The award-winning animation studio’s distribution arm scores worldwide deals for third-party animated series that share studio’s ‘values of quality and originality, with humor as a core theme.’
The international distribution arm of award-winning Aardman animation studio has inked several worldwide deals for third-party animated series Pop Paper City (52 x 11') and Interstellar Ella (52 x 11’). Produced by LoveLove Films and supported by the BFI's Young Audiences Content Fund, the adventure craft series Pop Paper City launched on Channel 5’s preschool strand, Milkshake! last year, where it is now airing daily.
New partners for Pop Paper City launching throughout 2024 include ABC (Australia); Hop! (Israel); S4C (Wales); YLE (Finland); Ceska Televize (Czech Republic); LTV (Latvia); ERT (Greece); MBC3 & ShahidVIP (MENA); Warner Bros Discovery (LATAM); NPO (Netherlands); Super3-3cat (Spain); and Daekyo (South Korea). More partnership talks are in the works, with deals expected to close at Kidscreen Summit in San Diego next week.
Pop Paper City is a recipient of a Royal Television Society award for Best Short-Form Production and has received a nomination for Best Preschool Program at the upcoming Broadcast Awards.
The series entertains preschool audiences through its engaging stories, with craft activities included in each episode. Its “Doing as well as viewing” ethos encourages kids to actively participate in the series and connect with the adventure storylines in the “paper” world, from going on safari to underwater adventures and exploring space.
Series creator Georgina Hurcombe said, “I envisioned a series that deeply engages the creativity of children and their families, a vision affirmed by the raft of beautiful artworks and homemade crafts pouring into our broadcasting partners’ studios. It’s heartwarming to see!”
The show’s success is on track to extend to licensing, with plans to expand to merchandise, games, and publishing realms throughout 2024.
In addition, Aardman has struck new deals for the 3DCG animated kids’ show, Interstellar Ella (52 x 11), from co-producers Fabrique Fantastique (Belgium) and Apartment 11 (Canada). The series, commissioned in 2021 by VRT Ketnet TV (Belgium), Knowledge Kids, Société Radio-Canada, TFO, TVOkids (all Canada), has been picked up by Warner Bros. Discovery’s HBO Max and Cartoonito (EMEA) ITVX (UK); SVT (Sweden); NRK (Norway); YLE (Finland); DR (Denmark); NPO (Netherlands); ABC (Australia); Warner Bros Discovery (LATAM and Asia); Hop! (Israel); and Daekyo (South Korea), with additional partner deal announcements expected.
Interstellar Ella follows 8-year-old Ella Ryder and her friends on their exciting adventures in space, where they discover as much about themselves as they do about planets and stars. The series, created by Adam Long, aims to familiarize kids and their parents with basic astronomy as Ella and her friends learn about planets, their moons, and galaxies beyond through adventure stories that capture the inherent wonder of space.
"Interstellar Ella not only takes young minds on a cosmic journey filled with wonder and friendship, it also propels its unique universe beyond the screen - from books to a mesmerizing do-expo and a musical crescendo,” commented Fabrique Fantastique chief commercial officer Tim Verschure. “Preparations are also underway for series 2. We are on a path to expand Ella's odyssey into a constellation of possibilities. In the galaxy of children's entertainment, Interstellar Ella shines bright, sparking curiosity and igniting dreams across the world."
Aardman will also launch content from Pop Paper City and Interstellar Ella through the studio’s own newly established preschool YouTube channel, Timmy & Friends, which has already garnered over 1.8 million subscribers.
“We are a boutique distributor and bring select third party IP to sit alongside our own brands,” said Aardman head of acquisitions Robin Gladman. “These IP share Aardman values of quality and originality, with humor as a core theme. Both Pop Paper City and Interstellar Ella meet these criteria perfectly, and our distribution team all work meticulously to find the right home for these shows around the world, to set our brilliant studio partners on a path to build new brands.”
Source: Aardman
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
