Quebec studio Happy Camper Media has announced a new seven-minute format or its two-time Canadian Gemini Award-winning animated series Super Agent Jon Le Bon! Based on the best-selling Adventure Press comic book, the 39 x 7′, 2D animated series is being produced in partnership with Radio-Canada and CBC Kids, as well as CBC/SRC Distribution and Zodiak Kids. Happy Camper has also secured financing for an additional 41 episodes, now in pre-production, meaning new adventures of the Agency’s best (or just luckiest) agent will continue to roll out into 2022.
“We are thrilled and excited to launch at Kidscreen, in partnership with our distributors Zodiak Kids, Radio-Canada and CBC. We know that kids around the globe will embrace the extended seven-minute format of humorous and adventure-filled stories featuring our clumsy, yet clever, agent. After conquering the hearts of more than 1.1 million readers with its comic book in Quebec, we are excited for new audiences to discover Jon and his wacky crew. At Happy Camper Media, we are in love with this universe filled with improbable missions, and we think that during these COVID-19 times Super Agent Jon Le Bon! will bring fun and laughter to many audiences in both linear and digital platforms”. – Renaud Sylvain, Executive Producer
The new longer format and package of 49 x 90″ shorts are being offered to buyers at the Kidscreen Summit. Super Agent Jon Le Bon! streams on both ici.tou.tv and GEM.
Leading Russian animation company Riki Group has secured multiple deals for its flagship series all across the globe.
- Da Vinci Media will broadcast The Fixies on multiple territories including South Africa, India, U.K., Ireland, Turkey, Spain, Germany, Portugal and Brazil in English and local languages. The agreement was secured by the series’s sales agent Play Big. Based in Berlin, Germany, Da Vinci Media offers fun educational content for kids 6-12 and families through its 24/7 television channel, Da Vinci TV, as well as its curated Da Vinci Kids App; available in 18 languages to more than 40 million subscribers over 100 countries.
- PlayKids has picked up The Fixies for U.S., U.K. and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
- Panda and Krash will soon be available in Brazil as Riki Group continues its cooperation with Globosat — which also acquired the rights to the third season of BabyRiki. Panda and Krash premiered in China this January, followed by broadcasts in Russia starting in February. It was jointly created by Riki Group and China’s FUN Union and CCTV Animation Group. The 52 x 12′ CGI 3D series follows the adventures of Chinese panda HeHe and the rabbit Krash from the Kikoriki animated series.
- Tina & Tony has commenced broadcast on TiJi, which will launch the series in Russia, CIS and Israel.
- Tralala will present Tina & Tony on YouTube worldwide in Romanian dubbing.
- Epic Story Media, an exclusive distributor of the English and French versions of Tina & Tony for the U.S. and Canada, has sent the project to Kidoodle TV.
- Hong Kong-based TVB has picked up PinCode to launch on the Jade and J2 channels and myTVSuper and TVB Anywhere platforms this spring.
Atlantyca Entertainment’s award-winning children’s animated series Berry Bees is heading to Asia. New distribution and multi-platform deals, inked by co-production and distribution partner Cosmos-Maya, will see the 52-episode series running on: FPT Telecom Platforms (Vietnam); Muse Communication Digital Platform (China); IN10 Gubbare Channel (India); Wow Kidz Network on Amazon and Facebook (India), launching this month; and Astro (Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei), premiering in June.
Berry Bees (52 x 12′) is a high-energy spy comedy about a trio of elite kid agents. When the world’s top-secret villains unleash mayhem and the adult spies are simply not suitable for the case, Bobby, Lola and Juliette become mistresses of disguise, secret undercover agents, astute mentalists and rad martial arts experts who also use awesome berry-themed gadgets to save the day. Co-produced by Atalntyca, Cosmos-Maya, SLR Productions and Telegael with the participation of RAI Ragazzi and NINE Network.
