Kids’ & family entertainment player WildBrain has signed a partnership with Hangzhou Younuo Animation Co., Ltd. to handle global distribution for Younuo’s brand-new 2D-animated preschool show, Hey Toma (excluding Mainland China and Russia).
The agreement was signed during an on-stage ceremony Monday in Cannes by Anne Loi, WildBrain’s EVP, Commercial and Corporate Strategy, and Zhang Lei, CEO of Younuo Animation, as part of the MIPCOM 2024 industry session “Where Stories Evolve: Spotlight on China – Forum on International Cooperation of Audio-Visual Content,“ hosted by Shanghai Media Group.
Hey Toma (26 x 8’) follows the comedic adventures of four unique “Color Boos”, who use their color-changing abilities, creativity and sincere hearts to help the rest of the Color World solve their everyday challenges. Promoting themes of empathy, teamwork and diversity through color psychology, the joyful series sparks imagination and creativity to help kids gain a deeper understanding of their emotional expression and the power of colors.
Hey Toma has already been picked up by top Chinese streaming platform MangoTV.
“China and APAC are a huge priority for WildBrain as we continue to grow our content and licensing business across the region,” said Max Tang, WildBrain’s Senior Manager of Content Partnerships in China. “Globally, we’re seeing strong demand for preschool content with themes around empathy and teamwork — Hey Toma is an engaging series that delivers on these themes, with colorful characters sure to delight preschool audiences and their families.”
Hey Toma was developed by Younuo Animation over nearly five years with the collaboration of animation artists from China, the U.S. and Italy, including several Emmy Award winners. The creative team’s goal was to create a complete world for the show’s stories to unfold, with rich backgrounds, as well as skillfully integrating pandas, ink & watercolor, murals and other elements to convey traditional Chinese culture and spirit for international audiences.
Produced by Younuo Animation, Hey Toma is directed by Daytime Emmy Award winner Dalton Grant Jr. (Shrek 2, DuckTales, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run), and written by Peabody Award winner and Daytime Emmy nominee Dan Clark (Yo Gabba Gabba!, We Be Monsters), who also served as creative consultant. The series features music composed by Emmy Award winner Gigi Meroni.
Visit WildBrain at MIPCOM stand #R8.C18 to learn more about Hey Toma and other shows.
