WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, and Mattel, Incorporated, announce new-season greenlights for beloved kids’ shows Fireman Sam and Polly Pocket, based on the popular Mattel brands.
YouTube Originals Kids & Family announces the launch of Behind the Beats, a new animated pop music anthology series produced by TeamTO and 22D Music Group in partnership with France Télévisions. Episodes 1 ‒ 4 will debut on Friday, 18th November on the YouTube Originals channel and the YouTube Kids app. Behind the Beats (26 x 5’) is an animated series for families that tells the stories of how talented musicians with incredibly different styles came together, revealing the often-unexpected origins of new musical genres. Who knew the beats of these original tunes still reverberate in today’s pop music?! Using funky, dynamic animated storytelling with our lively narrators, the series explores the stories behind movements such as New Wave, Rock’n’Roll, G-Funk, Reggae, Electro Pop and Trap. Episode examples, which feature three songs each, include Punk Meets Disco (how Blondie paved the way to the New Wave) and Gangsta Rap Meets P-Funk (how Snoop Dogg paved the way to G-Funk).
After 7 edu-tainment shows broadcast in countless countries for more than 40 years, Maestro returns to tell children about Everyday Objects, that surround them in their daily lives: episodes are full of anecdotes, high-key historical characters and humor! Once Upon a Time…the Objects (78 x 7’) blends a wealth of precise scientific information with the characteristically humorous tone that insured the long-standing reputation and success of the original series. More than 200 million books have been sold as well as 120 million DVDs worldwide; as of today, more than 40 licensees are developing consumer products in numerous territories.
Christmas at the boarding school is confirmed, as WildBrain and King Bert Productions’ smash-hit family drama, Malory Towers, is set to return to CBBC and BBC iPlayer for a two-part Christmas special this December. Malory Towers will also open its doors to a new set of pupils in season 4, as new cast members join the beloved family drama. Adapted from the iconic novels by Enid Blyton, Malory Towers has been a huge hit with kids and families, who have been captivated by the adventures of a group of friends attending a boarding school in Cornwall, where they have learned to navigate their formative years with the help of their schoolmates.
Academy Award-nominated French animation studio Xilam Animation has secured its first wave of deals for the upcoming fourth season of its iconic non-dialogue slapstick comedy series Zig & Sharko (78 x 7’), as the company prepares to debut the first episode to buyers at MIPCOM. Launching in September 2023, season four has been acquired by longstanding partner Gulli (France), which has also renewed its partnership across the previous three seasons. Additionally, Xilam has sold the new installment to existing partners VRT-Ketnet (Belgium), Discovery (Italy), DeA (Italy), Nickelodeon (India) and Nova TV (Israel).
With Halloween just around the corner, the ghouls of Monster High: The Movie are finally here to scare up some angsty chills and thrills! Premiering on Nickelodeon and streaming in conjunction on Paramount+, the beloved franchise takes a (furry) foot forward with the first live-action musical movie for the IP! Monster High: The Movie follows Clawdeen Wolf (Miia Harris, Just Beyond), who was born half human and half werewolf, after she arrives at her new school, Monster High. She quickly makes friends with her classmates Frankie Stein (Ceci Balagot, Dispatches from Elsewhere) and Draculaura (Nayah Damasen, “Grey’s Anatomy”), and for the first time in her life, Clawdeen feels like she has finally found a place where she fits in and can truly be herself, despite keeping her human half a secret. When a devious plan to destroy Monster High threatens to reveal her real identity, Clawdeen must learn to embrace her true monster heart and find a way to save the day alongside her new friends.
Four decades after its original launch on Canadian television, The Raccoons returns to the small screen for an entirely new generation to enjoy on Crave, Canada’s prestige entertainment offering. Seasons 1 and 2 drop on Crave on Saturday October 8th, with Seasons 3, 4, and 5, plus four animated specials, to follow at a later date.
Mattel, Incorporated announced that it has renewed Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go, the highly successful animated series based on Thomas the Tank Engine, for two additional seasons. Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana Studios has begun co-production with Mattel Television on the two new seasons which are set to deliver in 2023. Building upon the emphatic reception to Season 26 and the introduction of the series’ first autistic character, Bruno the Brake Car, seasons 27 and 28 will continue to broaden the global viewership of the celebrated series and are comprised of 26 11-minute episodes; each series also includes its own 60-minute special.
Season five of the globally popular series, Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, is now available on Disney Channel U.S., with new episodes premiering weekly on Saturdays at 10am ET/PT. Created by ZAG and co-produced with Method Animation (Mediawan Kids & Family), the 3D-CGI-animated superhero aspirational action-comedy series, Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, has become a bona fide worldwide hit, available in over 120 countries around the world. The series has a broad audience reach, with superhero action and romantic storylines to please younger kids and preteens alike.