MIPCOM 2021 is taking place from 11-14 October. It is a trade show annually held in Cannes. It is one of the world’s largest entertainment content markets that features decision makers and exhibitors from multiple countries who display and speak about products related to the field of television, content production and distribution, video and DVD, cinema, new media, mobile, advertising, licensing and merchandising, service and post-production. Anyone related to the entertainment and technological sectors can participate.
Over the years, Korean animation has become a large player in the international field. Today, the Korean animation industry is a complex web of around 120 studios, creating work for Fox, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, and the Cartoon Network. South Korean animation, or K-animation, has been positioned to be the next chapter of K-wave following the global success of Korean film, K-pop and K-dramas.
Here’s the list of the 34 Korean animation studios participating in MIPCOM 2021:
1) 38℃ Animation Studio
In 2011, Studio 38˚C was developed with the goal to create brand new 3D animation TV series and films with an unprecedented ingenuity filled with brilliant ideas and imagination. They are currently producing and distributing Junglebox with CJ E&M. It is broadcast on Tooniverse and SBS as a public channel in Korea. In addition, it was also launched on YouTube through Toonz media in India, and uploaded to iQiyi platform in China. It is being exposed in various directions.
Soon, they will prepare an animation called Junglebox season two and Got You Catch You.
Their goal has always been to create new passionate stories for children backed by amazing 3D animation in order to constantly push the barriers of entertainment today in order to awe and inspire their audience.
2) 5BRICKS
5Bricks is a professional animated content company based in Korea. Composed of professionals such as writers and animators, designers and musicians who have passion and love in the field of animation, they pursue producing content with creativity and diversity from the warm stories to the visually interesting. Now some animated projects such as Amazing 12 and Hana & Molly have been produced with high quality and warm hearted stories to connect and communicate with the world.
Especially, with the collaboration of various global partners, a slapstick-adventure comedy TV series animation, Tata & Kuma is ready to be distributed worldwide soon through various content platforms.
3) ACE EDU
Ace Edu is an innovative edu-tech animation company. They specialize in three-minute educational music videos with K-pop that can replace one-hour class with addictive melody. The studio also boasts innovative eight-second ultra-short form AI mixing music videos that indulges in personal customizing.
It is a certified company with excellent technology. Ace Edu secured 30,000 paid members within a year of launching content. It attracted paid users equal to 1 per cent of elementary school students in Korea within a year.
They are also the team that boasts Korea’s top K-pop educational song experts with the most experience since 2012.
4) ANYZAC
ANYZAC uses the creative mind and created content, focusing on the balance between technology and emotion, with the message of dreams and hope. ANYZAC’s key members have led global projects and produced 3D animation, broadcasts, film and promotional videos. Their endeavors are based on the knowhow of multi-year animation planning and domestic/foreign co-production, and production outsourcing.
Also, based on these recognized and solid planning capabilities, ANYZAC is committed to developing and producing quality education and entertainment content that can be accessed on expanded smart platforms.
5) Aurora World
Aurora World, an emerging leader in the global content industry, has been at the top of the global plush toys market with its outstanding product design and sales network. Aurora World is now transforming many of its beloved plush toy characters into animations. YooHoo & Friends, with two seasons of 2D animation, and one season of 3D re-launch has become a global hit, with educational storylines that feature endangered animals as well as helping kids understand global climate change.
6) Campfire Aniworks
Campfire Aniworks (CFA) is a company that creates a culture which the whole family can enjoy together through content. It is a content company established in 2017 led by the founding members of Olive Studio, which made Cocomong. Campfire Aniworks has united its key personnel who produced Cocomong, Pororo, and Tayo for global success based on their experience. Campfire Aniworks is a young company that is creating content that combines workability and business feasibility in the global market.
7) CGTale Studio
CGTale Studio Inc. is a CG production company with experience of producing and supervising CG content of various genres from all over the world including Korea, USA, Canada, China and Singapore. Recently, CGTale’s focus has switched entirely to its own IP project Mono Mars which focussed on creating content and business related activities.
