highlighting environmental and climate change.
Below are descriptions of select animated AR/VR experiences included in New Frontier 2017. A complete program list is available on the Sundance blog.
ASTEROIDS! / U.S.A. (Artist: Eric Darnell) — From the director of Madagascar comes Baobab’s VR animation. Journey the cosmos aboard the spaceship of Mac and Cheez, an alien duo so mission-focused they forget what’s important in life. It’s up to you to show them what really matters. Cast: Eric Darnell.
Chocolate / U.S.A. (Artist: Tyler Hurd) — This VR music video experience for the song “Chocolate” by Giraffage sets you in a cat-centric world of sparkling, colorful chrome with a tribe of people doing a ritualistic dance just for you, their robot god, to provide them with their precious resource, cute lil’ chrome kitties.
Dear Angelica / U.S.A. (Artist: Saschka Unseld, Key Collaborators: Angela Petrella, Wesley Allsbrook, Maxwell Planck, Ryan Thomas) — This project is a journey through the magical and dreamlike ways we remember lost ones and, even though they are gone, what remains of the ones we loved. Cast: Geena Davis, Mae Whitman.
Hue / U.S.A. (Artist: Nicole McDonald, Key Collaborators: KC Austin) — This is an immersive and visually driven interactive film about a man who has lost the ability to see color. Participants reawaken the protagonist’s sense of wonder and imagination through empathetic action as color and connection return to his world view. Cast: David Stratham, Benedikt Negro.
Mindshow / U.S.A. (Artists: Gil Baron, Jonnie Ross, Adam Levin, Key Collaborators: Jonnie Ross, Gil Baron) — Make VR cartoons with your body and voice. Teleport into different characters and act out all the parts. Create with your friends by passing scenes back and forth, then share your shows in VR and on social media. Cast: Dana Gould.
Miyubi / Canada (Artists: Félix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël, Key Collaborator: Owen Burke) — Experience love and obsolescence as a Japanese toy robot, gifted to a child in the home of a fractured family in 1982 suburban America. Cast: Jeff Goldblum, P.J. Byrne, Emily Bergl, Owen Vaccaro, Richard Riehle, Ted Sutherland, Tatum Kensington Bailey.
Zero Days VR / U.S.A. (Artists: Scatter, Yasmin Elayat, Elie Zananiri, Key Collaborators: Mei-Ling Wong, Alexander Porter, James George) — The story of a clandestine mission hatched by the U.S. and Israel to sabotage an underground Iranian nuclear facility told from the perspective of Stuxnet, a sophisticated cyber weapon, and a key NSA informant. Audiences experience the high stakes of cyber warfare placed inside the invisible world of computer viruses. Cast: Joanne Tucker, Eric Chien, Liam O’Murchu, Ralph Langner, Olli Heinonen, David Sanger.
A new Netflix Original Series debuts exclusively on the streaming service Friday, introducing binge watchers to the comedic catastrophes that can befall an unconventional undercover unit in Australia: Pacific Heat. The 2D animated series is created by the award-winning comedy team at Working Dog Productions (Frontline), Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner and Rob Sitch.
Pacific Heat follows the exploits of a dynamic unit of undercover police investigators working on the glitzy “Gold Coast” of Australia. This glamorous, sophisticated, and sun-drenched paradise masks a hotbed of crime; everyone from drug smugglers and biker gangs to eco-terrorists and the person who invented frozen yogurt. In order to tackle this seedy underbelly police authorities established “Pacific Heat,” a covert squad of highly trained operatives technically does not exist (although they do have their own Facebook page). But when criminals strike, Pacific Heat will be there: unconventional, uncompromising and unafraid to operate outside the law – provided at least one of them is wearing a fluorescent safety vest.
Cilauro, Gleisner and Sitch also provide voices for the series, alongside Rebecca Massey and Lucia Mastrantone.
Post-acquisition DreamWorks Animation has announced another round of layoffs, with 170 employees at its Glendale campus to be let go in January, San Fernando Valley Business Journal reports. The studio already eliminated 200 positions at its corporate office and distribution and consumer products divisions as part of its integration with new owner NBCUniversal.
The latest round of job cuts will hit the feature animation group, a source familiar with the situation told the Journal, adding that this is separate from the positions eliminated in corporate in September. The layoffs are partially tied to the decision to cancel The Croods 2 as Universal Filmed Entertainment continues to plan out its upcoming film slate.