Atlantyca has also recently partnered with Future Today, the only full-stack streaming solution that packages branded channels and delivers audiences to watch them, to distribute the first season (52 episodes) of Bat Pat on its flagship kids and family channel HappyKids, bringing the scary-comic adventures of the lovable Bat to young audiences throughout the U.S., U.K. and Canada.
Bat Pat follows the spooky and comical animated adventures of Bat Pat and his friends Martin, Leo and Rebecca Silver as they unravel mysteries and cross paths with supernatural creatures of the night that lurk, haunt, shriek and dig themselves up in every dark corner of their home of Fogville – a small town that seems to be the center of all things weird in the world, a veritable magnet to ghosts, mummies, witches, creatures, werewolves and things that go bump in the night, but just because they need help! The first season, produced with the participation of Rai and RTVE, has sold ot more than 100 countries.
9 Story Distribution Int’l picked up three new children’s series for international distribution ahead of the Kidscreen Summit, including live-action music comedy Andy and the Band, CGI series Weird Waters and hybrid show Bad Nature.
- Weird Waters (60 x 7′; kids 4-7). Produced by Wayletta Productions, Meticulous Media and Moondog Animation Studio, and represented by Courageous Artists, the series follows three Best Fish Friends Forever (BFFFs). Two tropical fish, BZ and I.M. Tiger, accidentally find themselves in the deep end of a magical pond. Along the way, the duo becomes friends with Jam, who sweeps them away on a series of unbelievable adventures. Through hidden realms, crazy monsters and ancient mysteries these friends learn that growing up is the wildest ride of all. 9 Story has acquired worldwide distribution and merchandising rights.
- Bad Nature (25 x 5′; kids 6-11) Through a unique hybrid of live-action animals and state of the art CGI animation, Bad Nature answers all of the wonderfully weird questions about animals. The series follows Marv the Mandrill, Gloria the Puma and a madcap menagerie of misfits. Bad Nature delves into all the disgusting and yet amazing things animals do. Produced by Bristol-based Rebel Television for Sky Kids, the series shares the remarkable journey that brings viewers into the hideous world of Bad Nature. 9 Story acquired worldwide distribution rights, excluding the U.K.
London-based kids’ entertainment specialist CAKE has signed a deal with Italian public broadcaster Rai (Italy) for the first season of ground-breaking preschool animated series Pablo — the first children’s series to feature a central character with autism. The deal finalized by CAKE’s Head of Sales Bianca Rodriguez sees Rai joining key public broadcasters including TVE Spain, RTP Portugal, Czech TV, NRK Norway, TV Brazil and RTS Switzerland as well as Netflix in multiple territories. The series will launch on February 20 on the Rai Play platform and on March 1 on the Rai Yoyo channel.
Pablo features a smart and artistic little boy, whose imaginative drawings come to life enabling him to face the Real World with confidence. Pablo is 5½ and on the autism spectrum. Using his magic crayons, Pablo bravely turns his life challenges into fantastic adventures and his feelings into colourful characters with a voice. With the help of his Art World friends, Llama, Noa, Mouse, Draff, Tang and Wren, Pablo is better able to make sense of his 5½ year old world. The series is produced by Paper Owl Films for CBeebies and RTEjr, in association with Kavaleer Productions and Ingenious with funding from Northern Ireland Screen and BAI.
Kiddinx Media GmbH, owner of German evergreen properties Benjamin the Elephant and Bibi Blocksberg, has tasked bRAND-WARD Services with developing and executing a strategy to take its Bibi & Tina brand to a global audience. The story started as a radio play spin-off and then a TV series on ZDF and a range of other audiovisual productions following Bibi, a girl with special powers, her best friend Tina and their horses Sabrina and Amadeus.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2021, Bibi & Tina has sold over 20 million storytellers, 5.6 million videos and 1.7 million books, generated a No. 1 soundtrack album, 54-episode TV series, live-action Amazon Prime series, four feature films, and 105 million streams per month across major online platforms. The 100th episode of the radio play launched in January.
