Category Archives: Entertainment

Award-winning TV special ‘Shooom’s Odyssey’ gathers sales

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Emmy Award-winning French animation production and distribution company Dandelooo has garnered a batch of sales for its 2D TV special Shooom’s Odyssey, targeted at preschoolers.

Winner of the Crystal Award for Best TV Production at the 2020 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the Best Shorts Film – Category Up to 6 Years Fiction at Prix Jeunesse International 2020, the Best Animated Short Film for children at ANIMA 2020, Brussels and with 33 international awards and over 70 festival selections, Shooom’s Odyssey(1 x 26’) has found a home with Discovery Kids (Latin America), ZDF (Germany), RAI (Italy), NHK (Japan), Movistar (Spain), Periscoop (Netherlands), Hop! (Israel), Truecorp (Thailand) MomoKids TV (Taiwan) and South Korean educational pubcaster EBS.

The TV special, produced by Picolo Pictures, features baby owl Shooom, who hatches just as a storm turns the bayou surrounding her tree upside down. No sooner has she fallen from her nest, the little fledgling totters off into the mangrove, pushing a second egg from the brood along with her. Come hell or high water she is determined to find a mother… even if that mom turns out to be an alligator or a raccoon! As she embarks on this dangerous journey through the mangroves, she encounters a series of wild animals before falling in with Walter and Rosie, two children determined to save her.

Emmanuèle Pétry Sirvin, Co-Founder of Dandelooo, says: “This cute little female owl has captured the hearts of people from all over the world thanks to the wonderful talent of creators Julien Bisaro and Claire Paoletti. We hope that she continues to garner many more. We are so proud to be a part of their great adventure”.

 

Daisy & Ollie secures new series commission from Channel 5’s Milkshake!

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Manchester-based Hoopla Animation has announced that Channel 5 has greenlit a brand new fifth series of Jason Manford’s hit 2D animation Daisy & Ollie for its multiplatform preschool brand, Milkshake!.

In addition, Channel 5 has also inked a five-year deal with Hoopla to air all five of the Daisy & Ollie series on Milkshake!, including series 1 and 2, which originally launched on Cartoonito in 2017.

The show has proven hugely popular with Milkshake! audiences, airing daily since its launch on the channel in March 2020. Daisy & Ollie was recently showcased at the broadcaster’s live ‘5 on the Farm’ event which took place on August Bank Holiday weekend at Cannon Hall Farm in Yorkshire, featuring meet and greets and live nursery rhyme shows led by the show’s official costume characters.

The Channel 5 commission will see Hoopla Animation produce a further 26 x 7-minute episodes, due to launch on the channel’s children’s block Milkshake! next year, bringing the total number of episodes created to 130. The show is based on an original idea by Hoopla’s Helen Brown and co-written and executive produced by comedian Jason Manford, who also voices some of the main characters including Daisy’s Daddy and Whizzy the Robot.

Each episode follows best friends Daisy (voiced by Sarah Hadland) and Ollie (voiced by Claire Morgan) on their adventures, as they seek out the answers to questions that many children ask each day such as ‘How Do Bats See In The Dark?’, ‘Why Do We Have To Wash?’ and ‘What does adoption mean?’.

Daisy & Ollie has featured a host of celebrity guest stars to date, including comedian Paddy McGuinness and TV Star Christine McGuinness, who appeared in a much-acclaimed special episode in partnership with the National Autism Society. Further guest stars have included TV presenter and comedian Romesh Ranganathan and Mrs Brown’s Boys actor Brendan O’Carroll, whilst Take That star Gary Barlow performed in a Christmas special.

Jetpack Distribution have the worldwide distribution rights for Daisy & Ollie and the series has sold in multiple territories across the globe.

Dominic Gardiner, Jetpack’s CEO, says: “The fact that Daisy & Ollie has been greenlit for a fifth season is a testament to its quality and appeal. It’s been a top-selling show in our preschool line up and proved universally popular across the globe, with some timeless themes for preschoolers, and inciting their curiosity and wonder. I’m very much looking forward to seeing the next season and taking it to market.”

