New project will acquaint preschoolers with the cuddly bear and his old pals and new ones from the Hundred Acre Wood, coming later this year.
Baboon Animation and GoKidGo have announced a five-property podcast deal, starting with Stories from Pooh Corner (working title), inspired by A.A. Milne's classic children’s book “Winnie-the-Pooh.” The announcement follows Baboon’s recent announcement of an animated prequel, the origin story of the cuddly bear, set for 2024 release. The property entered the public domain in the U.S. last year. The podcast, like the feature, will explore the characters’ young lives before the tales in the book took place.
“These younger characters will have big, fresh appeal for a brand-new kid audience,” said Baboon founder and DreamWorks alum Mike de Seve (Madagascar, Monsters vs. Aliens).
The new Pooh Corner stories will acquaint preschool-age children with all the classic pals from Milne’s Hundred Acre Wood and introduce new characters.
“We’re excited to present the A. A. Milne book’s cuddly crew with a fresh perspective for 21st-century kids,” said GoKidGo co-founder and CEO Maia Glikman. “Stories from Pooh Corner is a unique opportunity to build an enriching world for preschoolers filled with adventures, learning opportunities, and — of course — hilarious characters!”
The Pooh Corner podcast is a continuation of GoKidGo’s creation of audio IP for future series development, which the team has recently done with R.L. Stine’s Story Club ina co-production with Happy Nest.
“Taking an audio-first approach to Baboon’s great IPs supports children’s imaginations – with an eye toward developing the most compelling stories into animated series,” said GoKidGo co-founder and COO Jennifer Clary.
Kristin Myers, Senior Executive at UTA Audio, believes GoKidGo’s leveling-up of kids and family content in podcasting is what the industry needs. “These are exactly the type of trailblazing partnerships we like to see. Audio offers the perfect playful way into franchise expansion. You can lay breadcrumbs for your listeners to follow you into original adventures that deepen experiences with known characters and places or introduce new ones! And these stories can then have a second life in TV, film, the stage, games, you name it.”
The podcast is expected sometime in 2023.
Source: Baboon Animation
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
