Kartoon Studios Sets Up Kartoon Films Unit

Kartoon Studios has set up Kartoon Films, a new unit led by David Neuman and Paul Robinson that will create full-length animated features based on the company’s existing properties.

The unit will leverage AI technology to animate more content in less time and reduce expenses. Initial projects, which will begin to roll out in 2024, include Stan Lee’s Cosmic Crusaders; Llama’s Big Adventure, based on Llama Llama; An Omaha Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, inspired by Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club; and more.

More titles that will debut in 2024 and 2025 are Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, Fix and Foxi, and Rainbow Rangers Hot Concert to Cool Global Warming, part of Rainbow Rangers.

Kartoon Films will also draw on titles from its Munich-based affiliate company Your Family Entertainment. Some films will feature celebrity voice actors and original music soundtracks.

“We have observed a strong appetite for recognized brands that began in either television, toys, video games, or publishing, to become full-length animated feature films,” said Andy Heyward, CEO of Kartoon Studios. “We have seen this with top brands like Super Mario Brothers, Sonic the Hedgehog, Spiderman, the Grinch, and Hotel Transylvania, which were translated into animated movie hits. Much of our catalog has such roots and pedigree, with a number of brands coming from successful books like Llama Llama or Rainbow Rangers and from brands and pedigrees like Stan Lee.”

“By using both AI, human creativity and the existing assets that have already been developed with the brands, production costs will be reduced, while upholding the highest levels of quality,” said Mike Maliani, who will oversee creative. “Previously the costs of producing an original full-length animated feature for a streaming service were prohibitive, however with the advent of AI technology and using existing key materials, footage and animation cycles already in place, we now have an incredibly cost-effective model that we believe is a game changer, which will enable quality animated films to be brought to the consumer for a fraction of what it would have previously cost. We can do all this while maintaining our focus on content written by proven industry creators. We like this model, because we are investing in our own brands, as we additionally drive awareness for consumer product sales, as well as viewership for our channel, and creating an evergreen asset that can be used again and again.”

Robinson, president of Kartoon Channel! Worldwide, who will oversee global distribution, added, “Full-length animated features have consistently been one of the most successful genres of all entertainment, and are very attractive to broadcasters worldwide. They steadily over-index, attracting large audiences. Whether the timeless classics from Disney, or hits from Pixar, DreamWorks and Illumination, we know they perform well. The films will be family friendly, non-violent, and embrace positive themes. We view the animated feature film business for global services as the game changer catalyst to propel the channel forward to significant earnings.”