DreamWorks Animation was acquired by the Comcast-owned NBCU in August in a $3.8 billion deal.
Legendary Entertainment has signed on DreamWorks Animation veteran Rob Letterman to direct the live-action hybrid feature Detective Pikachu, based on the smash-hit Pokémon games and animation franchise. Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch are scripting the project.
Letterman is currently directing Captain Underpants with David Soren for DWA, having helmed Monsters vs. Aliens and Shark Tale (which he also wrote) for the studio. His most recent project was 2015’s Goosebumps.
The Detective Pikachu movie was announced by Legendary in July as Pokémon GO was sweeping the globe. “The film centers on Detective Pikachu, a Pokémon gumshoe introduced in a Nintendo 3DS title released in Japan earlier this year. Universal will be releasing the film outside Japan, where Pokémon Company’s longtime partner Toho will handle distribution. Legendary plans to build the brand’s first live-action feature film franchise in the US.
An all-new series starring Mickey Mouse and pals is revving up for its debut on Disney Junior, with Mickey and the Roadster Racers set to premiere in simulcast Sunday, January 15 at 9 a.m. EST on Disney Channel and Disney Junior. Two more episodes will cross the finish line Monday, Jan. 16 at 9 a.m. on Disney Channel.
Episodes will also be available on the Disney Junior app and Disney Junior VOD beginning Jan. 15 and on iTunes Jan. 16. Starting Dec. 25 on the Disney Junior app, kids can unlock daily content including short videos and mini-games via a Hot Dog Hills interactive map counting down to the show’s premiere. A suite of games featuring each “Fabulous Five” character will arrive on the app Jan. 15.
Rolling out internationally throughout 2017, the series takes Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Daisy and Donald and their unique transforming vehicles on humorous, high-spirited races around the globe — as well as hometown capers in Hot Dog Hills. Off the track, Minnie and Daisy also run their successful Happy Helpers business, solving problems for anyone in need. Aimed at kids 2-7, Mickey and the Roadster Racers is designed to impart social and emotional lessons about friendship, teamworks, optimism and good sportsmanship.
Joining Mickey and friends will be NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson, Danica Patrick and Jeff Gordon in recurring guest star roles as Jiminy Johnson, Danni Sue and Gordon Gear. Also lined up as special guest voices are Jay Leno, as announcer Billy Beagle; Tim Gunn (Project Runway) as Robbie Roberts; Gordon Ramsay (MasterChef) as Chef Oxley; Hoda Kotb (The Today Show) as Mrs. Sweetums; Peter Serafinowicz (Guardians of the Galaxy) as Dr. Crutchley; Jane Leeves (Frasier) as the Queen of England; Fred Willard (Best in Show) as Mr. Doozy; Hector Elizondo (Last Man Standing) as Grandpa Beagle; Tony Shalhoub (Monk) as Luigi; Kate Micucci (Garfunkel and Oates) as Emmy Lou; Tia Carrere (Wayne’sWorld) as Antie Olina; and comedian Patton Oswalt as Mr. McSnorter.
The production team is headed by the Emmy-nominated creatives behind Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Jake and the Never Land Pirates: EP Rob LaDuca, co-EP and supervising story editor Mark Seidenberg, and story editor Thomas Hard. Mickey and the Roadster Racers is a production of Disney Television Animation.
Plympton Studio Art Sale Extravaganza
Bill Plympton is opening his NYC studio to the public Dec. 3 & 4 for a chance to purchase original artwork from his acclaimed films, as well as books, posters, DVDs — and a free sketch for everyone who comes!
Netflix Adds Download Feature for Offlien Viewing
Now you can take your BoJack Horseman to go, no wifi required! Download features is included for all plans and available for Android and iOS phones and tablets.
’The Simpsons’ Marathon Helps Push FXX to Ratings High
The first four days of the 600-episode streak proved you can’t beat the classics — especially when the alternative is talking to your way less funny family around the Thanksgiving table.
Michelle Esrig, President and Founder of motion graphics and animation house Sketch Blue Studio in Delray Beach, Florida, has been tapped to sit on the Board of Advisors for Boca Raton local broadcast affiliate, WBTV Boca. The Board governs the overall execution of WBTV Boca’s mission in selecting members who are local leaders, who can positively impact the lives of residents.
Esrig will serve on the programming committee as well as serving as the network’s Creative Director, and Sketch Blue Studio will function as the network’s production team. WBTV Boca is scheduled to launch January 2, broadcasting local, original, and syndicated programming.
