It’s market season and the deals are flowing fast. We’ve got you covered with updates on some of the biggest stories in the industry.

Zodiak Kids

Zodiak Kids picked up four different series for distribution. First up, the 49 x 90-second animated shorts Super Agent Jon Le Bon! are produced by Quebec City’s Happy Camper Media for CBC Kids, Radio-Canada and Groupe Media TFO. Aimed at kids six and up, episodes play out with a super agent embarking on a crazy adventure to save the world. A full 39 x seven-minute series is in production and set to be delivered for Q4 2020.

The French distributor also picked up seasons one (four x 22 minutes) and two (four  x 22 minutes) of Montreal’s Echo Media and Melomanie’s animated series Babyatrice, about a girl who always speaks her mind.

For upper preschoolers, Zodiak Kids acquired all four seasons (100 x five minutes) of UK toyco IMC Toys’ digital series Cry Babies Magic Tears. Season one (12 x three minutes) and two (26 x five minutes) are now available with season three (36 x five minutes) coming Q4 2020 and season four (26 x five minutes) bowing in 2022. The show was previously picked up by TF1 (France), Ketchup TV (UK), Disney Channel Spain, and Frisbee (Italy).

Finally, the distributor acquired Fabrique d’Images and Skyline Animation’s Percy’s Tiger Tales (52 x 11 minutes), about Percy and his friends putting on disguises and working together to solve problems.

Superights

The Paris-based distributor acquired a trio of preschool shows from French prodcos for worldwide distribution. The first one is the second season of Reaz’s animated preschool show Clay Time, which comes with 30 x three-minute episodes and 30 x 90-second tutorial videos that teach kids how to model clay. Superights picked up the first season in January.

The distributor has also snagged Le Regard Sonore’s mixed-media preschool series Koumi’s Animated Picture Book (52 x five minutes) set to be delivered Q4 2020. In every episode the young hero Koumi will introduce kids to a different animal. Superights is also adding Les Films du Nord’s non-dialogue animated TV special The hen, the cat and other bugs… (one x 26 minutes) to its catalogue.

CAKE

CAKE has picked up Netflix original series Legend Quest. The London-based distributor is handling worldwide distribution for the series (excluding LatAm) starting at MIP next week. Produced by Mexico’s Anima, the 26 x 25-minute animated series was the first Netflix original produced in LatAm when it launched in 2017. Targeting eight- to 12-year-olds, the comedy-adventure is about a reluctant hero named Leo who joins forces with a group of supernatural misfits after his hometown vanishes. Inspired by Mexican folklore, it’s based on Anima’s popular Las Leyendas film franchise, executive produced by Fernando de Fuentes and Jose Garcia de Letona (Cleo & Cuquin, Here Comes The Grump).

France TV

France TV has picked up Mondo TV France’s 52 x 13-minute Disco Dragon. Available in Q4 2020, the new series for six- to 10-year-olds tracks a dragon who helps cheer kids up and solve problems using music and dancing. France TV will begin distribution of the series at MIP Junior.

Star Stable Entertainment and Ferly

Over on the production side, Swedish game creator Star Stable Entertainment and Helsinki-based prodco Ferly are teaming up to develop and produce two animated series inspired by Star Stable’s popular online game. To start, the companies are creating a 10 x five-minute series that will be released on YouTube in fall 2020.

The companies are also expanding the story to a full-length TV series, where a young girl arrives at a magical island and bonds with a horse before discovering the dangers around them. Ferly will present it at MIP Junior in Cannes this weekend. Both shows will be written by Emmy-award winning writer Alice Prodanou (Rolie Polie Olie) and produced by Ferly.

Gaumont and Submarine

French prodco Gaumont and Amsterdam’s Submarine have partnered to co-produce the animated series Pol the Pirate Mouse (pictured), based on the children’s book of the same name. Inspired by the book written by Tingue Dongelman and illustrated by Denise van Leeuwen, the 52 x 11-minute show (targeting two- to five-year-olds) follows a tiny mouse who won’t let any limitations stand in the way of her becoming a pirate and adventuring with friends.