Medialink - Beyond Expectations

WOLFWALKERS NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR

Cartoon Saloon’s latest feature film WolfWalkers has recently been nominated for an Academy Award. This Oscar nomination follows a Golden Globe, and BAFTA nomination, along with 10 Annie nominations, plus a whole host of Awards already won. Wolfwalkers completes a trilogy of Features based on Irish adventure Folklore, along with ‘The Secret of Kells’ and ‘Song of the Sea’, both of which were also nominated for an Oscar. To find out more, Becky Ash talked to Brian Tyrrell, General Manager of Cartoon Saloon. “As a company we are actually relatively new to Licensing, and only started focusing on consumer products during 2019, explained Brian. “At that time it became immediately apparent that we actually have two types of fan. People who are fans of the studio, and love our unique artistic approach and super story-telling. This cohort are looking for more conceptualized designs on product and we are actively chatting with a number of companies about a range of product across the trilogy, from mug sets across Kells, Song & Wolfwalkers to T-Shirts etc, stationary, posters etc “Then we have consumer fans, more interested in specific films. These are the intended demographic for the movie itself. To this end we have signed a number of deals for Wolfwalkers such as an Artbook with Abrams Books, and a super graphic novel (global deal) with Little Brown Young Readers. Additionally we are doing a board game and puzzle deal with Value Add Games, and also signed up with Cooneen by Design for a WolfWalkers apparel range. We are also in continued discussion with other potential partners. We are very happy with the level of interest in all our IP, especially given the obvious restrictions that Covid has played in limiting interaction at trade shows and so forth.” “I guess it helps greatly that as a studio we are truly gaining recognition globally in no small part due to our various Awards and nominations. “We are also producing a feature film ‘My Father’s Dragon’ for Netflix and also ‘Puffin Rock – The Movie’, based on our Award winning series ‘Puffin Rock’ which has been dubbed in over 30 languages and continues doing so well. In fact last year at the start of the pandemic it was Voted No. 1 Kids Show on Netflix by ‘Real Moms’. We have a number of discussions going on currently with licensing partners and have signed another apparel deal with Cooneen by Design for Puffin Rock, along with Caprice in Australia for a Puffin Rock Nursery Range which has already got retail placement there. Apart from Puffin Rock – The Movie, and My Father’s Dragon, we have another super fun pre-school series slated for 2022 called Silly Sundays. It’s a real fun and colorful series and we could not be happier with the licensee engagement so far. We have a number of other projects which are in early discussion but will let you know as thing develop.”

Spacetoon, has recently announced signing a licensing deal with pocket.watch, the studio behind global franchises and characters, to be the master consumer product licensing agent in the MENA territory for the globally famous brand Love, Diana. As the CP licensing agent in the territory, Spacetoon will launch a new line of toys and products, bringing innovative items to the shelves of the MENA toy market. The brand-new consumer products line is completely inspired by Diana, one of the most popular kid superstars. In addition to becoming the master CP licensing agent of Love, Diana in MENA, Spacetoon has also secured the rights of localizing, dubbing, and broadcasting 2 of the most successful shows for the top kid-influencer, Diana, across Spacetoon free-to-air TV channel and Spacetoon GO online streaming service. The first show is Love, Diana Adventures; a series full of adventures that takes Diana to a new world, the Land of Play, where she is transformed from live action into an animated Princess of Play and protects her friends and the Land of Play from Boris the Baron of Boredom and his minions of the mundane. The Love, Diana Adventures show gained +10 million views globally in just 5 days on the 1st episode. The second show is Kids Diana Show Ultimate Mishmash; a mashup of super fun highlights from the Kids Diana Show YouTube channel starring Diana together with her brother, Roma. Collectively, Diana has nearly 5 billion monthly views on her 14 YouTube channels, which provide audiences with family-friendly content in 9 different languages. Commenting on this deal, Ahmad Weiss, Commercial Director of Spacetoon said, “We are thrilled to announce this collaboration with pocket.watch, to bring top-rated, family and kid-friendly content to the region, along with opening the doors for new merchandise related to the Love, Diana brand.”

TRAILER PARK

The Trailer Park Boys have announced their collaboration with Devil’s Due Comics, to creatively extend their product and brand licensing. As the kick-off to an extensive celebration of the 20th anniversary of the brand, Devil’s Due Comics is creating a series of comics based on the mischief of the main characters of the show, Ricky, Julian and Bubbles. The comic book series serves as a new brand extension for the series and it will launch in July 2021, with new titles planned through the year, culminating in a massive anthology in November 2021. Devil’s Due has commissioned some of the most iconic names in comic book art to create a series of covers, including limited edition runs for the collectors. This particular collaboration is a new arena for the Trailer Park Boys designed to align with comic book and die-hard TPB fans alike around the world. With a flock of tier-one licensing partners around the corner, Devil’s Due is an ideal launchpad for the Trailer Park Boys brand licensing and celebrating 20 years of antics in Sunnyvale Trailer Park.

