Titles and trends for buyers to look out for at MIPJUNIOR
The kids business is undergoing enormous upheaval, with streaming platforms including Disney+, Max and YouTube taking an ever-increasing share of viewing among young audiences. Vying with them for eyeballs are traditional TV channels, which continue to play a vital role as content curators for every demographic from preschool via tween through to young adults.
Both camps will attend MIPJUNIOR, where 350+ buyers from more than 60 countries will screen around 800 kids shows. As leading executives from this ever-expanding multiverse of channels and platforms prepare their wishlists ahead of MIPJUNIOR 2024 (October 18-20), MIPBlog takes a look at some of the content trends and titles that will be front and centre in Cannes.
Cross-cultural live action is in demand
Drama series that showcase diverse characters and exotic locations are important to kids buyers. One MIPJUNIOR headliner that ticks both boxes is Theodosia, an Egyptology-themed tween live-action series produced by Cottonwood Media and ZDF. In the second season, Theodosia And The Oasis Of Magic, the action takes place across Paris, Belgium and Morocco. Another example that has caught a wave in 2024 is Gangnam Project, co-commissioned by broadcasters CBC Kids and CBBC. The 10 x 30 mins live-action series tells the story of Hannah Shin, a Canadian/Korean teen with dreams of connecting with her heritage. One summer, she flies to South Korea to work at a K-pop training school. Distributed by Federation Kids & Family (FKF) the show has been licensed to NRK (Norway), YLE (Finland), TV3 Group (Baltics), France TV and ABC (Australia). Monica Levy, co-chief of distribution, FKF said: “Gangnam Project touches on universal themes surrounding the importance of being accepted and accepting.”
Kids ‘co-commissioning’ is the new normal
The kids sector was first to embrace co-production and has now started talking more frequently about ‘co-commissioning’. If there’s a difference, it’s an increased presumption in favour of ground-up partnerships, where broadcasters coalesce resources around a show from day one. Xilam Animation’s new CG preschool series Piggy Builders, an entertaining and educational reinterpretation of the Three Little Pigs children’s tale, has France Télévisions (France), BBC (UK) and ZDF (Germany) on board as co-commissioners. Of course, the co-commissioning model only takes a handful of territories out of the equation — so there is still plenty of the world for buyers to get their teeth into. The 52 x 11 mins series will be delivered in Q3 2025 – but the first episodes will be released at MIPCOM. Xilam CEO and founder Marc du Pontavice said the series offers “endearing characters and humorous stories of teamwork, while also highlighting the importance of family”.
Girl power still in vogue
French production company 2 Minutes is adapting author and illustrator Yatuu’s comic book Erika Et Les Princes En Détresse (Erika And The Princes In Distress) into a series. Aimed at tweens, the 26 × 22 mins production follows a warrior princess in a world where gender stereotypes are reversed. Erika sets out on a quest, encountering missing or enchanted princes who are often mistreated. At first sight, Erika looks like an older-skewing, edgier version of Nick Jr hit series Nella The Princess Knight.
Digital plays a key role
Preschool phenomenon Cocomelon showed that cross-fertilisation between YouTube and traditional TV outlets is now an increasingly important dynamic in the kids business and a potent source of ideas for buyers. Reinforcing this trend, creative studio Toikido and kids’ entertainment specialist Cake have unveiled plans to develop and co-produce a long-form animated series PeaKeeBoo. The collaboration aims to expand the PeaKeeBoo universe from its YouTube shorts into five-minute animated episodes. Separately, Cake has licensed animated comedy adventure The Guava Juice Show (26 x 11 mins) to UK streaming platform ITVX. Produced by Vancouver-based Mainframe Studios and Studio 71, The Guava Juice Show is a YouTube Original that was inspired by the Guava Juice YouTube channel.
A taste of Spain
Spain is Country Of Honour at MIPCOM, so expect a strong showing from the country’s innovative kids studios. Canary Islands-based Anima Kitchent will be in Cannes with popular shows that include Cuquín, Lea & Pop, and Titto Lizzardo. Ánima Kitchent also manages around 148 YouTube channels with over 55 million subscribers. Another Spanish title securing interest is live-action kids’ series The Argonauts And The Golden Coin, co-produced by Spanish producer Portocabo and public broadcaster RTVE. Inspired by such franchises as The Famous Five and The Goonies, the show tells the story of a group of friends enjoying adventures in Galicia. Madrid-based Brands & Rights 360 recently sold the show into Portugal.
