Your once-a-month recap for trends in the kids & YA sectors, with news recaps, interviews, analysis & more.
ScreenMDM Kids/YA
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What's Inside:
- The Full 360 with Banijay Kids & Family’s Benoît di Sabatino
- Behind the Scenes of Zog
- Studio 100’s Martin Krieger on Franchise-Building, Partnerships & Relevance
- Warrior Cats' Moment Arrives
- Anime Rising
- Annecy Highlights—Premieres & Pavilions
- Scaling Catalogs: News Briefs on Pre-Annecy Representation Deals
The Full 360 with Banijay Kids & Family’s Benoît di Sabatino
Investing in Banijay Kids & Family’s digital footprint and experimenting with AI tools in production workflows while maintaining a strong creative ethos are key strategies for CEO Benoît di Sabatino as the family entertainment powerhouse builds out its stable of new and returning brands. |
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BBC Studios Kids & Family’s Cecilia Persson and Magic Light Pictures’ Michael Rose discuss their partnership to bring the beloved publishing IP Zog, previously adapted into two animated specials, into a full 52-episode series.
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Disney Kids & Family has boarded Coolabi Group’s adaptation of the Warrior Cats fantasy book series, with a 2028 premiere planned on Disney Channel and Disney+. Earlier this month, Coolabi revealed that Tencent Video was on board for China and Southeast Asia. Original Force is the animation studio for the series on behalf of Tencent Video. A.C.Bradley is the showrunner, and Rodrigo Blaas directs, with the collaboration of El Guiri Studios. The series, written by Erin Hunter, was created by Working Partners, a Coolabi Group company. It has sold over 90 million books to date and has been translated into almost 40 languages. The adaptation is based on the first series of books, Warrior Cats: The Prophecies Begin. The brand has a deep global fan base, logging 50 million views per month from user-generated content on YouTube and nearly 3 billion views on TikTok. The Warrior Cats: Ultimate Edition game on Roblox has been played more than 735 million times.
Anime Rising
Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi is introducing a new short-form anime brand and programming block, PicoAni, targeting the Gen Z, kids, and YA demos with content intended to travel across platforms and spawn L&M opportunities. Meanwhile, CAKE will take the lead on distribution efforts for TV Asahi’s iconic Doraemon brand in the U.S., Canada, ANZ, and most of EMEA. In a deal with World Events Productions (WEP), CAKE has also secured the international distribution rights to the animated series in the iconic Voltron franchise. TeamTO is working with the U.S. animation studio Martian Blueberry on an anime-inspired series for adults, Junichiro Jackson.
Annecy Highlights—Premieres & Pavilions
The animated feature Kiri and Lou Go Raaa! from CAKE and New Zealand’s Stretchy is part of the official selection at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, screening on June 24 and followed by a Q&A with voice actors Jemaine Clement and Olivia Tennet and animation director Antony Elworthy.
The UK Pavilion is returning to Annecy this week, hosted by Animation UK and supported by the BFI, with National Lottery funding through the ScreenUK Industry umbrella.
Scaling Catalogs: News Briefs on Pre-Annecy Representation Deals
Serious Kids has taken on the global (excluding Spain, Finland, and Ireland) content and merchandising rights for the European 2D/CGI co-production Tastebuddies from Pikkukala, Dibulitoon, and Ink and Light. Hoho Rights has expanded its catalog with the distribution rights to the Channel 5 Milkshake! commission Mimi’s World and CITV’s classic Fetch the Vet. Banijay Kids & Family has taken on the distribution rights to Belzebubs, a mockumentary-style adult animated series from Pyjama Films, co-produced by Movimenti Production and Mago Production. Bomanbridge Media is on board as a co-production and distribution partner on a new series from Wind Sun Sky’s Future Chicken franchise.
More June News
In a move that everyone is just beginning to wrap their heads around, the U.K. will follow Australia’s lead in banning social media for the under-16s as a way to “give kids their childhood back.” The new rule would block social-media platforms from offering services to kids under 16. It is expected to be brought to Parliament before Christmas, with protections expected to come into force in the spring of next year. A statement from the Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall and PM Keir Starmer said the move sets a new normal for future generations, “kickstarting a cultural shift and driving forward the government’s fight to give every child the best start in life."
With Netflix, TF1, and Super RTL on board, ZAG has begun production on its new animated series Ghostforce Evolution. As it marks its tenth anniversary, MIAM! has launched a dedicated division to develop and produce games based on its flagship properties. Kelebek Media’s Isadora Moon and Emerald, adapted from the hit book series by Harriet Muncaster, have secured several broadcast slots via Madgic Distribution. Média-Participations and Vuelta’s PAN have aligned for two new animated features, one based on the Lucky Luke franchise and the other in the Yakari universe.
