TORONTO – Canadian kids and family entertainment company WildBrain and Jay Ward Productions Inc. announced today they signed an agreement for Ward-owned IP.
The agreement spans “across distribution, production and licensing for the entire portfolio of classic Ward-owned IP that includes such legendary properties as George of the Jungle, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Dudley Do-Right, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Super Chicken and more,” a press release explains.
“Under the agreement, WildBrain will add 788 episode of Jay Ward Productions’ classic animation to its distribution library, and the two companies will create brand-new content based on the Ward portfolio,” the release says.
WildBrain’s distribution library now includes classic Jay Ward series such as The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (326 x 3.5’), Peabody’s Improbable History (91 x 5’), Dudley Do-Right (38 x 4.5’), Hoppity Hooper (104 x 4.5’), Fractured Fairy Tales (91 x 5’), Aesop and Son (39 x 5’), Mr. Know-It All (60 x 1.5’) and Bullwinkle’s Corner (39 x 1’).
Jay Ward was the creator many iconic cartoons from the 1950s and 1960s. His daughter, Tiffany Ward, is currently president of Jay Ward Productions. Two decades ago, she and WildBrain CEO Eric Ellenbogen created Bullwinkle Studios. They did so “through Ellenbogen’s former company, Classic Media, which was sold to DreamWorks in 2012 and ultimately became part of NBCUniversal,” the press release explains.
Their collaboration resulted in projects including DreamWorks’ 2014 animated feature film, Mr. Peabody & Sherman and 52 episodes of George of the Jungle.
“Everything old is new again,” said Ellenbogen, in the press release. “I’m delighted to be reunited with Tiffany to bring new audiences the hilarious characters and shows created by her father, which are part of the canon of the world’s greatest animation. Never has there been a better time to refresh classic branded IP like this, just as we are doing with so many of our evergreen WildBrain brands.”
“I’m thrilled to be teaming up with Eric again,” said Tiffany Ward. “Our past partnership with Bullwinkle Studios was prolific and successful, and now that Eric is at the helm of a creative powerhouse like WildBrain, I’m excited to work with him and his fantastic team to broaden the legacy of my father’s work to new generations of kids and families.”
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