Kids round-up: Tencent lands on Moonbug shows; Kid-E-Cats travels in global deals; Boomerang digs into ‘Master Moley’

Tencent lands on Moonbug shows

Chinese streaming platform Tencent Video has picked up four animated series – Go Buster, Playtime With Twinkle, The Sharksons and KiiYii – following a deal with global entertainment company Moonbug.

Each show will be available in Mandarin and English for Tencent Video users and all are credited with promoting “healthy values such as compassion, empathy and resilience while teaching children fundamental life skills through engaging storylines and interactive nursery rhymes.”

Nicolas Eglau, head of EMEA & APAC at Moonbug, said that the partnership would “further enhance exposure for some of our new and younger brands within the Chinese market” and added that the company was excited to “introduce our growing category of children’s content to kids across China so they, too, can learn and grow with these shows.”

Kid-E-Cats

Kid-E-Cats travels in global deals

A slew of global broadcasters have picked up Russian preschool animation Kid-E-Cats, following deals with distributor APC Kids.

Turkey’s Minika has acquired seasons one and two free TV rights, while Chilean SVOD VTR and Nordic platform SF, which covers Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland has also taken seasons one and two, and RTVS in Slovakia will air season one.

APC Kids has also signed a deal with Menart to distribute season three of the title in the Balkans, covering Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro, and Macedonia.

The series, which is owned and managed by CTC Media and produced by Studio Metrafilms, tells the story of three adventurous kittens – Cookie, Pudding and Candy.

Lionel Marty, MD of APC Kids, said: “Kid-E-Cats is a top performing title for us, broadcasters across the globe have offered a home to these three adorable kittens and we are pleased to be bringing the show to an ever-increasing international audience.”

The Misadventures of Master Moley

Boomerang digs into ‘Master Moley’

WarnerMedia-owned Boomerang has acquired new animated series Master Moley for broadcast across EMEA, following a deal with Jetpack Distribution.

The deal includes the 1 x 30-minute animated special Master Moley By Royal Invitation and the 52 x 11-minute series The Misadventures Of Master Moley, with the one-off heading to the channel in November and the series following in 2021.

Produced by British animation production company Nottage Productions and based upon an original idea created by British entrepreneur James Reatchlous, Master Moley follows the titular mole, who lives deep in a burrow under Windsor Castle in the bustling city of MoleTown, where he is the keeper of a magical book which has the power to bring peace between humans and moles.

Aimed at ages four and upwards, the voice cast includes Warwick Davis (Harry Potter), Julie Walters (Mamma Mia!) and Gemma Arterton (Quantum Of Solace).

Reatchlous commented: “The story of Master Moley simply started as a bedtime story for my daughters, but it has been wonderful to see the character brought to life by so many incredible people – from the creative team to the fantastic cast.

“I couldn’t be happier that so many young viewers will be introduced to Master Moley, and I hope they get as much enjoyment from the stories as my own children did.”

Meet The WalkerZ

Zombie series (re)animated at Shadow Valley

US-based Shadow Valley Productions is developing an animated adaptation of the Jonathan Sanborn comic book series The Adventures of Zombie Dog.

The 4 x 22-minute miniseries Meet The WalkerZ is a family-friendly animated comedy targeted at 6-11-year-olds about an unusual vegan zombie family that wins a game show and gets a rare opportunity to be the first family of their kind to live a “life” in human society.

Shadow Valley is currently pursuing multiple licenses for the brand and recently appointed Firefly Brand Management, as the North American licensing agent for the property.

“What really drew me to produce Meet the WalkerZ was realizing the potential the comic book had to create a very unique and diverse line-up of characters cuddled by fun-hearted family-values all of which is hidden behind an unusual zombie (but extraordinarily friendly) life style,” commented Jeremy L. Christensen, the miniseries’ co-creator and producer.