By: Ryan Tuchow and Sadhana Bharindharan
Despite a year that can best be described as challenging, the kids content industry is doing its best to be a model of optimism and determination. Undaunted by the economic climate, creators continued to create this year, and their heroic efforts to get projects off the ground against all odds are worth showcasing.
Here’s a look at some new shows designed for preschool and bridge audiences that got their start in 2024. And tomorrow we’ll look at what’s gone into development for older kid viewers.
PRESCHOOL
Pango and the Treehouse Club
Producer: Method Animation (France)
Style: 2D animation
Format: 78 x seven minutes
Budget: US$5 million
Status: A script, graphic bibles, pitch deck and trailer are ready.
Delivery: Q3 2027
Method Animation’s Pango and the Treehouse Club is a comedy toon based on a series of popular educational preschool apps from Studio Pango. The concept revolves around a blue raccoon and his four friends, who dress up in fun costumes to try out different occupations (firefighters, bakers, mailman, etc.) as they work on helping the residents of Pangoville solve their problems.
Lilypad Academy

Producer: Lilypad (US), Mr. Bray Labs (US)
Style: Live-action puppetry
Format: 24 x 21 minutes
Budget: US$500,000 per episode
Status: With writers, puppet-makers, animators and researchers on board, the team is now looking for broadcasters, distributors and financing.
Delivery: Q1 2026
This show stars a neurodivergent frog named Dots, who starts her first year at boarding school in Singalong Swamp and learns to do amazing things her own way with the help of her friends. But it’s not always easy, and sometimes Dots finds herself blurting, interrupting or shutting down.
BRIDGE
The Fabulous Piglini
Producer: Metaxilasis (Serbia)
Style: 2D animation
Format: 52 x 5.5 minutes
Budget: US$2.85 million to US$3.5 million
Status: A bible, pitch deck, animation test, pilot script and 26 storylines are available. And a presale deal with Serbian broadcaster United Media Group for six Balkan countries is done. Metaxilasis is seeking financing, broadcasters, distributors and co-producers.
Delivery: 20 months after greenlight
Metaxilasis, which animates ZeptoLab’s On Nom Stories series, is behind this new comedy-adventure about The Fabulous Piglini, a porcine magician who uses his whole bag of tricks to protect his town from a baddie named LeBrun. James Backshall (PAW Patrol, Max & Ruby) is on board as a story editor.
Teewa

Producer: Chardo Animation (Thailand)
Format: 52 x 11 minutes
Style: 2D animation
Budget: US$210,000 per episode
Status: Concept art is available, and the next step for Chardo is to lock down co-producers, financing, distributors and broadcasters.
Delivery: Q3 2026
Marty Knox (Skunk Fu!) is producing this Thai comedy created by Pongpisit Tammakoon (LEGO Friends). A young girl named Teewa must master her knowledge of the magical fruits that grow in the forest near her village in order to live up to her role as Fruit Doctor. This unique concept was recognized as a project “with international market potential” at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest, where it earned an ADATA Future Innovation Award and a cash prize of roughly US$9,000 (TWD$300,000).