Kartoon Studios Unveils Hundred Acre Wood’s Winnie and Friends

This MIPCOM, Kartoon Studios arrives in Cannes with Hundred Acre Wood’s Winnie and Friends, bringing A.A. Milne’s beloved Winnie-the-Pooh character back for a new generation of preschoolers and families. Working with a creative team that includes Linda Woolverton, Elise Allen and John Rivoli, Kartoon Studios is building out a comprehensive launch platform for the new series. Raphaëlle Mathieu, executive producer, talks to TV Kids about how Kartoon Studios is reinventing the iconic, lovable bear.

TV KIDS: How did plans to relaunch Winnie-the-Pooh come about at Kartoon Studios?
MATHIEU: Winnie-the-Pooh is one of the most beloved characters in children’s entertainment history, with timeless themes and global recognition. When the original works entered the public domain, the team saw a unique momentum to reimagine this classic for a new generation. At Kartoon Studios, the mission is to create safe, enriching and joy-filled entertainment for kids and families, so bringing Pooh and his friends back to life in Kartoon Studios’ Hundred Acre Wood’s Winnie and Friends felt like a perfect alignment. It was approached as an adaptation fully respectful of A.A. Milne’s spirit of wonder, friendship and gentle humor, while introducing a visual and narrative style that speaks directly to today’s young audiences.

TV KIDS: How are you maintaining the DNA of the original while reinventing it for contemporary audiences?
MATHIEU: Preserving the heart of Winnie-the-Pooh has been our guiding principle from day one in developing Hundred Acre Wood’s Winnie and Friends. The emotional DNA—friendship, curiosity, kindness and problem-solving through teamwork—remains fully intact. To craft this new adaptation, we focused on assembling the best creative team possible. We have Linda Woolverton, the visionary screenwriter behind The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland and Maleficent, on board as executive producer. Emmy Award-nominated television writer and New York Times best-selling author Elise Allen will serve as showrunner. John Rivoli, the celebrated creative force behind consumer-product programs for Harry Potter, Batman, The Lord of the Rings and SpongeBob SquarePants, is the creative director. With this series, we are innovating in pacing, tone and design. Today’s preschool audiences are accustomed to slightly faster storytelling and more visually vibrant worlds, so we’ve crafted stories that are a bit more dynamic while still retaining Pooh’s unhurried charm. The dialogue reflects contemporary sensibilities while honoring the lyrical simplicity of the original books. It’s a careful balance: refreshing the property without losing the soul that has made Pooh endure for nearly a century.

TV KIDS: Tell us about the themes you’ll be exploring in the series, as well as the look you have crafted.
MATHIEU: The development of the themes, led by Linda and Elise, will celebrate emotional intelligence, resilience, imagination and the power of friendship. Each story gently models social-emotional learning moments—like empathy, problem-solving and managing big feelings—in age-appropriate ways. We also emphasize curiosity about the natural world, with storylines rooted in play and discovery.

Visually, under John’s direction, the design of the series features a soft, yarn-like, storybook-inspired world with warm textures, painterly backgrounds and expressive character animation. It’s instantly recognizable as Winnie-the-Pooh, yet it feels fresh, contemporary and immersive for young viewers. We’re producing Hundred Acre Wood’s Winnie and Friends in high-end CG animation.

TV KIDS: What’s the international rollout strategy for the IP?
MATHIEU: From the start, this has been developed as a truly global project. We’re structuring deals in multiple phases: first, we are focusing on key partners in the U.S. and major broadcasters in Europe, and then we will rapidly expand into territories around the world to build brand awareness and audience engagement. We’ve already had significant interest from leading broadcasters and platforms worldwide. Because Winnie-the-Pooh is a universally recognized property, our approach is about cultural sensitivity and localization rather than market education—we can go wide very quickly while tailoring marketing and language to each region.

TV KIDS: What are your overall brand plans across L&M and digital? What extensions are you pursuing?
MATHIEU: We have Disney licensing veteran Chris DeMoulin leading the development and execution of the global consumer-products program for the brand, building a strategy across toys, publishing, apparel, accessories, home and live experiences. The unique color and texture of Hundred Acre Wood’s Winnie and Friends is key to product differentiation: soft, yarn-like, cuddly, friendly and inclusive.

Digital extensions will also be core: companion apps, educational, minigames and music content will help bring the series to life beyond the screen. We’re also planning immersive brand activations, from themed pop-ups to family-friendly live shows, ensuring children can experience Winnie-the-Pooh’s world in real life.

TV KIDS: How are you looking to use YouTube and other social platforms to help launch the show?
MATHIEU: YouTube will be the tip of the spear in our launch strategy. We’re producing exclusive short-form content designed for YouTube’s preschool ecosystem to seed the characters, build familiarity and drive anticipation. We’ll complement that with TikTok, Instagram and Facebook campaigns aimed at parents and caregivers, focusing on nostalgia, behind-the-scenes looks and co-viewing moments. Social will serve as both an awareness driver and an engagement platform—keeping the brand top of mind between content drops.

TV KIDS: What’s your overall mission for this MIPCOM and MIPJunior?
MATHIEU: Our mission with Hundred Acre Wood’s Winnie and Friends is to introduce this reimagined Winnie-the-Pooh to the global market and build strong strategic partnerships across broadcast, streaming, consumer products and brand experiences.

MIPCOM and MIPJunior are where the world’s leading kids’ content stakeholders gather, and we see it as the perfect stage to present this vision. We’re looking to spark excitement, lock in early partnerships and lay the foundation for Hundred Acre Wood’s Winnie and Friends to become one of the most significant preschool franchises of the coming decade.