ZDF Enterprises: Rising to the Occasion

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From live-action titles like Heirs of the Night, The Athena and Pan Tau to animated series such as The Muscleteers, Coconut, the Little Dragon, Space Nova and Zoom—The White Dolphin, ZDF Enterprises (ZDFE) remains a prolific provider of kids’ and youth titles for the global market.

“Our series all meet the requirements clients are asking for,” says Arne Lohmann, VP ZDFE.junior, ZDF Enterprises. “Our entire catalog consists of high-quality programs for children that have often been produced in co-production with esteemed and experienced international partners. Thus, they transport messages that are understood and valued all around the globe.”

According to Lohmann, the programs most in-demand at present are live-action series aimed at a co-viewing audience and animated titles targeted at kids 6 to 10. “ZDF Enterprises’ junior department has been able to boost its production slate to meet this demand with a handful of new high-class commissions in live action and animation,” says Lohmann.

The company is currently working on the animated series Grisù, based on the classic property created by its original authors, Nino and Toni Pagot. ZDFE is part of the co-production team together with Toon2Tango and the Mondo TV Group subsidiary Mondo TV France. Lohmann also points to the live-action series Alea Aquarius, an adaptation of the German young adult novels of the same name by Tanya Stewner for which it partnered with Red Balloon Film. “In the first quarter of this year, we will be busy getting these commissions into production.”

ZDFE is also working on the new surf series Surviving Summer with Australia’s Werner Films and Theodosia, based on the books by the New York Times best-selling author Robin L. LaFevers that follow a fearless girl who is fascinated with Egyptology at the turn of the century. “2020 has been a good year for us, and 2021 looks just as excellent!” says Lohmann of ZDFE.junior’s forthcoming slate additions. 

With the worst impacts of Covid-19 on the media sector more or less in the rearview mirror, Lohmann believes that the global kids’ content industry is in as positive a position as ever. “There is a bigger demand for kids’ content, especially as the streamers are focusing on it in order to maintain their subscribers,” he says. “Children are often the decision-makers in the family!” As for what the kids—and those sitting beside them—want to see on the screen in the months and years to come, that’s what ZDFE is already solving for.

“The big question is what kind of programs does the audience want after the pandemic?” muses Lohmann. “Will it be pure escapism with engaging into fantasy worlds? Or do we need to commission further educational programming and real-life scenarios? Perhaps a mixture of both, like in our series Zoom—The White Dolphin.”