 

Acamar Films renews Bing partnership with master toy licensee Golden Bear

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Acamar Films, producers of the multi-award-winning TV show Bing along with Brown Bag Films, has renewed its licensing deal with master toy licensee Golden Bear. The EMEA agreement, which extends the partnership for a further four years, will run until 2025.

Golden Bear has seen huge success with its Bing toys since launching into the UK market in the autumn of 2019. The initial range, featuring core character plush toys – including the award-winning Light Up Bing With Hoppity and figurines – was a sell-out sensation for Christmas 2019.

A pan-European partnership, Golden Bear’s toy sales for Bing have increased not just in the UK but across multiple markets including Italy, where Bing continues to be the top pre-school property, the Netherlands and Central Eastern Europe. Further expansion is planned for 2022 and beyond, in line with Bing’s growing licensing programme.

Over the three years since the range launched, Bing has become Golden Bear’s number one global license and seen an impressive 110 per cent sales uplift between 2019 and 2021. This growth continues into Christmas 2021, with a 52 per cent increase in retailer stocking points compared to AW20.

Delivering a multi-year product strategy to steadily expand the toy lines, the range has expanded further across feature plush, playsets and most recently bath toys. The development of additional characters and locations are serving to grow Bing’s world and ensure the longevity of the range.

Set to delight Bingsters this Christmas are the hero lines for AW21: Bing’s House Playset, with nine accessories, and the fun and interactive Musical Statues Dancing Bing, both of which will be fully supported across TV, digital and social platforms. The toys aim to inspire creativity, build imagination and encourage role-play in little ones as they bring the TV show to life.

“I am very proud of what our team and distribution partners have achieved with Bing over the last three years,” says Barry Hughes, Managing Director at Golden Bear. “We are delighted to have signed a further long-term agreement with Acamar Films on the property and look forward to introducing Bing toys into new markets. The highly experienced Acamar Films team have proven themselves to be experts in getting all the building blocks in place to ensure success in every market in which we have launched. We are so excited about what the next few years hold for Bing in both current and new territories.”

Natalie Harvey, Executive Director of Sales at Acamar Films adds: “Golden Bear have delivered a wonderful range of Bing toys which continue to delight our Bingsters across the world – with so much more to come. In the last three years, the Golden Bear team has shown true innovation, care and talent as they have built out the world of Bing, whilst successfully negotiating the industry’s many challenges.”

Bing is an International Emmy award-winning show with broadcast deals in over 130 territories worldwide including the USA, where it launched on Cartoonito with WarnerMedia in September 2021.

Zavvi debuts exclusive Marvel Eternals replica set

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To celebrate the release of the new Marvel Eternals movie, online retailer Zavvi is launching a limited-edition and officially licensed Marvel Eternals collectible replica set.

The UK and EU exclusive, inspired by the feature film, accurately recreates Black Knight’s ring, Sersi’s Necklace, Thena’s Tiara, and Uni-mind’s Bracelet.

Limited to 1,000 individually numbered pieces, each set comes with a certificate of authenticity in a Marvel collectors’ box.

Marvel’s Eternals is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), an unexpected tragedy forces the Eternals, ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years, out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants.

The Marvel Eternals replica set, priced at £84.99, is available to pre-order now, exclusive to Zavvi.com.

 

Zavvi debuts exclusive Marvel Eternals replica set

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To celebrate the release of the new Marvel Eternals movie, online retailer Zavvi is launching a limited-edition and officially licensed Marvel Eternals collectible replica set.

The UK and EU exclusive, inspired by the feature film, accurately recreates Black Knight’s ring, Sersi’s Necklace, Thena’s Tiara, and Uni-mind’s Bracelet.

Limited to 1,000 individually numbered pieces, each set comes with a certificate of authenticity in a Marvel collectors’ box.

Marvel’s Eternals is one of the most anticipated movies of the year. Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), an unexpected tragedy forces the Eternals, ancient aliens who have been living on Earth in secret for thousands of years, out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s most ancient enemy, the Deviants.

The Marvel Eternals replica set, priced at £84.99, is available to pre-order now, exclusive to Zavvi.com.