“I’m truly looking forward to working with WBTV Boca,” said Esrig. “The initiatives I see already in progress make me especially excited to work creatively with a group that wants to bring the local community together and highlight the wonderful things Boca Raton has to offer.”
Sketch Blue Studio is a recently launched premiere studio in South Florida for high-quality motion graphics and animation at an affordable price point. Esrig leads a team of artists creating cutting-edge content for clients in a variety of industries, including advertising, PR and marketing; automotive; consumer products; and hospitality.
Bento Box Entertainment will open December 1 a free exhibit of original artwork from the animators, artists and creative minds behind the hit FOX TV animated series Bob’s Burgers. Taking place at the Unit 120 pop-up restaurant in Los Angeles, the show will include one-of-a-kind paintings, sculptures and mixed medium pieces from 16 studio artists.
The limited time showcase running through Dec. 10 will kick off with an opening reception Dec. 1 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Unit 120 (727 N. Broadway #120 in LA), with special gourmet burgers from owner Chef Alvin Cailan and Chef Isa Fabro. More details are available at www.bentoboxent.com/events.
The art show is the latest event produced by Bento Box in partnership with Fox to grow the Bob’s Burgers brand beyond the small screen, with a variety of pushes covering merchandise, comics, the New York Times best-selling cookbook and the sold-out Bob’s Burgers Live! comedy stage tour.
The Emmy-winning Bob’s Burgers animated series was created by Loren Bouchard (Home Movies), who executive produces with Jim Dauterive (King of the Hill). Bento Box Entertainment produces the animation and is busy preparing brand new episodes which will return to FOX in winter 2017.
4K Media, the Konami Digital Entertainment subsidiary that manages the Yu-Gi-Oh! brand outside Asia, has secured theatrical distribution deals in a further three territories for the upcoming feature release, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions.
Newly announced are theatrical runs in Australia & New Zealand through Madman Entertainment (early 2017); Italy, San Marino & Monte Carlo through Dynit SrL (March 10, 2017); and Germany & Austria through KSM GmbH (early 2017). These join previously announced partnerships in the US & Canada with Screenvision Media (Jan. 27, 2017; two-weeks in over 500 theaters) and in the UK & Republic of Ireland with Manga Entertainment Ltd. (Feb. 1, 2017).
“With these partnerships, Yu-Gi-Oh! fans around the globe will be able to experience ribution deals in a further three territories for the upcoming feature release, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions on the big screen,” said Kristen Gray, 4K Media’s SVP of Operations, Business and Legal Affairs. “We are pleased to be partnering with companies that are well versed in the distinctions of releasing anime theatrically and that understand both their local audiences and the unique interests of our anime fans.”
Synopsis:
In Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions, the stakes have never been higher; the rivalries never as fierce; the risks never so great. One wrong move—one card short—and it’s game over for good. A decade in the making, Yu-Gi-Oh! THE DARK SIDE OF DIMENSIONS features new designs and an all-new story from the original creator of the global phenomenon, Kazuki Takahashi. His masterful tale features anime’s most beloved characters in their long-awaited return: Yugi Muto, Seto Kaiba and their faithful friends Joey Wheeler, Tristan Taylor, Téa Gardner and Bakura. It’s the most highly anticipated re-YU-nion ever!
Brooklyn’s Animation Block Party is preparing to take to the burrough’s Rooftop Films and BAMcinématek once again in 2017. The 14th annual festival will take place July 27-30, and film submissions open December 1 through www.animationblock.com.
Animation Block Party is the largest dedicated animation festival on the East Coast, offering the best in independent, professional and student films. Last summer’s program featured an NY Animated Ads retrospective, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, a 30-year anniversary screening of Transformers: The Movie, a Pink Panther Collection, multiple shorts programs, panels with filmmakers and historians — and great after parties.
ABP offers juried prizes in multiple categories, ranging from best student film to best experimental short. Winners of 2017 juried awards will receive a copy of Toon Boom Harmony, plus licenses for DigiCel FlipBook and more.
TV producer-distributor Bomanbridge Media, based in Singapore, has acquired Asian distribution rights for The Mojicons from Ink Group in Denmark. The 52 x 11 series created by Alexander Romanetz and Viacheslav Marchenko is distributed worldwide, excluding Asia, by Ink Global.
The Mojicons reveals what happens behind-the-scenes of the internet, where the innumerable emoticons we use in our daily emails and text messages live. When a mysterious villain steals the @ symbol, all electronic communication stops, and the Mojicons must embark on a dangerous quest to restore order to their digital world. Sadly, they’re not entirely sure how their system works.
