Toonz Media Group joins forces with Ferly for Kingdom of None


Ferly, the Finnish animation, publishing, and licensing studio, announced today that it has signed a co-production deal with global animation studio, Toonz Media Group for its new animation series, Kingdom of None (52×11′).

Aimed at children aged between 5 -8 years, Kingdom of None celebrates kids’ extraordinary imaginations, as well as their ability to discover the playfulness in everyday situations and surroundings and find endless new uses for ordinary objects. The series brings back the joy of children’s play, encouraging kids to create their own worlds, and to find joy in using their imagination.

In the animated series, eight-year-old Meter Masterson, his pals James, Leo and Solo, and his sister Milli race home every day to play in the Masterson Manor backyard. With its interesting places, props and costumes, the imaginary worlds created by Meter and his friends in his garden come to life as the Kingdom of None.

In these worlds they are free to go as far as their imagination takes them. As Meter leads them on journeys through the Kingdom, the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary. Leo’s paintings take on a life of their own, Solo’s trusty hockey stick becomes a magical weapon, and James’ quick thinking helps them battle the fiercest of nemeses. Mowing the lawn turns into a heroic battle and algebra troubles quickly manifest into a mighty quest. From a Viking Lord to a talking tree, Meter and the gang emerge from these adventures with a better understanding of how to navigate the world and the people around them.

Laura Nevanlinna, CEO of Ferly says “When the only limit is your imagination, there is boundless scope for amazing stories in exciting and unique worlds, and the possibility for huge engagement from children. Kingdom of None has brand expansion built into its DNA and as we continue to develop the IP it will offer fans new ways to engage with it from animation to publishing, games to toys. Toonz Media Group is the perfect partner to come on board to make Kingdom of None an international success, and we are looking forward to working together as a team.”[LN1] [HM2] 

 P. Jayakumar, CEO of Toonz Media Group saysKingdom of None is a celebration of children’s creativity and imagination. We will be creating a very attractive and aspirational world in the form of the ‘Kingdom’ in this series. It is a very promising project, with tremendous opportunities to explore and we are really looking forward to working on this with the Ferly team.”

Ferly and Toonz will jointly handle the pre-production and animation production of the series, while the post-production will be done at Telegael, Toonz Media Group’s full suite animation and live action studio based in Galway, Ireland. Toonz will handle the distribution of the series outside of Scandinavia, with Ferly handling the ancillary rights sales outside the Indian subcontinent.[LN3] [HM4] 

The first season of the series is expected to be launched by mid-2023.

About Ferly

Creating Stories. Building Worlds. Adding Wonder.

Ferly creates extraordinary worlds and tells surprising wonder-filled stories to build brands and IP. Founded in 2017 by former Rovio Executives, its HQ is in Helsinki with teams working in Vancouver, LA and Stockholm.

The Ferly team of animation and brand-building experts specializes in producing beautiful content that captivates and enthrals children and adults alike. To develop stories that are inclusive, representative, and most importantly fun, the global licensing, production and publishing teams work hand-in-hand to create full multimedia franchises for its own and co-produced IP. At the heart of everything it does, Ferly showcases creatives and creators in unusual, unexpected, and wonderful ways to inspire and educate audiences worldwide.

Ferly’s work includes the Momolu & Friends brand (including Momolu Minis), Star Stable: Mistfall short-form series, Angry Birds Blues and Angry Birds Bad Piggies. Ferly also represents Cocomelon, Angry Birds, Masha & The Bear, Molang, Cup of Therapy and more for licensing. Several projects are in development including a long form series with gaming entertainment company Star Stable.