Classic reboots are more valuable than ever
In a competitive and fragmented kids market, channels and platforms are inevitably drawn to shows that have in-built brand recognition among the primary audience (kids) and the gatekeepers (parents and carers). That’s why buyers will be keen to see a brand-new season of Pocoyo (52 x 7 mins). Distributed by Animaj, Pocoyo now has a little sister to share in his adventures. For an older demographic, buyers are already flocking to Wildbrain’s CG-animated reboot of classic kids series Inspector Gadget. Channels to have picked up the 26 x 30 mins series include Chinese national broadcaster CCTV 6, TG4 Ireland and Canela.TV in the Americas, among others. The beauty of reboots is that they also provide a boost to pre-existing library content. Pocoyo has four previous seasons while classic Inspector Gadget IP has formed the basis of new FAST channels in Germany.
Anime renaissance reignites megabrands
Streamers including Netflix, Crunchyroll and Amazon Prime have helped reignite interest in anime – with Europe in particular experiencing a boom. While a lot of interest is driven by new titles (or titles that are new to TV), the anime resurgence has proved beneficial to established franchises – many of which have unleashed new series into the market. Recent and upcoming examples include Pokemon Horizons, Beyblade X and Dragon Ball Daima. Interestingly, anime’s gravitational pull is so strong that several franchises that would not historically have been considered anime have crossed over with the oeuvre – examples being Tomb Raider, Masters Of The Universe, The Witcher, Ricky And Morty, Terminator and Suicide Squad.
There’s still room for specials
Broadcasters still have a key role to play creating programming events for families. In the UK, pubcaster the BBC has just announced that its 2024 animated Christmas special will be another adaptation of a Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler picture book, with London-based Magic Light Pictures set to produce Tiddler. Tiddler tells the story of a small grey fish with a big imagination who gets lost in the deep wide ocean until he’s saved by his own storytelling. The half-hour animated adaptation will debut on BBC One and iPlayer this Christmas, and like previous Donaldson/Scheffler adaptations (Gruffalo, Zog) is sure to be a big hit with international buyers.
Tough topics age younger
There was a time when no one would have talked to kids about cancer. But now it’s regarded as suitable fare for nine to 13-year-olds. A case in point is Louise Lives Large, produced by Tailored Films (Ireland), Storyhouse (Belgium) and Vérité Films (Canada); and distributed by WildBrain. The 8 x 24 mins series follows the inspiring journey of newly cancer-free teen Louise Edgar as she embarks on a mission to make up for lost time, completing the items on her ‘Live Large List’. Caroline Tyre, vice-president, global sales & rights Strategy at WildBrain, said: “As we’re seeing with shows like Malory Towers and I Woke Up A Vampire, live-action tween series with strong ‘coming of age’ themes remain extremely popular with global audiences and buyers alike.”
Preschool with purpose
The current crop of preschool shows is ensuring that entertainment value is counterbalanced by nourishing and stimulating stories and activities. Coming to MIPJUNIOR, for example, is a third season of DoReMi Dalimi, an animated upper preschool musical series distributed by Barcelona-based Goldbee. Produced by Seoul-based Sunwoo & Company, in collaboration with KBS and Tooniverse, DoReMi Dalimi has sold to Korea, Taiwan, Russia, Indonesia, and China. APC Kids is also in the market currently with preschool edutainment series Nitso And The Very Hairy Alphabet, produced by Eagle Eye Filmproduktion in co-production with KiKA and GS Animation. The 26 x 7 mins series tells the adventures of fuzzy little yeti monster, Nitso, who has recently become keen on learning the letters of the alphabet. Other preschool shows coming to Cannes include Miam! Animation 3D series The Tinies, which promotes DIY projects and building self-confidence. Also heading for MIPJUNIOR is Dandelooo series Max & Rabbit, which aims to help kids listen, accept, verbalise and find fun solutions for every problem.
And finally…
Other trends to look out for at MIPJUNIOR? More kids series adapted from graphic novels — for example TeamTO’s H.O.M.E. And, borrowing from the Marvel playbook, more mash-ups – including Spin Master and Paramount+’s hybrid event blending PAW Patrol with construction-themed preschool series Rubble & Crew. Finally, increased activity around sports themed content for kids —particularly from rights holders. New York Yankees’ YES Network has created an original animation series called Bronx Buds, which is reminiscent of what soccer club Juventus has done with Team Jay. UEFA and Formula E, meanwhile, have teamed up with Cartoon Network on Roblox.
