By Andrea Hernandez and Cole Watson

Studio 100 Media

LA-based Viva Kids is co-producing an upcoming family-friendly animated feature film On the Edge: Donnie Dares! (pictured) from non-profit org On the Edge Productions and Germany’s Studio 100 Media. Set for a late 2026 release, the 75-minute film promotes conservation through its cast of animal characters, which are based on lesser-known endangered species. 

Michael Ryan (Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?) is attached as head writer, working with creative director Archie Donato (Kung Fu Panda). Executive producers are On the Edge Productions’ Beth Blood and Karen Vermeulen, along with Studio 100’s Martin Krieger and Viva Kids’ Victor Elizalde. Studio 100 will handle international sales, as well as pitching the project at this year’s American Film Market in Santa Monica.

In other Studio 100 news, sales arm Studio 100 Film has secured global distribution rights to the 85-minute film Miss Moxy, which will debut in 2024. Netherlands’ Phanta Animation and BosBros co-produce the family-friendly movie with Belgium Eyeworks Film & TV Drama. The project is based on the incredible true story of a lost tabby cat that found its way home after an arduous 13-year journey.

Kids First

Paris-based distributor Kids First has closed new sales for Watch Next Media, Image-in Atlantique and Peekaboo Animation’s 2D-animated series Audrey’s Shelter. YLE in Finland, E-Junior in the UAE, TV5 Monde in France and RTS in Switzerland are the latest networks to acquire the series, joining ZDF in Germany and Canada’s TVOKids, Radio-Canada, TFO and Knowledge Network. Targeting six- to nine-year-olds, the 50 x 11-minute show is slated to premiere in early 2024. In Audrey’s Shelter a seven-year-old girl and her best friend discover new species of animals in an endangered animal sanctuary.

KidsBeeTV

Portuguese streamer KidsBeeTV has picked up The Pinkfong Company’s 3D-animated series, Hogi’s Story Theater. The green hedgehog Hogi and the purple fox Pinkong team up in this 20 x eight-minute preschool series to sing nursery songs. The show premiered in June 2022 on the Hogi! Pinkfong – Learn & Play YouTube channel (6.3 million of subscribers). KidsBeeTV has been offering Pinkfong content for two years, including nursery rhymes and Baby Shark-themed videos. The platform offers more than 500 hours of content for kids ages one to eight, including the Molang, Sunny Bunnies and Pocoyo shows.

Cloudco Entertainment 

Cloudco has inked a new deal with Texas-based techco Aquifer to launch a new e-commerce site where kids can get personalized messages from the Care Bears. The Care Bears Shoutouts site, launched earlier this week, lets consumers purchase short-form animated messages for birthdays and special celebrations. Aquifer and Cloudco will expand the platform onto other e-commerce sites later this year, so families can get messages during the holiday season.