About Toonz Media Group

Toonz is a 360-degree media powerhouse with over two decades of unparalleled experience and one of Asia’s most active animation production studios (over 10,000 minutes of 2D and CGI kids and family content per year). Having worked with the world’s leading entertainment studios, channels and networks including Marvel, Nickelodeon, Turner, Disney, Netflix, Dreamworks, Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Sony, Universal, BBC, Amazon, Google, Hulu, HBO, CMG and Exodus Film Group, Toonz has to its credit several animation and live action series, as well as feature films. Toonz has produced some of the most highly-rated international shows such as Wolverine and The X-men with Marvel, Speedracer Next Generation with Lionsgate, Mostly Ghostly with Universal, Playmobil with Sony, Dragonlance with Paramount Pictures, Freefonix with BBC, Gummybear and Friends and Fruit Ninja with Google and many more. Currently under production at Toonz is Paddypaws and Pals in partnership with celebrated creator Keith Chapman, JG & the BC Kids with renowned American actress Janet Hubert, Sunnyside Billy conceptualized by the legendary Olivier Jean-Marie and Pierre the Pigeon Hawk featuring a star voice-cast of Whoopi Goldberg, Will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson and Snoop Dogg.


 

Toonz Media Group launches MyToonz – a brand new OTT platform for world-class animated content

Trivandrum, February 18: Technopark-based Toonz Media Group, one of the world’s leading entertainment companies specializing in animation content production, has launched an exciting new OTT platform for kids and family entertainment called MyToonz. Toonz has tied up with multiple app stores, telecos, OTTs and connected TV companies around the world to make MyToonz available for consumers across platforms. The MyToonz app is now available on iOS, Android and Android TV playstores, as well as the Roku Video-on-Demand platform, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.

Toonz has also inked deal with telecommunication giant Airtel in India to integrate MyToonz on their app store. Airtel subscribers in India will be able to access the MyToonz digital library using the Airtel Xstream app. Besides this, the animation major has tied up with mobile tech services company U2opia Mobile to integrate MyToonz on various telco platforms in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

A first-of-its-kind exclusive kids OTT platform to be launched by an Indian entertainment company, MyToonz originates from the compelling need to create a safe and engaging entertainment destination for kids and families in the digital landscape.

MyToonz will be a space where the whole family can come together to enjoy world-class content. We have envisaged MyToonz as the go-to destination for kids to watch safe, fun and nutritious content, which will be available in multiple global languages. All MyToonz programming is compliant with international safety standards for child viewing. We have also given a conscious thrust to co-viewing, to encourage families to watch and enjoy together,” said Toonz Media Group CEO P. Jayakumar.

Kids are emerging as the fastest growing audiences in the OTT ecosystem, it only becomes imperative that we have content that is highly engaging juxtaposed with safety and education on Airtel Xstream. Our partnership with MyToonz  will help us in bringing more of such responsible content for our young audiences.” said Sudipta Banerjee , Chief Product and Technology Officer, Wynk. Wynk is Airtel’s streaming app.

We are excited to partner with Toonz Media Group to take their unique genre of universal animation content, My Toonz, to our global telecom partners. At U2opia Mobile, we aim to drive great value to our customers through bundling and other creative distribution opportunities,” said Sumesh Menon, Co-founder and Managing Director of U2opia Mobile.

Toonz Media Network, the digital division of the company, already has a formidable digital presence with a bouquet of 18 YouTube channels, 15 million+ subscribers & 350 million+ viewership per month on YouTube alone. Besides this, the division is also live on multiple Video-on-Demand (VoD) platforms as well as the platforms of various Smart TVs & Telcos. 

With MyToonz, the company seeks to take its impressive catalogue of premium content, including international co-productions with the top studios and productions houses in the world, to kids and families across the globe.

The MyToonz library will launch with over 1500 half hours of content, with new content being added every week. The library includes movies and episodic content across different genres. Besides English, there are dedicated playlists in Spanish, Russian and Hindi languages. The content on platform has been categorized to be targeted at pre-schoolers, upper pre-schoolers and early teens. The programming is also carefully curated to provide quality entertainment to kids and families through fun, educational, safe, non-violent and environmentally sensitive content that celebrates diversity. The MyToonz library can also be accessed online over the website www.mytoonz.com.

