Currently celebrating its 70th Anniversary, Nippon TV (Japan) announced the company will head to this year’s MIPCOM with a new anime title, The Apothecary Diaries (30 min. eps.), based on a well-known period mystery series that has sold over 24 million copies to date.
Synopsis: Located at the center of the continent is a superpower nation, where one young woman lives with the emperor’s wives in the inner palace. Formerly a pharmacist, obsessed with poisons and medicines who was working at the red-light district, has become a lowly servant. She learns that the emperor’s children are short-lived, and two are getting weaker by the day from illnesses. Out of curiosity, she investigates why. Not one to believe in curses, she is surprised by her findings. There is no shortage of rumors and conspiracies. Follow this extraordinary poison aficionado as she bustles around the inner palace to solve the unanswered mysteries.
Set to debut in October, the series is produced by Toho Animation Studio x OLM. Nippon TV is offering worldwide distribution rights for The Apothecary Diaries, excluding Asia. More info at ntv.co.jp/english.
Princess Sam Entertainment Group and international distribution company Superights are bringing the CG children’s adventure-comedy-fantasy hit Tara Duncan to MIPJunior/MIPCOM. The Superights booth (R7.K28) is the place to find out more about the animated 52 x 13’ series, based on the multi-million-selling publishing property by Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian.
Synopsis: Tara Duncan is the exciting story of an ordinary girl from Earth with extraordinary powers who discovers she is heir to the throne of the Meme empire. She soon finds herself on OtherWorld, a magical planet where she makes new friends and tries to thwart the ambitions of the evil Magister who wants to steal her magic and conquer her new home.
The first season launched in 2022 and has sold into more than 80 countries. A second season, with 52 new episodes, is currently in production, with plans to produce two 26-minute specials. Superights will represent worldwide rights distribution, except in Mainland China.
A digital ecosystem is also being developed to expand Tara’s universe and to delight her fans — known as ‘Taraddicts’. A licensing campaign is also under way, overseen by 30-year industry veteran Laurent Tajeb, Head of Licensing for the Princess Sam Consumer Products division. A number of regional agents have already been appointed.
European toon producer-distributor Mondo TV has announced the countdown to some new show launches, the continuing growth of some international hits and a few brand-new titles among an impressive portfolio at this year’s MIPJunior and MIPCOM in Cannes. Highlights of the Mondo TV stand (at a new location, P-1.E73) will include a brand-new series in the production slate, Lola on Board (summer 2024), MeteoHeroes, Agent 203, Monster Loving Maniacs, One Love, The Wee Littles and Grisù.
Lola On Board is a new 26 x 7′, 3D CGI animated adventure, comedy, edutainment show for three- to six-year olds now in co-production with Tile, Digitalcomedia and Toonz Station. It’s about a little girl who spends part of her summer holiday on a cruise ship with her grandmother Agata. The ship’s crew — a friendly but slightly eccentric bunch — all love the resourceful, cheeky Lola, but she also has three very special animal friends she can talk to! While on the Eloise Lola has fun adventures, discovers the world, and learns about the natural world and its creatures. The series is set to complete production in summer 2024.
One Love is a 26 x 7’, 2D animated series co-produced by Mondo TV S.p.A and T-Rex Digimation Srl. The show takes place on One Love, the planet with a beating heart, where best friends Amo and Ama live adventures full of positivity and vitality and spread a message of sharing love. Emotions and sustainability are central to each episode — and especially colors. When the Baby-Hugs touch each other, they exchange skin colors. The series is set to launch on Rai Yoyo in the autumn of 2023. Mondo TV S.p.A manages the animation and the international distribution of the series for all territories except Italy and the Indian subcontinent.
MeteoHeroes is now in its fourth successful year, with a presence in over 180 countries and 22 languages; the second season premiered on Cartoonito and Canal plus in summer 2023 just after delivery of the last episodes.
Created in partnership with hitmaker Kenn Viselman (Teletubbies, Thomas the Tank Engine), it is the only animated series dedicated entirely to climate and environmental sustainability. The show won the Silver Telly Award in New York, was honored as Best Animated Kids’ Program at the Atlanta Children’s Film Festival, and, at the 2023 Quirino Awards, won a green badge for sustainable production from the Tenerife Film Commission. With Cartoonito, in 2022 it also received a Moige (Movimento Italiano Genitori) Award, a highly coveted award given to family-friendly programs on Italian TV.
