PART 1: Playing to the crowd with crowdfunding
FEATURE: Indie producers are getting their projects off the ground by giving the people what they want—but it’s not as easy as it seems.
Kidscreen
Kidscreened
- Disney's Imagineers have unleashed an AI-fueled Olaf robot upon its parks (Vulture)
- Stranger Things is the first Netflix series to have all four seasons in the top 10 (Variety)
- US retail sales increased 5.7% in September, with all categories seeing growth (RetailDive)
- Here's a first glimpse of what an anime-inspired Miraculous series looks like (CartoonBrew)
Council of Europe adopts framework to make indie TV co-pros easier
Producers of series in member countries will have clearer rules for rights and revenue-sharing.
Disney wants a slice of the Labubu market
Its new YuYus range will scratch the same blind-box itch as Pop Mart's plush line, by making collectors hunt down rare variants.
Blue Ant Media to acquire Thunderbird Entertainment
Kids and animation will be a key part of the combined business, with Thunderbird CEO Jennifer Twiner McCarron tapped to oversee this new division.
WBD says make a better offer
The teams at Paramount Skydance, Comcast and Netflix will need to serve more gravy to get David Zaslav to the dinner table this Thanksgiving.
Kidscreened
These three kids shows took home International Emmys
Did Moominvalley overtake Bluey? Who came out on top in the live-action and factual categories? Did a show with subtitles win anything?
DEALS: Welsh broadcaster S4C finally gets Bluey
Plus, Turkish distributor Fauna will represent Cuquín regionally, while Angel doubles down on Butch Hartman's animated content.
Nurture taps the Care Bears for a new suite of games
The first release from this partnership with Cloudco will teach kids social-emotional skills while they help the citizens of Care-a-Lot reclaim their lost powers.
Universal isn’t done with the Land of Oz yet
The studio is signaling that more projects are on the way, but where does it take the property from here?
Why Disney is so bullish on Zootopia 2
The studio is doubling down on the secret ingredient that made the first film such a box-office success: international audiences.
New Zealand agency commits US$4 million to kids projects
NZ On Air backs "an Indigenous Stranger Things" and several other shows for younger viewers in its latest funding round.
Kidscreened
- Wicked: For Good defied gravity with a strong US$226-million global opening (THR)
- Speaking of Wicked, here's how Universal pulled off splitting the story in two (Variety)
- MrBeast's ex-content lead launches an AI tool to help creators analyze success (TechCrunch)
- An agency is expanding to represent vertical microdrama talent (Deadline)
DEALS: Serious Kids picks up a series that’s made a Nordic splash
Plus, Sinking Ship has secured broadcast deals for a handful of shows all around the world, and Banijay Kids & Family moves Stan & Gran onto magazine stands.
Readers say Toikido had the best week in the biz
F1 hopes LEGO can help attract more girls to racing
Young fans will get a chance to build the car that female Dutch driver Esmee Kosterman will pilot on the all-female F1 Academy track.
Toei won’t make the same mistake it did with Power Rangers
Super Sentai was kneecapped when Mighty Morphin got so big. Now the Japanese studio wants to revive a sister franchise that never took off in the West.
Jazwares is donating up to 25,000 toys. How are you giving back this season?
Kidscreen wants to know what other toycos and prodcos are doing to help families around the holidays.
Is the industry starting to embrace AI?
Responses to our latest poll about AI animation festivals show how the conversation around the tech is shifting.
Kidscreen is a world-leading resource for kids entertainment industry news, business insights and trend analysis.