Netflix Joins Forces with Line Friends for New Series

Netflix has partnered with the Japanese messaging app Line Friends for a new original animated series featuring the app’s Brown & Friends characters.

The show will be a non-verbal, slapstick comedy that tells the story of a diverse set of characters—including Brown, Cony, Sally, Moon and James—who are friends and neighbors living in the same town. The CG animation series is co-produced by Los Angeles-based Kickstart Entertainment.

Aram Yacoubian, director of original animation at Netflix, said: “The band of adorable Brown & Friends characters has been a part of many fans’ daily lives since they were created as stickers on Line mobile messengers, and now we’re excited to develop the expanded world for screens of all kinds to delight new audiences everywhere on Netflix.”

KD Kim, VP at Line Friends, said: “Based on unparalleled creative capabilities, Line Friends has produced diversified content with its popular IPs, including videos, animations and games that millennials and Gen Z love. With an original animated series on Netflix, Line Friends will enhance its competitiveness in global content, and strengthen its presence in the entertainment industry, as well as its position as both a global creative studio and a producer of high-quality content.”