“Bomanbridge is a content trendsetter in Asia and we have been actively scouring the globe for the next big program ideas,” said Bomanbridge CEO Sonia Fleck. “Mojicons is this caliber of show, picking up on the intense and popular use of emojis around the world. Asians are very connected to their phones and emojis have taken on a life of their own. The series is extremely commercial—it’s funny, and has a great take on today’s internet culture.”
Top European animation producer-distributor Mondo TV has lined up its slate for the 2016 Asia TV Forum & Market, taking place Dec. 6-9 in Singapore. The company will be highlighting five new projects at booth G30: Invention Story, Adventures in Duckport, Eddie Is a Yeti, The Treasure Island and its first live-action series, Heidi, Bienvenida A Casa.
Mondo will be particularly focusing on the brand-new 3D CGI, full HD series Invention Story. The 104 x 11 series for kids 3-7 stars an intelligent, thoughtful and creative fox named Kit. In each episode, he unveils a new invention to improve the lives of the inhabitants of Carrot Town. But not everyone is happy with the clever, carefree gadget-maker — especially mayor Hopper and his gang, who always try to embarrass Kit or steal his ideas.
Adventures in Duckport (kids 4-8, 52 x 11 2D HD) follows the exciting adventures of some truly adorable characters – Suzy Ducken and her friends Jack Quackers, Penelope O’Quinn and Corky Turtle – from the much-loved Suzy’s Zoo franchise.
For younger viewers, Eddie Is a Yeti (kids 4-7, 52 x 3 3D CGI HD) is a short-form non-dialogue series in which a little girl called Polly saves a very unusual animal from a bear trap and becomes his best friend. But now she has to keep Eddie under wraps, in disguise, out of trouble and especially away from the clutches of the evil Dr. Atrocious and his winged sidekick The Bat, who want to add him to their sinister collection.
The Treasure Island (kids 5-10, 26 x 26 3D CGI HD) is inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson’s literary classic, telling more stories about the series’ narrator, Jim Hawkins. Every episode begins with Jim reminiscing about the incredible adventures that began at the moment when Billy Bones entered the Admiral Benbow Inn that Jim ran with his mother.
Heidi, Bienvenida A Casa (teens, 60 x 45) is based on an idea by Argentinian writer and producer Marcela Citterio (Yo Soy Franky, Chica Vampiro, Patito Feo). In this version of the classic Johanna Spyri novel, we rediscover the girl and the story we all know about — the delightful, moving tale of the charming, friendly girl who moves from her rural home to the unfamiliar and confusing environment of the big city. But Heidi’s daily life, friendships and adventures now take place in the modern world.
SPHE has released a new trailer for its home video sequel Surf’s Up 2: Wavemania — coming to DVD and Digital on January 17. The feature-length adventure is produced by Sony Pictures Animation and WWE Studios, and the spot showcases WWE Superstars John Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, Paige and Mr. McMahon voicing world-famous surf crew “The Hang 5.”
The wrestling personalities star along with Jon Heder, Diedrich Bader and Jeremy Shada in the family-friendly follow-up to the Oscar-nominated Surf’s Up. Wavemania is the directorial debut of Henry Yu (storyboard artist, Hotel Transylvania 2), based on a screenplay by Abdul Williams, and produced by Michelle L.M. Wong with Michael Luisi as EP.
In addition to the surf-pounding action, the DVD and Digital releases feature fun bonus material, including bloopers and featurettes “Behind the Mic: Hanging with the Dream Team,” “Chicken Joe’s Extreme Slaughter Island Tour,” How to Draw Your Favorite Characters with Henry Yu” and “Inside the Music with Composer Toby Chu.”
Synopsis:
Cody Maverick, hungry for a new challenge, convinces an infamous big wave riding crew known as The Hang 5 (voiced by WWE Superstars John Cena, Undertaker, Triple H, Paige and Mr. McMahon) to let him join them on their journey to a mysterious surf spot known as The Trenches, where legend has it, they’ll find the biggest waves in the world. Cody soon discovers that the life he left behind might be more heroic than what any death-defying wave has to offer.
Leading French CGI studio TeamTO and kids entertainment company CAKE have announced they will produce a fourth season of International Emmy Award-nominated, hit animated series Angelo Rules. Based on the French book series Comment Faire Enrager by writer Sylvie de Mathuisieulx and illustrator Sébastien Diologent, the series is produced by TeamTO and CAKE in co-production with TeleTOON+ and Super RTL, in collaboration with France Television.
