MUMBAI: Dic Entertainment has re-acquired the rights to an extensive slate of animated children’s properties from The Walt Disney Company and Jetix Europe for television, home entertainment and consumer products.
The announcement was made by Dic Entertainment chairman and CEO Andy Heyward.
As part of the deal, Dic will now control various marketing and distribution rights for 750 half-hour episodes of globally recognised brands previously produced by Dic, including Care Bears, Inspector Gadget, Heathcliff, Dennis the Menace, The Littles and more.
“We have one of the largest libraries of animation in the world consisting of some of the most popular children’s properties ever, and we are thrilled to have these properties back in the Dic family. There is always a huge demand for classic children’s programming, particularly in the home entertainment marketplace, and we look forward to offering our clients these series across multiple platforms," said Heyward.
The slate of programming, which will be offered at MipTV this year, includes, Inspector Gadget, Beverly Hills Teens, Care Bears, Dennis the Menace, Dennis the Menace specials, Get Along Gang, Heathcliff, Hulk Hogan, Jayce & the Wheeled Warriors, Lady Lovelylocks, The Littles, MASK, Photon, Pole Position, Poochie, Popples, Rainbow Brite, Starcom, Sylvanian Families, The Littles Movies and Ulysses 31.
Brand highlights from the new programming include Care Bears, an evergreen property and one of the most popular children’s brands across the world. Since re-launching four years ago, Care Bears has grown into a $1.8 billion franchise and generated more than $600 million in worldwide retail in 2005. Inspector Gadget, Dic’s flagship property, is a franchise that includes a television series which has aired for over 20 years in key territories around the world.
Additionally, the property has been a major success with two blockbuster features -- a star-studded, Disney live-action feature film that generated over $100 million at the box-office and a direct-to-DVD title, which has sold nearly three million units to date. Based on the classic cartoon strip, which still appears in over 1,000 newspapers globally, Heathcliff has been a best-selling children’s book, a greeting card line and No. 1 best-selling comic book.