 

Sanrio partners with Player 2 to grow licensing revenue in the global gaming market

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Gaming and esports marketing agency Player 2 and global lifestyle brand Sanrio have announced a partnership that will see the two collaborating to grow gaming-related licensing partnerships for its Hello Kitty and Sanrio characters (including Aggretsuko and Gudetama) across the EMEA, India and Oceania regions. Player 2’s work will also include global gaming-related partnerships for Sanrio’s iconic Mister Men Little Miss characters.

Player 2 will lead the efforts to develop specific in-game collaboration programmes that bring awareness of the Sanrio characters to young consumers, while expanding its gaming-related product offerings across in-game activations, peripherals, merchandise collaborations and esports.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to further introduce Hello Kitty and friends along with the Mister Men Little Miss characters to gaming audiences,” says John Pierce, Player 2 Managing Partner. “We look forward to collaborating with the Sanrio team to create intriguing and relevant gaming-related partnerships.”

“Sanrio has been creating smiles for over 50 years,” says Silvia Figini, Chief Operating Officer, Sanrio – EMEA, India and Oceania, Mr. Men – Worldwide. “We’re excited to partner with Player 2 to bring the values, optimism and smiles of our iconic characters to gaming enthusiasts everywhere.”

Sanrio, best known for Hello Kitty who was created in 1974, is home to many other beloved character brands such as My Melody, LittleTwinStars, Cinnamoroll, Pompompurin, Gudetama, Aggretsuko, Chococat, Bad Badtz-Maru, Kerokerokeroppi and the British icons Mr Men & Little Miss. Sanrio boasts an extensive product lineup of around 50,000 products, which are available in over 130 countries and regions around the world.

The Clangers announce magical musical plans

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International rights owner Coolabi Group and its BAFTA award winning kids show, Clangers, are celebrating a host of musical activations for the much-loved brand including partnerships with Nordoff Robbins, Amazon (for the brand-new Clangers Talk Kids+ Edition), a licensing deal with tonies and an official Clangers album release with Grammy Award winning composer, John du Prez.

Coolabi Group has announced that Clangers will be partnering once again with music therapy charity Nordoff Robbins for a brand new interactive three part series of ‘On Stage at Home Live’.

Launching on Monday 11 October at 10am with its first session followed by two more morning sessions on 18 October and 25 October, the fun and free musical Zoom sessions for preschool children will be hosted by CBeebies presenter and performer Cat Sandion and Nordoff Robbins music therapist Emily Grimes. They will feature dancing from the Clangers and a specially created kindness song for viewers to sing, dance and learn important life skills on how to be kind.

In addition, a new version of Clangers Talk Kids+ Edition, a voice-activated Alexa Skill for Amazon, is now available. Clangers Talk originally launched in 2019 and quickly became one of Alexa’s most popular kids’ skills on the device. It allows children to communicate with Clangers, who respond with whistles and songs, and now includes popular nursery rhymes and Clangers audio stories.

The brand new Clangers figurine from audio box company tonies is now available, with six magical stories voiced by Clangers narrator, Sir Michael Palin. The Clangers tonie is available from selected toy retailers, bookshops and the tonies website.

‘The Clangers Album’ by award winning composer John Du Prez, featuring the magical sounds of the Little Blue Planet, has been released on the Ocean Music label, and is available to buy in all high street and online music shops. John Du Prez has produced 18 magical tracks on the 12” LP version, available in a choice of pink and blue vinyl, and an extra four bonus tracks for the CD and digital download.

Jeremy Banks, CEO of Coolabi Group said: “We are absolutely over the moon to be announcing these brand new Clangers partnerships and product releases which celebrate all the fantastic music and sounds that make Clangers so magical and unique.“

Pocket.watch teams up with YouTube superstars Toys and Colors for global franchise ‘Kaleidoscope City’

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Family entertainment company pocket.watch, which specializes in extending kids and family YouTube stars and characters into global franchises like the mega-hit Ryan’s World, has slated spring 2022 for the launch of its latest project.

Kaleidoscope City will be based off Toys and Colors, the popular YouTube channel which amasses 1.5 billion views per month. The ensemble Asian-American cast features young friends Wendy, Alex, Emma, Jannie and Andrew, in addition to a host of Aunties and Uncles familiar to the channel’s massive audience.