The multi-award winning comedy stars 11-year-old Angelo, a sweet-talking genius with a knack for getting out of trouble. The fourth season will keep fans on the edge of their seats with new plot twists, on-trend technology including virtual reality, crowdfunding, skype and social media as well as introducing brand new characters, who add a fun new dynamic to Angelo’s gang. Consisting of 52 x 11 minutes bringing the total number of episodes to 234, the fourth season will debut on TeleTOON+ — where it is the No. 1 show for kids’ 6-11 — and Super RTL in early 2018.
“For this fourth season we have brought in two exceptional directors, SIGGRAPH/Imagina winner Max Maleo and Oscar nominated Thierry Marchand,” commented TeamTO Producer & Co-Founder, Corinne Kouper. “Their common passion for manga and Thierry’s experience on DreamWorks’ feature Madagascar, will bring a cutting edge to the characters as well as the storytelling, and give the show the cinematic look for which TeamTO’s TV series are known.”
Angelo Rules was an instant hit when it debuted in 2010, and has aired in over 100 countries — including on Cartoon Network EMEA, Asia and Latin America, where it has broadcast continuously since its launch. The show received a Pulcinella Award for Best Kids TV Series at the 2010 Cartoons on the Bay festival, and has been nominated at the International Emmy Kids Awards, BANFF World Media Festival, Trickfilm Festival and Anima Mundi.
Amazon Studios has ordered two new Amazon Original Kids Series, which will be coming to download and streaming exclusively on Prime Video. The shows are animated series Bug Diaries, based on a best-selling children’s book series; and live-action Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, based on the classic Sid & Marty Krofft property from the 1970s.
“We are so excited to bring this beloved series, Bug Diaries, to our customers that highlights important life lessons for our young viewers,” said Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming at Amazon Studios. “We also look forward to reviving the classic Sigmund and the Sea Monsters that has a strong message of friendship.”
Synopses:
The Bug Diariesis an animated comedy series for preschoolers based on the witty children’s books by best-selling author Doreen Cronin and best-selling Illustrator Harry Bliss. The show follows a comic trio of slimy, crawly, and buzzy bug friends whose tiny world offers up huge adventures. Pairing kid-personalities with incredible bug abilities, the series will give us a mile-high look at the world through Fly’s compound eyes, let us squirm in Worm’s “footsteps”, and literally hang around with Spider as they record their adventures, each in their own way, in their bug diaries.
Sid & Marty Krofft present Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, a live-action show for children ages 6 to 11, based on their classic Saturday morning series from the 1970s. The show is centered on two brothers, Johnny and Scotty, who along with their cousin Robyn befriend Sigmund, a friendly young sea-monster who escapes from his old life and his comically dysfunctional brothers Slurp and Blurp. Now, using a Clubhouse as their hiding place, the gang must keep Sigmund safe from an ambitious sea-monster hunter, Captain Barnabas. The show is executive produced by Sid & Marty Krofft (H.R. Pufnstuf, Land of the Lost) with the pilot directed by Jonathan Judge (The Thundermans, School of Rock), and stars David Arquette (Scream, Jake and the Neverland Pirates) as Captain Barnabas. Garrett Frawley and Brian Turner (Santa Baby) wrote the new teleplay based on the classic series.
Genius Brands International has partnered with multi-platform video distribution company Future Today, Inc. to deliver the Kids Genius Cartoon Channel to an additional 20 million homes, bringing the VOD channel’s total reach to 42 million US households. Future Today runs a cloud-based platform, which will enable Kid Genius Cartoon Channel to offer on-demand entertainment within a kids-safe and parent-controlled experience.
“The expansion of the Kid Genius Cartoon Channel into 40+ million homes is an extraordinary event, which brings their distribution up to critical mass, reaching close to half of all U.S. television households,” commented Shelly Hirsch, CEO of the nation’s largest kids’ media buyer Beacon Media Group. “We are constantly looking for new ways and systems to reach kids in an ever changing digital environment, and I am personally excited about the possibilities now from another player in the space, alongside Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network.”
Kid Genius Cartoon Channel is currently available on Comcast’s Xfinity On Demand, offering a variety of programming for toddlers through preteens including original series Baby Genius, SpacePOP, Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club and Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab. Acquired series also include Eddie Is a Yeti and Nancy Drew Codes & Clues. Starting this month, the channel is rolling out across OTT platforms from Roku, Apple, Amazon, Sony, Google and Samsung.
