BBC Studios Kids & Family has inked a deal to partner with Magic Light Pictures for international distribution rights to its animated TV series, Zog.
Based on the award-winning books by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, the series is a 52 x 11′ animated comedy adventure for 4-6s about the fan-favourite dragon.
Building on Magic Light’s International Emmy winning 2018 family special Zog and its 2020 sequel, Zog and the Flying Doctors, the CG-animated series follows Zog the dragon, Princess Pearl and Sir Gadabout as they come together to care for the weird and wonderful inhabitants of their fantastical world.
The deal also includes all US consumer products and licensing rights for the TV series.
“We’re delighted to be working with Magic Light Pictures who have a formidable reputation in the global animation industry,” commented Cecilia Persson, md at BBC Studios Kids & Family. “It’s a partnership with a shared passion for creative excellence and for nurturing much loved characters and stories and bringing them to life. Zog is about caring for others, yourself and the amazing world around you so it is the perfect addition to our preschool animation slate and we look forward to sharing it with audiences around the world.”
Michael Rose, joint ceo at Magic Light Pictures, continued: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with BBC Studios Kids & Family to bring Zog to audiences worldwide. Their superb global reach complements our own team’s expertise to ensure we can maximise opportunities for this fantastic new series. Pearl, Zog and Gadabout make a wonderfully comedic trio, captivating children and families with their imaginative adventures, and we look forward to working with the Kids & Family team to build Zog into a truly global brand.”
The deal excludes UK and Germany where the series has been commissioned by BBC Children’s and Education and ZDF respectively. Magic Light Pictures continues to represent all Zog licensing rights in UK and Europe alongside its global Gruffalo and Friends distribution and licensing programme.