AUSTRALIAN APPAREL FOR STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

Strawberry Shortcake and Sarsparilly in Australia have teamed up to create an inspiring collection of women’s apparel to be released this Spring. A retro and classic brand, Strawberry Shortcake continues to delight fans of all ages nearly 40 years after she burst on to the scene. Sarsparilly is a women’s apparel destination for all things that live and breathe vintage charm with a kitsch spin, combining pop culture favourites with cool silhouettes from the past. Led by head designer and founder, Maria Murphy, the company’s motto is Wear Your True Colours as they are always looking for places to inject colour where it didn’t exist before. As a young child, Maria Murphy grew up in the 80s, so Strawberry Shortcake has a special place in her heart. “I remember watching Strawberry Shortcake cartoons with my younger sister and can quote a lot of it still! I used to have a Strawberry Shortcake rag doll as a child, and the distant memory of the sweet smell of strawberries still lingers in my thoughts to this day,” says Maria. Sarsparilly will be launching a collection of women’s apparels featuring four key items available online at www. sarsparilly.com. The brand has focused on using prints and colours that will appeal to a wide audience, with an emphasis on quality fabrics that will last. “We are very excited for this launch and plan to bring out further collections with Strawberry Shortcake in the future,” Maria concludes. The deal with Sarsparilly was brokered by WP Brands in Melbourne on behalf of WildBrain.

LANDMARK APPOINT RADAR LICENSING FOR NICHOLAS CAGE HORROR MOVIE

Following the successful day and date premiere of the February 12 PVOD release of Willy’s Wonderland, Landmark Studio Group, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. company, recently announced the appointment of Radar Licensing as the global licensing agent to spearhead the development of a worldwide consumer products retail program for the horror thriller, starring Nicolas Cage with Emily Tosta, Ric Reitz, Chris Warner, and Beth Grant. Radar Licensing will create a comprehensive licensing and merchandising program for mass, specialty, and online retailers across a multitude of categories, including apparel, accessories, publishing, electronics, toys, and costumes. The tshirt worn in Willy’s Wondeland by Cage has been consistently selling out of stock, and Radar Licensing has appointed its first licensee, Changes, as apparel partner to replicate the t-shirt for availability this Spring. Landmark and Radar Licensing anticipate additional products for Willy’s Wonderland to begin hitting retail in Q3 2021. “We are thrilled with the fan and critic reception of Willy’s Wonderland, which has received great reviews and millions of impressions to date across YouTube and social media platforms,” stated David Ozer, CEO, Landmark. “Fans want more engagement with the film, and this is the opportune time to partner with a seasoned licensing agent like Radar to create a line of products that reflect the quirky, fun, and adventurous vibe of the film delivered by the talents of Nic Cage to the marketplace!” “With its multi-genre appeal, Willy’s Wonderland has so many fantastical elements from which we can develop a merch program,” said David Imhoff, President, Radar Licensing. “We look forward to working with Landmark to develop and bring these products to retail.” Directed by Kevin Lewis from a screenplay written by G.O. Parsons, in Willy’s Wonderland a quiet loner (Cage) finds himself stranded in a remote town when his car breaks down. Unable to pay for the repairs he needs, he agrees to spend the night cleaning Willy’s Wonderland, an abandoned family fun center. But this wonderland has a dark secret that the “The Janitor” is about to discover. He soon finds himself trapped inside Willy’s and locked in an epic battle with the possessed animatronic mascots that roam the halls. To survive, he must fight his way through each of them. Willy’s Wonderland is produced by Nicolas Cage, Mike Nilon, Grant Cramer, Jeremy Daniel Davis, David Ozer, and Bryan Lord. The Executive Producers are Tim Rouhana, David Nagelberg, David Fannon, Mark Damon, Seth Needle, Tamara Birkemoe, Adam Rifkin, Victor Perillo, Scott Harbert, and Jake Seal. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s Screen Media Ventures, LLC, the film’s global distributor, has sold it into key territories around the world, including U.K., Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany, Asia, Middle East, and Latin America. Great design is at the heart of everything Half Moon Bay do, and for 2021 they have expanded their portfolio of licenses and products to produce new and innovative designs. Collaborating with a number of its licensing partners, Half Moon Bay are launching a unique collectibles range. Featuring hanging decorations, mini mugs, table and wall vases inspired by iconic characters and memorabilia from across their licenses, each collectable is numbered so fans can collect them all. They have also developed new shapes for some of their

classic product formats, such as lunch bags and notebooks, and added a twist to their water bottles, which feature sculpted lids of various characters. Alongside new product formats, Half Moon Bay have introduced evergreen licenses including Jurassic Park and Jaws. Their Jurassic Park range celebrates the best of the film and features quotes and imagery ahead of its 30th anniversary in 2023 and the release of Jurassic World: Dominion in 2022. Jaws celebrates its 46th anniversary in 2021 and is a classic with timeless appeal. Half Moon Bay’s range takes the iconic poster artwork and brings it to life on various formats. Both collections feature stand-out products with a retro edge, reminiscent of the beloved films. Half Moon Bay have also created new ranges across their popular licenses for 2021. This includes their Captain America collection, which celebrates the Year of the Shield and combines new and classic formats. Other collections include Marvel, Disney’s Cruella de Vil, Harry Potter, Friends, Moomin and more.