8) Chungdahm Media
Chungdahm Media Inc., an affiliate of ‘Chungdahm Learning’ which is Korea’s leading ESL company, started with creating storytelling content that organically combines language and art to promote creativity. They produce various types of content targeting the short-form content market. The studio develops creative storytelling content with international-level talented writers, professional musicians and excellent animators. They make content with a wide variety of genres of stories, music, and artistic styles.
9) COMICCITY
COMICCITY is a city full of fun content and characters. COMICCITY was established in 2019 as a Korean animation company producing global kids edutainment content. Founder Yoojin Lee and her team who worked and participated with Pororo, Robocar Poli, and Kakao friends.
They have been making a new IP JOODYSSEY and DANCING WITH JOODY with the best creative team in animation and television. In particular, Joodyssey is scheduled to air in South Korea on KBS in December 2021.
10) Creative Bomb
Established in 2015, Creative Bomb has been offering a wide range of services based on its animation IP Boto and Bao.
Boto and Bao TV animation series has five seasons and 124 episodes in total, and now are being broadcast on Korea (Animax), China (CCTV), Thailand (True Vision Channel and New Media Channel). Russian, Indonesian, and Vietnamese dubbed versions of Boto and Bao are now available, and Creative Bomb successfully signed a publishing contract with the Vietnamese publishing agency. Creative Bomb runs a content business in education and in interactive content.
The education business includes Boto and Bao IP-based English, music, and coding content and the interactive part includes AR and VR videos. The company also has offline business arms as well. Creative Bomb has been running a kids cafe business and character business. Creative Bomb is looking for an animation publisher in priority, an animation co-producer, character licenser, and education partner next.
11) Happyup
Happyup Studio, a young Korean animation production company, was established with the purpose of making children happy through animation. Production and marketing experts from various animation companies have gathered to produce various animations, especially aiming at educational content. Since starting the business in 2015, the company has received various awards such as SPP Best Planning Award, EBS Co-Production Contest twice, and Investment IR. The technology and know-how of animation production are being researched and used. Since 2018, the studio has been conducting joint productions and joint projects with various domestic and foreign companies, and plan to secure three IPs by 2025 and develop various businesses by using those IPs.
12) HongDangMoo
Since its foundation in 2009, HongDangMoo INC. has planned and developed numerous edutainment programs with its well-established partners. Aiming the global market, HongDangMoo INC. has produced outstanding animations such as MAGIC ADVENTURES; THE CRYSTAL OF DARK and ANIMAL RESCUE and their edutainment content enabled them to position itself as irreplaceable.
They strive to be one of the leading companies of Kid’s Edu-Tech brands by multi-using HongDangMoo’s original content, Graded Comic Readers blended with IT technology and creating English edutainment content.
13) ICONIX
ICONIX Co., Ltd. ICONIX, a global leading animation company in Korea, has been the trend for kids’ animation. By utilizing creative characters and advanced production systems, it has established a strong brand of animation. Major works include: Pororo the Little Penguin, Tayo the Little Bus, Titipo Titipo.
Today, ICONIX is diversifying its content to various domains, including publication, music, show, and theme park activities. Such successful performances have led to distribution to 160 countries – continuing the lead in the global animation market.
14) J-bugs
The J-Bugs Co.,Ltd is the center of Korean cultural content (character, animation, illustration, and). J-Bugs is a company that pioneers the integrated entertainment industry. Their forte is developing the character, licensing, distribution and animation planning and production.
J-Bugs does animation production, product licensing, online licensing, and character business.
15) LOCO
LOCO strives to become a global leader in the production and creation of kids educational and entertainment content and derivative products. Utilizing their experience, design and planning capabilities, they seek to develop and create creative and profitable content, services and derivative products to maximize the educational and entertainment experiences for kids.
Through their IPs they have expanded their business scope into animation production, original song creation, toy production, musical play performances, publishing, licensing, and new media content creation.
16) MARO STUDIO
Maro Studio is a digital content planning and production company that specializes in 3D, CGI animation and games. The studio’s business scope includes animation planning, production, motion-capture, data production, and culture technology development.
