WildBrain has signed on to manage worldwide distribution for CG-animated kids TV franchise Jungle Beat from South Africa’s Sunrise Productions.

Lead TV series Jungle Beat (39 x five minutes) launched in South Africa in October 2003 and is driven by the slapstick adventures of animals such as giraffes, monkeys, hedgehogs and elephants and the bizarre situations they encounter (and create) in each episode.

Each short ep of the non-dialogue show is broken up into two segments; one features a group of safari explorers introducing a new animal to the audience; and the other plays out a new adventure from a previously featured animal.

Since kicking off nearly 20 years ago, the IP’s content library has grown to also include five seasons of Jungle Beat: Munki and Trunk (13 x five minutes), two seasons of Jungle Beat: The Explorers (13 x two minutes) and a full-length 2020 feature film called Jungle Beat: The Movie. Sunrise Productions has partnered with Mauritius-based animation company Sandcastle Studios to produce a sequel, Jungle Beat 2: The Past, which is slated for release in 2023.

Warner Bros. Discovery SVOD HBO Max picked up Jungle Beat seasons four to eight for Latin America in July 2021. And the first film is airing internationally on Netflix.

WildBrain will use all of its expertise and assets to further expand the global footprint of the franchise, including YouTube channel management, Canadian linear network Family Channel and AVOD platform WildBrain Spark.