About Toonz Media Group

Toonz is a 360-degree media powerhouse with over two decades of unparalleled experience and one of Asia’s most active animation production studios (over 10,000 minutes of 2D and CGI kids and family content per year). Having worked with the world’s leading entertainment studios, channels and networks including Marvel, Nickelodeon, Turner, Disney, Netflix, Dreamworks, Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Sony, Universal, BBC, Amazon, Google, Hulu, HBO and Exodus Film Group, Toonz has to its credit several animation and live action series, as well as feature films.

Toonz Media Group all set to bring the magic of STEM-focused toy brand GoldieBlox on screen

Technopark-based Toonz Media Group (TMG) is all set to bring alive on the screen GoldieBlox, a STEM-focused toy brand that achieved sensational success in the US for breaking gender stereotypes in toys. GoldieBlox and Toonz today announced a multi-year joint venture to develop a kids and family animation slate that includes GoldieBlox’s iconic characters, Goldie & Friends, and a number of new series to be co-developed. Each of the animated series and special features will use storytelling techniques fueled by STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics).

An award-winning children’s brand, GoldieBlox inspires kids, especially girls, to take up science and tech by using their toys to teach basic engineering principles, develop motor and spatial skills, and build interest and confidence in STEM fields. The collaboration with Toonz marks GoldieBlox’s first production deal off the company’s owned and operated platforms, and their first foray into the world of animation.

The 5-year multi-property development slate will consist of animated IP for licensing to international and US SVOD and OTT players and based on both the GoldieBlox IP, as well as new, jointly developed IP. Working hand-in-hand from IP development to production, Toonz and GoldieBlox will also jointly work together to find US and global distribution partners for the joint content properties.

GoldieBlox’s Founder and CEO Debbie Sterling, herself a Stanford engineering graduate, is excited to expand the company’s content slate and bring STEM stories to life via animation: “Animation is wildly popular with kids and an area that we are excited to get involved in. Partnering with Toonz on this joint venture gives us the bandwidth to develop IP that has a global footprint, reaching children around the world.”

  1. Jayakumar, Chief Executive Officer of Toonz Media Group, says the studio is looking forward to partnering with GoldieBlox: “Children really are our future, and the toys and materials that children are exposed to in their childhood is crucial to their development. Toonz is excited to partner with GoldieBlox so that we can combine STEM with stories in order to deliver messages on learning and discovering to young girls.”

Melissa Schneider, who architected the slate strategy with Toonz, commented: “We’re thrilled to enter this partnership with Toonz. They are a world-class animation studio, and this new content fund gives us exciting momentum to partner with top-tier creative talent to tell new stories.”

About GoldieBlox

GoldieBlox is a multimedia company rewriting the script for young girls by empowering them with digital-first content and creative products that spark their imaginations. The company aims to equip girls with the right tools to build their confidence and dreams so they can be the catalysts of change in any industry they choose. Our team of visionaries, dreamers, mentors and creatives is dedicated to girls’ empowerment through products, partnerships and content. Learn more at GoldieBlox.com.

About Toonz Media Group

Toonz is a 360-degree media powerhouse with over two decades of unparalleled experience and one of Asia’s most active animation production studios (over 10,000 minutes of 2D and CGI kids and family content per year). Toonz, having worked with many of the leading entertainment studios, channels and networks including Marvel, Nickelodeon, Turner, Disney, Netflix, Dreamworks, Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Sony, Universal, BBC, Amazon, Google, Hulu, HBO and Exodus Film Group, has several animation and live action series, as well as feature films to its credit. Toonz has also recently entered into a new feature film partnership with Exodus Film Group on a feature titled “Pierre The Pigeon Hawk” with a voice cast including Whoopi Goldberg, Kenan Thompson, Howie Mandel and Luis Guzmán.

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