Kids Genius Cartoon Channel’s General Manager, Debra Pierson, added:
“As consumers’ viewing habits have changed, so too has the typical content distribution model. Future Today can deliver us into the 20 million households who aren’t subscribing to cable or satellite for their entertainment, and who are choosing from myriad devices and smart TVs. It may seem like an alternative approach to some, but we see the future for content distribution in Future Today.”
International Emmy Award-nominated 2D series Molang (104 x 3’30”), developed by Millimages and based on the delightfully squeezable characters designed by Hye-Ji Yoon, has won over several new partners in the L&M sphere.
Millimages has signed Licensing Works! (North America), Licensing Link (UK), O+ Media (Russia & CIS), Word of Web (Scandinavia & Poland) and Mediogen (Israel) to represent the property.
New licensees in key product categories include master toy partners Jazwares (North America & Latin America) and Tomy (Europe, Australia & New Zealand), as well as master apparel partner Children’s Apparel Network, Berkshire Fashions (winter & rain wear, caps, accessories), Komar (girls’ sleepwear), Intimo (underwear), Jay Franco (master bed & bath; linen, beach products), Riley Blake (fabric & fabric craft kids), Accessory Innovations (bags, lunch totes & luggage) — and many more in negotiation.
Joining Tomy as first-wave partners in Europe are Aykroyds & TDP Textile (nightwear & underwear) and Flammarion Jeunesse (publishing), among others.
Known as “The Happiness Property,” Molang is a dialog-free series sold to over 150 countries worldwide (including Disney Junior in the US, which has committed to a second season) which centers on two adorable protagonists: Molang, a joyful, eccentric and enthusiastic rabbit; and best friend, Piu Piu, a shy, discreet and emotional chick. Appealing to preschoolers up to teenagers, Molang’s adventures embody happiness, friendship, mutual respect and solidarity.
Leading independent children’s content company DHX Media and Canada’s top public opinion researcher Ipsos have released the results of their first global survey of parents, which asked 2,700 progenitors in the US, Canada and UK about how their children aged 0-12 consume entertainment content and brands. The results reveal attitudes about platforms, preferred services and retail integration.
“As a global leader in the production and distribution of children’s content, it is important to check in with parents to get their views on how families consume content,” said DHX Media CEO Dana Landry. “DHX Media’s mission is to create children’s content that inspires, entertains and connects the global on-demand generation, and we are encouraged by the results of this survey. The new generation of kids has embraced mobile devices and they love streaming services. Parents are comfortable with kids enjoying content on these new platforms and they are very receptive to the potential for these models to include e-commerce.”
The survey found that kids have embraced mobile on-demand viewing, and that tablets are their preferred screen for consuming content. In the households surveyed, 72% of children’s daily viewing is from streaming services (YouTube, Netflix, et al). When viewing content, 61% of kids use tablets, with 78% of households having at least one tablet and 29% having a tablet for use by a child only. Tablets were found to be the most popular screen used by children, who used the devices to watch 45% of their streamed content.
Further, 40% of kids use smartphones to consume content; 90% of households with children under 13 have at least one smartphone, and 14% have a smartphone that is used only by a child. Nearly one-quarter of children are using smartphones to watch streamed content.
The survey found that YouTube is the most popular streaming platform, followed closely by Netflix. Of households surveyed, YouTube’s AVOD service garnered 15% of all streaming viewing, with Netflix at 13%. When YouTube’s Subscription VOD services are included, the platform’s total rises to 24%.
Parents were also polled about their receptivity to “One Click Content to Retail,” a new model that leverages video on an AVOD platform to serve ads to viewers which allow them to click through to purchase featured products. The results showed that 80% of parents liked the idea of being able to click through from a video to buy products for their kids and that 49% of parents said they would use One Click Content to Retail if available. Meanwhile, 81% of parents liked the idea of a child being able to keep a “Wish List” of products via One Click Content to Retail.
Additionally, 85% of parents research purchases online at least once a month, 78% buy products online at least monthly, and nearly four out of every 10 purchases specifically for a child are made online. Two thirds of parents are very likely buy products such as toys, games and clothing featuring a child’s favorite character. Parents surveyed were as comfortable with kids viewing streaming content as with traditional TV, and nine in 10 parents say YouTube child-appropriate advertising is acceptable.
