Disney Acquires Comedy Sunny Bunnies

LONDON: Media I.M. has sold the CGI-animated comedy Sunny Bunnies to Disney for its channels in the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, Africa and AsiaPac.

Disney Junior in the U.S., Disney CEEMEA (CEE, the Middle East and Africa), Disney Spain and Disney Japan have all licensed the non-dialogue series for kids aged 4 to 7. Through these agreements, Sunny Bunnies will roll out into more than 130 territories in 2017.

Under the new three-year deals, the first season of Sunny Bunnies will launch on Disney Junior in the U.S. in 2017, on Disney’s CEEMA channels in all territories, on Disney Channel in Turkey and across free- and pay-TV Disney Channels in Spain and Spanish-speaking Andorra. Disney Japan, meanwhile, has taken the exclusive rights to the series in a deal that marks Sunny Bunnies’ TV premiere in the territory.

The latest round of Disney deals follows on the heels of sales to Disney Channel in Russia and CIS, Disney Junior for multiple Asia-Pacific markets and to Canal Panda in Portugal. The series is produced by Belarus-based Digital Light Studio. Media I.M. has exclusive worldwide rights for the series outside of Russia, CIS and China.

The show features five beaming balls that can appear anywhere there is a source of light, from sunshine to moonlight. In each episode, the creatures bring fun and games to a different location, ranging from the circus to a sports stadium to a park, as they set off on mischievous adventures.

Maria Ufland, co-founder and joint managing director of Media I.M., said, “The response to Sunny Bunnies has been unprecedented for a show from a relatively unknown studio from a country which is not known for its TV productions. The deal with Disney in so many territories is a massive vote of confidence for this show, proving that excellent-quality original content can come from any place. We believe that Sunny Bunnies will be a global hit and are delighted that our gut feeling that this show is truly something special is proving right. It’s given us a huge impetus to continue to seek further quality content in unexpected places.”