Kaleidoscope City will come to life in an original live action/animated series, consumer products, gaming, podcasts, live events, and much more. The City is a magical world of colour where kids learn to see things from a new perspective and learn about diversity, varied points of view, conflict management and empathy.

“We are thrilled to partner with the incredible ensemble of Toys and Colors and we are so excited to introduce Kaleidoscope City as our next global kids and family franchise. This partnership reinforces our mission to bring kids more of what they love and to ensure that kids around the world see themselves in pocket.watch,” says Kerry Tucker, Chief Marketing and Franchise Officer of pocket.watch. “Our success in bringing franchise economics to the world’s most popular YouTube creators and produce, license and distribute original IP to every consumer touchpoint gives us the distinct opportunity to reach diverse audiences across the globe. Toys and Colors is a perfect addition to the pocket.watch family.”

Production is underway on an original hybrid live action/animation series created by pocket.watch Chief Content Officer, Albie Hecht, entitled “Toys and Colors in Kaleidoscope City”, featuring the Toys and Colors ensemble as live action characters against virtual photorealistic backgrounds combined with MOCAP CG animated characters – all produced in real time in the Unreal Game Engine. The franchise also introduces a cast of new animated characters who run various world bazaar shops and help the Toys and Colors crew navigate Kaleidoscope City. Baby Rainbow, Matcha, Dax and Chi Chi all have unique perspectives and personas and will serve as the inspiration for gaming, consumer products, podcasts, live events and more.

“We are so excited to join pocket.watch as their partners in becoming the next big global franchise for kids and families,” says Tim Nguyen of Toys and Colors. “After seeing what pocket.watch has done with brands like Ryan’s World and Love, Diana, and hearing about their incredible plans for Kaleidoscope City, we can’t wait to bring this new franchise to our fans all over the world.”

 

 

Toonz Media Group and GuardianLink launch world’s first fully integrated NFT design lab

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Global animation major Toonz Media Group and GuardianLink are jointly launching the world’s first Integrated NFT design lab specialising in state-of-the-art Non Fungible Tokens for custom-made digital assets.

The award-winning Toonz studio, with a legacy of more than two decades and over 100 original animation IPs to its credit, is venturing into the NFT space with a first-of-its-kind NFT design lab. The Toonz NFTLabs will provide integrated services for artists, creators, collectors, athletes and brands to create curated digital assets and NFTs representing them.

Non Fungible Tokens or NFTs are blockchain-based digital certificates that certify that the digital asset tied to it is unique and not interchangeable. NFTs can represent photos, videos, audio, or any type of digital file. They are now widely used to purchase and validate ownership of digital artwork, collectibles, in-game assets, memes, and so on. Although they have been around since 2012, NFTs shot to popularity in early 2021 with the staggering auction sales of assets such as artist Beeple’s digital artwork ‘Everydays – The First 5000 Days’ (sold for $69m), NBA Top Shot video clip of LeBron James (sold for $208,000) and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey’s first tweet (sold for $2.5m). The NFT technology is also empowering artists and creators by eliminating middlemen, providing direct access to buyers and fans, and more importantly through resale royalties trickling back to the artist.

“The emergence of NFTs is possibly the biggest disruption that has happened in the art world in recent history, completely changing the way we perceive, own, and consume art,” says said P Jayakumar, CEO, Toonz Media Group. “Toonz NFTLabs will be a game-changer in this space, being the first-ever and the largest NFT service provider for curated digital assets.

“The NFT marketplace provides us with the unique opportunity to generate traction for animation IPs even before they are produced or launched in the market. It provides a whole new world of opportunity for funding projects, a model that even independent creators and brands can adopt. We want to help those creators and brands by producing custom-made NFT assets for them and launching them in the NFT marketplace. We are extremely happy to have the right technology partner for this venture in Guardian Link, who have already launched over 45 NFT marketplaces on their own.”

Singapore-based GuardianLink, which specialises in Guardian Branded MarketPlace product and Legitimacy Protocol for NFTs, has extensive experience in the NFT space and with over 45 marketplaces launched in 30 countries. With offices in India, Japan, and Singapore, the company houses 350 NFT concept creators and blockchain technologists, teamed with product specialists.