17) Moggozi
The studio aims to play video content to move children’s dreams. This being their business motto, Moggozi aims to produce, distribute kids’ IPs as comprehensive entertainment. Moggozi demonstrates competitive and strategic content planning with the help from highly qualified experts in the production management team. They strive to provide a flexible organizational culture to become pioneers creating various types of content business models.
18) Mostapes
Mostapes is a content creation company located in Seoul, Korea. Since 2012, they have been further increasing their professionalism through original IP creation, animation production, game development, and commercial work.
The studio’s goal is providing high-quality content that brings laughter to the world. To realize the vision, Mostapes works closely with global partners in the entertainment industry who share the same dream.
While searching for other collaborative opportunities, Mostapes is channeling the passion into original IP productions such as the preschool show Chippyhood and the comedy-action series Iron Dragon.
19) P&E Studio
P&E Studio is a company that develops and animates characters based on creativity.
The animation produced is recognized and exported by the world market.
They are currently working on planning, producing, and characterizing TV series 2D and 3D animation. Some of the most popular animations are Eggroy, Moon Bear Roo, Star Rescue X Team, and Sims Adventure.
They wish to be a company that presents happiness and dreams to everyone on Earth.
20) Pixtrend
Pixtrend Inc. was established for the overall business consulting and marketing procedures within the planning and distributing of various content, and uses its content business know-how accumulated over several years to specialize in the planning, producing, co-producing, investment-procuring of animations, additionally to domestic and overseas distributing tasks. It intends to cover the range of the production, distribution and investment of worldwide content, as well as lead the way in the globalization of Korea’s cultural content.
21) RetroBot
Since 2008, Retrobot has been growing to become the top 3D animation studio in Korea.
Many of their core members have been work partners even before the company was founded and have been sharing a few common goals for over a decade.
Their goal is to create the best animations that families can sit together and enjoy, to create animations that cherish culture and originality, and to discover and explore new frontiers of animation.
With the flagship animation Tobot, the studio successfully redefined the genre that had been overlooked in Korea for a long time. Tobot is now receiving positive responses from viewers all over the world.
22) SAMG Entertainment
Since 2000, SAMG Entertainment (former SAMG Animation) has been creating/producing many CGI Animation IP and brands, being one of the most favored Korean animation studios. SAMG participated as a co-producer of the globally well-known project Miraculous (Ladybug), and represented its brand business in Korea.
Since its start as a CGI production studio 21 years ago, SAMG has been evolving into a ‘Total IP & Brand Group’, which covers almost all animation related business including, Toys, New Media, Licensing, Music, Fashion, e-Commerce, Platforms, and Education. Their talented 200 employees make SAMG the biggest animation business company in Korea, and SAMG’s global territories are now more than 150 countries, for various Media, L&M and Toys.
23) SIDE9
Side9 Inc., a subsidiary company of Seoul Land, is a professional Digital CGI Studio established by its experts. They have been producing 2D/ 3D / Netflix Original animation with famous domestic and overseas production companies. They are working on a global 2.5D animation project with Side9’s own 3D Cartoon Rendering Technology.
24) Smart Study
Smart Study is Pinkfong Baby Shark’s producer and IP holder. Their Baby Shark Dance video is the number one most-viewed video in YouTube history and Pinkfong Songs and Stories is the top kids YouTube channel with 85 million subscribers worldwide (as of August 2021).
Smart Study produces and distributes online and offline content for children such as educational games and animation. Pinkfong is a kids’ brand specializing in short animated videos for preschoolers. More than 5,000 Pinkfong videos with colourful visuals and catchy songs are available on a variety of channels including Pinkfong mobile apps, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon video and other OTT channels, as well as linear TV across the globe.
25) Sopp Studio
SOPP, established in 2011 in Seoul, has been working on various character designs and toy development as well as its own original IP projects. The studio’s Golden Panda, the SF is about the adventures of three kid musketeers and three robots and Galatic Pantz is about two robot brothers fighting.
26) Studio Aragon
Studio Aragon is a creative production company, executive producer and animation studio in 2D and 3D.