Monster Loving Maniacs (52 x 11’, 2D comedy, kids6-10) has been commissioned by Super RTL in Germany (where it is premiering in early October) and DR (Denmark) and pre-sold to Scandinavian public broadcasters NRK and SVT. It’s also showing on CBBC in the U.K. and (in Spanish) on Canela Kids in the U.S. and Latin America. The series, which is part financed by the EU Media Fund, has been sold into almost 90 countries.
The show is about three siblings trained as monster hunters by their tough old grandfather. There’s just one problem: these kids are massive horror fans. Why would they want to hunt their monster idols? They love dangerous paranormal creatures. So they find a way to save the monsters. Monster Loving Maniacs is produced by Ja Film and co-produced by Mondo TV, Belvision and Ginger Pictures. The series is distributed internationally by Toon2Tango and Mondo TV.
Grisù (52 x 12′, ages 4-7) is a new CG-animated series based on the classic property, co-produced by Mondo TV Group, Toon2Tango and ZDF Studios and created by its original authors, Nino and Toni Pagot. The series follows the adventures of Grisù, a brave, positive, determined young dragon — just like the firefighter he wants to be when he grows up. There’s just one problem: he is supposed to be a fire-breathing dragon when he grows up!
The reboot will make its small screen debut in Italy around Christmas 2023. ZDF Studios is responsible for worldwide distribution (excluding Italy, France, Spain and China, which are handled by Mondo TV). Already confirmed are broadcasting agreements with ZDF in Germany and Rai YoYo in Italy. Merchandising plans, also well under way, include publishing and toys.
Toon2Tango GmbH & Co. KG likewise announced its plans for MIPCOM next month, rounding off a busy year for the kids’ and family entertainment venture, with big sales for its leading titles and some promising new projects already in production. The company can be found at the Creative Europe MEDIA umbrella stand in P4, where Toon2Tango will showcase the above-mentioned Monster Loving Maniacs, Agent 203 and The Wee Littles as well as the upcoming Littlest Robot and Pocats.
Agent 203 is a 26 x 22’, CGI adventure-comedy and the world’s first Spy-Fi show, primarily targeted at girls aged 6-10, which has sold to over 100 countries. The series was commissioned by Super RTL, on which it will launch in November, and is a co-production between Toon2Tango, Mondo TV and Cosmos Maya Animation. The show is distributed by Toon2Tango and Mondo TV.
Imagine Zoe Stranek’s surprise when she finds out her dad used to be a secret agent protecting our planet against alien invasions. Together with her new alien bestie Ulav and her best friends Quigley and Rock, she follows in his footsteps, protecting our planet from General Gore, the ultimate badass alien, and hoping to find out what happened to her father.
The Wee Littles is a new 46 x 5’ series for preschoolers (3-6), commissioned by Ireland’s public broadcaster RTE and produced by MagPie 6 Media. The show features a unique style: simulated stop-motion animation using puppets made by leading puppet-making studio Mackinnon & Sunders.
The Wee Littles is about a family of four very small creatures — Mum, Dad, Bitsy and Itsy — living in a great big forest world and working together figuring out how to overcome life’s little obstacles — like raindrops the size of your head! — with imagination, positive support and humor. After a strong response from broadcasters, Toon2Tango and Mondo TV are jointly distributing the show internationally.
Littlest Robot (52 x 11’) is a new series written by Mark Taylor, produced by Toon2Tango and co-produced by North Macedonia’s V House Animation. In the runup to the show’s appearance at MIPCOM, Toon2Tango will present the 3D animated series for kids 4-8 at Cartoon Forum in September.
Littlest Robot tells the story of a newly invented and very small young robot exploring the world, with plenty of adventure and a lot of heart. It is a world filled with glorious new discoveries, based on a social-emotional backbone reconfirming the notion that the more we take the time to understand ourselves and others the better we are all for it and the greater our bonds of friendship become.
Pocats (13 x 7’ episodes already produced, with another 39 x 7’ in development) is based on the popular children’s book series from Hungary by Judit Berg. This animated series is fully self-developed by Ionart Studio in Budapest.
The ‘pocats’ are tiny cats. Adults can only see them as toys, but children know they can do magic. The three main characters in the show are Ciro, Pepe and Lori. They’re a bit naughty and can’t stop doing slightly crazy things, with some unfortunate consequences. But any problems are usually solved by magic trickery — and some help from the kids. However, things are still great for the three buddies until, that is, a mysterious new pocat appears on the scene…