“NFT is the new medium of digital assets with economic underpinnings and its acceptance has proved to be a true testament to the decentralized economy at scale,” says Keyur Patel, Chairman and Co-Founder , GuardianLink.io. “This is the first time in history any creator, any athlete, or any known or unknown brand can make a dent and indulge in enormous monetisation of their own rarity, creativity and uniqueness. Gaming, Media, Release and many other segments of the industry are touched by NFT and it is just the beginning of the revolution. With the Guardian platform supporting both Fiat and Crypto payments globally, we feel this will push NFT and acceptance will be much wider among audiences globally.”

Toonz NFTLabs in partnership with GuardianLink will specialise in both the creative and technological aspects of NFT generation, including conceptualisation, development, character design, modelling and asset designs, along with smart contract generation for NFTs. With over 1,000 designers and technologists from Europe and Asia, the NFT lab will offer services such as Creative Storyboarding & Conceptualization, 2D Character Design & Digital Asset Development with Smart Contract Attributes, 3D Design & Modelling, Gamification, Smart Contract Auto Generation, Metaverse Immersion Model, and Incubation Lab for Emerging Artists. The lab will also offer top-tier IP partnerships for television properties, movie properties, games and metaverses.

Developed using some of the most advanced technologies, such as the Isomorphic NFT Framework, these NFTs will be designed and generated randomly using smart contracts on Ethereum, Polygon or Solano blockchains. GuardianLink will also provide a branded marketplace and launch pads for creators, brands, and athletes/celebrities who want to launch their own independent NFT destinations for auctions and trades integrated with third party exchanges.

 

 

Portfolio Entertainment finds a home for ‘Where Oliver Fits’ at Discovery Kids

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Global sales secured across kids and family slate including Hero Elementary, Do You Know? and The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That!

Leading media company Portfolio Entertainment has secured a host of international deals across its slate of acclaimed series including the first sale of its brand-new half hour family Christmas special Where Oliver Fits: A Christmas Eve Tale and series of shorts Where Oliver Fits (9 x 2.5’) to Discovery Kids Latin America.

Portfolio’s action-packed animated series Hero Elementary (40 x 30’) will be heading to SIC for Portugal and CTC for Russia. CTC has also renewed its commitment for seasons one, two and three of hit 2D animated series The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That! (160 x 11’) and live action preschool series Do You Know? (50 x 15’) for season one and two as well as inking a new deal for season four (25 x 15’). Season five of the popular edutainment series Do You Know? (18 x 15’) has been secured for TVB for Hong Kong.

“We can’t wait for kids around the world to meet Oliver,” says Donnie MacIntyre, Portfolio’s VP of Sales & Business Development. “His adventurous spirit and can-do attitude as he searches for his place in the world will provide young audiences with all the excitement and entertainment they are looking for this holiday season.”

In partnership with the CMF/SRF Digital Animated Series Program and Corus Entertainment’s Treehouse TV, Portfolio Entertainment’s Where Oliver Fits: A Christmas Eve Tale, and accompanying series of shorts, is based on the hit Canadian children’s book Where Oliver Fits by Cale Atkinson. The heartfelt animated comedy special and series explore the challenges of not knowing where you fit in with your friends, and how to be yourself.

Hero Elementary is produced by Portfolio and Twin Cities PBS for PBS Kids and is a fun-filled education driven series aimed at kids aged 4–7 following the pupils of the titular institution – a place where youngsters with superpowers learn how to use their unique gifts.

Produced by Portfolio Entertainment and Collingwood O’Hare Productions, in association with Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Random House Children’s Entertainment, Treehouse, and PBS Kids, The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That! is based on Random House’s best-selling Beginner Book collection, “The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library.” The award-winning series has been sold to broadcasters and digital platforms in over 170 markets worldwide.

Do You Know? is produced by 7 Wonder and features YouTube sensation and technology vlogger Maddie Moate as she makes the leap from the Internet to TV. The fresh, high-energy series aimed at ages 4–7 answers some of the world’s most pressing questions and explores everyday objects and familiar places in a kid-friendly way, while parents also pick up some intriguing watercooler facts.