Studio Aragon develops, produces, co-produces and oversees the entire production pipeline partnering with world class, director, writers, and producers. Founded by 20 year veteran of animation production and co-production with an in-house creative team that has more than 40 years combined experience, Studio Aragon, prides themselves in producing high quality animation for clients as in Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon, Rai, Cartoon Network to mention a few. 2021 Creative service for pre-production for HBO max.
27) Studio Gale
Studio Gale is one of the leading 3D animation studios specializing in creating and producing global animation based in South Korea. Tish Tash is the first Korean creative animation to be broadcasted on BBC, UK. Grami’s Circus Show has been credited for its value on the international stage winning Best TV Series for Teens at Cartoons on the Bay as well as being nominated at Annecy International Animation Festival.
Journey of Long won the grand prize for Best Character at SPP. Featured animation project Millionaire Woody was pitched at Cartoon Movie and our newest animation, Tomoncar is the first animation series in Asia to be produced using Unity.
28) Studio TNT
STUDIO TNT specializes in animation planning and production. Their goal is to create unique content targeted at the ever-changing market by focusing on enjoyable themes that make an impact with devastating effect. The studio produces animations using Toonboom Harmony and Adobe Animate.
29) Studio Vandal
Studio Vandal Co., Ltd. is a creative animation production studio, which was established in 2009 for the development of the animation cultural industry in Busan region. They have made outstanding progress in producing domestic animation such as The Little Stone Dodo, The Alien Family JollyPolly and YooHoo and Friends. They have expanded their business field by using animation characters for manufacturing dolls, activity toys, fashion clothing, opening musical plays, gallery and many more. Studio Vandal Co., Ltd. is the leading company of the animation industry in Busan.
30) Studio W.Baba
Studio W.Baba is a creative animation studio. Their services include developing content / 3D animation production and consulting. With a variety of animation content since its first broadcast on KBS in 2013, it has expanded its business scope by producing works such as Mask Masters, Hello Carbot, Magic Adventures, Space Bug and others. Recently, the studio has expanded to short-form animation.
31) Sunwoo & Company
Celebrating over 45 years in the industry, Sunwoo & Company is one of the most recognized family entertainment companies in Korea. Renowned as an established Netflix Original Animation Studio, they develop and produce top quality content for the global market.
Sunwoo & Company also represents and manages some of the most recognized entertainment and lifestyle brands in the world, linking them with high quality products and services through integrated licensing programs.
32) Taktoon Enterprise
Taktoon Enterprise plans, creates, and produces animation content aimed at a global audience.
Taktoon Enterprise has produced its production to include TV animation series, animated shorts, and commercials in conjunction with the character animation lab of the GSAIM, Chung-Ang University. Taktoon Enterprise has produced the stop-motion animation series GALAXY KIDS season one and two and 2D digital animation series The Forks with Spiky Hands. Also, Taktoon Enterprise has finished production for the stop motion animation series Teenie Scouts Big Five and the 2D animation series The Curious World of Linda.
The company is producing the 2D animation series Boo Boo Man with CJ E&M, EBS, SBA.
33) TOBEIT GLOBAL
The key members of TOBEIT CORP. have more than 15 years of experience in their specialized fields.
They have the expertise to successfully develop and operate game, character, and content businesses. They aim for global success with competitive content featuring extraordinary ideas, combined with know-how and marketing skill. The core strategy of the content developed by TOBEIT CORP. is ‘friendship, fun and emotion’. The studio’s goal is global content which will reach the emotions of viewers and communicate positive messages in our lives through ‘fun’. They aim to secure exclusive rights to the animation for Hanniand the Wild Woods, a specialized character that has been developed and invested in for over 15 years, for global licensing by MINAH EOM, the original copyright holder and Tobeit Corp CEO.
34) You Need Character
You Need Character is a character creation and animation production company, established in 2017. From the initial launch of the business, they aimed to approach the global market.
The first animation work Cricket Pang is currently being aired in India, Korea, Canada, and Europe on TV and other digital platforms. Further, the next upcoming work Bong Bong Guardian is scheduled to be completed within 2022, which will carry out various business projects internationally.
The studio wishes to have strong partnerships with good companies and share the bright vision with promising IPs.