Kids round-up: ‘Moominvalley’ lands in Nordics; Super RTL orders monster comedy; ‘Rainbow Rangers’ travels; and more…

Moomins return to the Nordics

SF Studios in the Nordics, NRK in Norway and RÚV in Iceland have picked up prodco Gutsy Animations’ series Moominvalley following deals with distributor PGS Entertainment.

The 13 x 22-minute series is based upon the popular Moomin stories by Finnish-Swedish author Tove Jansson and was commissioned by Yle in Finland and Sky in the UK.

PGS Entertainment represents the series for worldwide distribution, except for the UK, Finland, Japan, South Korea and China.

Seasons one and two of the animation will be available on DVD and digital copy across the Nordics in December 2020 through a deal with SF Studios, and Moominvalley will also available on SF Studios’ SVOD platform SF Kids in Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

In Norway, Moominvalley season one will launch in Autumn 2020 on NRK Super, when the series will also be available on NRK Super TV and NRK TV. The series will debut in Iceland on RÚV.

Kåre Snipsøyr, acquisitions executive at NRK Super, says: “NRK is very happy to be able to present Tove Jansson’s beloved universe to a new generation of children, as well as giving fans of all ages a chance to return to Moominvalley. These stories represent an important part of our Nordic cultural heritage.”

Monster Loving Maniacs

Germany’s Super RTL orders monster comedy

German free-to-air network Super RTL has commissioned Monster Loving Maniacs (aka Monster Park), a new children’s animation created by Danish prodco JA Film and Benelux-based co-producers Ginger Pictures.

Due to air in 2022, the 52 x 11-minute adventure-comedy is being distributed worldwide by Toon2Tango and tell the story of a group of young monster hunters who are being trained in the business by their tough old grandfather.

Toon2Tango’s CCO Jo Daris says: “We’re delighted to be able to announce the sale of this show to one of Germany’s leading and longest-established names in kids’ entertainment. Monster Loving Maniacs is witty, fast-moving and full of great ideas. The writing, design and animation are sharp and funny. Super RTL viewers are in for a real treat.”

Super RTL CCO Martin Gradl adds: “Monster Loving Maniacs combines a strong storyline, funny and likeable characters and a marvellous animation team in a highly original concept that will appeal to kids everywhere. We’re looking forward enormously to introducing it to the Super RTL portfolio of high-quality kids’ shows.”

Rainbow Rangers

Rainbow Rangers expands its reach

Genius Brands International’s animation Rainbow Rangers has expanded its reach, with new deals negotiated with Corus Entertainment’s pre-school channel Treehouse in Canada and Mexican broadcaster Televisa.

The animated adventure series currently airs in the U.S. on Nick Jr. with the ViacomCBS-owned channel recently revealing it has increased showings by 400% due to the show’s popularity.

It can also be seen on broadcasters around the world, including CCTV in China, Nickelodeon and Noggin in Latin America; Cartoonito in Italy; and Discovery Kids in the Middle East. Additionally, the series is available on platforms, including China’s streaming service, iQiyi, and Televisa’s BLIM TV in Mexico.

“With the addition of two A-List broadcast partners, Corus in Canada and Televisa in Mexico, we have significantly expanded the reach of Rainbow Rangers with maximum penetration across the Western Hemisphere,” commented Caroline Tyre, SVP of international distribution and head of Genius Brands Network at Genius Brands. “Additionally, we are currently in negotiations with a number of other leading broadcasters around the world.

“This special series delivers fun, adventure and entertainment together with important positive messaging of empowerment and diversity.”

Hardball

France Télévisions plays Hardball

France Télévisions has picked up the live-action comedy Hardball, following a deal with APC Kids, the children’s entertainment division of APC Studios.

Distributed by APC Kids and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF), the 13 x 24-minute series is produced by Northern Pictures in association with Screen Australia, Create NSW and the ACTF.

Hardball has already been sold to broadcasters in Norway, Ireland, Canada, Hong Kong, Portugal and Slovenia, with further deals expected to be finalised soon.

Premiering in Australia on ABC ME last year, it tells the fish-out-of-water story of a young boy who moves schools and discovers he has an incredible talent for playing handball.

Lionel Marty, MD of APC Kids says: “Hardball is an original, charming series with diverse, down-to-earth characters we know young viewers all over the world are going to relate to. We’re proud to be partnering with the ACTF to bring its great programming to a French audience.”

Rev & Roll

Global agreements for Rev & Roll

WildBrain and Alpha Group’s CGI-animation Rev & Roll has been picked up by more than 40 broadcasters and streaming platforms in more than 25 territories around the world in a bevy of agreements.

Key deals for season one of Rev & Roll (52 x11-minutes) have been struck with Super RTL in Germany, TF1 in France, Cartoonito in Italy, Karusel in Russia, TV Azteca in Mexico and Channel 9 in Australia, among other broadcasters. In China, Rev & Roll has launched on mainstream children’s channels, including CCTV-14, JiaJia Cartoon, Youman Cartoon, Golden EagleCartoon, Haxuan Cartoon, and on SVOD platforms including Tencent, IQIYI, YOUKU and Mango TV.

Rev & Roll is also showing on AVOD platforms such as YouTube, YouTube Kids, Tubi, Pluto TV, XUMO, Ketchup TV, Crackle and The Roku Channel where the property has been seen in diverse territories such as the US, Brazil, the UK, Australia and Canada.

“The response to Rev & Roll from broadcasters and streamers across the globe has been outstanding,” said Josh Scherba, president of WildBrain. “This is a fantastic series for kids, filled with adventure, friendship and fun, and we’re thrilled it’s rolling out in so many territories.”