4Kids Takes Nordic L&M Rights for New Arthur Features

LONDON: 4Kids Entertainment has taken on the licensing and merchandising rights for the Nordic territories for the upcoming Luc Besson live-action/computer-animated family adventure movies Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard and Arthur and the War of the Two Worlds.

Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard is the follow up to Arthur and the Minimoys, produced by Luc Besson’s production and distribution studio, EuropaCorp. With a budget of $65 million, Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard features the voice talents of Snoop Dogg, Lou Reed and former Black Eyed Peas lead singers Fergie and will.i.am.

4Kids will develop and manage licensing opportunities in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Norway for the film, which launches throughout the region on December 4, distributed by Scanbox Entertainment. The final part of the trilogy, Arthur and the War of the Two Worlds, will launch in 2010. Licensing for the property has already rolled out in France, where more than 25 licensees and promotional partners are on board, including Lansay for toys, Ubisoft for video games, Cesar for dress-up, Tennessee for back-to-school, Panini for sticker albums, Sahinler for apparel and Nestlé for cereals.

“Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard has tremendous built-in brand awareness and appeal, and is a huge favorite of families throughout the Nordics,” said Sandra Vauthier-Cellier, the managing director of 4Kids Entertainment International. “We anticipate a very strong positive response to these sequels along with the wide range of licensed products we’ll bring to market in support of this franchise.”