Richard Goldsmith Archives -

Cyber Group Studios to develop new preschool series ‘Press Start!’

Cyber Group Studios, Paris and Los Angeles- based animation producer and distributor, has secured rights to Press Start!, Thomas Flintham’s book series published by Scholastic. Cyber Group Studios will adapt the book phenomenon into an animated TV series of 52 x 11-minute episodes.

Cyber Group Studios will develop and collaborate on this new animated series with Scott Kraft as executive producer. He will adapt the books for television and serve as head writer and story editor. “Press Start! has inspired many young kids to love reading books with its captivating storytelling and art. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with a great team that we have hand-picked to bring this popular book series to screens around the world,” commented Cyber Group Studios USA CEO Richard Goldsmith.

Since its debut in 2017, over 2 million copies of Press Start! have been sold in the United States, and the book series has been listed as a best-seller on the USA Today, Amazon, Publishers Weekly and BookScan lists. Winner of the prestigious Sheffield Children’s Book award, Flintham’s adventurous series of 12 books has truly captured the imagination of a new generation of avid readers with its unique graphic novel- style format.

Flintham added: “Since I was a kid, I’ve been a big fan of books, video games and animation, and I’m so excited that Press Start! is going to expand to cover three of my biggest passions. To see my work being turned into an animation is a childhood dream come true, and Super Rabbit Boy couldn’t be in safer hands than the super talented folks at Cyber Group Studios.”

‘Press Start!’ features an 8-year-old boy, Sunny, who lives in the real world but has the ability to participate side-by-side in the adventures of his hero in the video game world, Super Rabbit Boy, as they save the inhabitants from King Viking and other dastardly 8-bit villains.

Executive producer Scott Kraft said, “Thomas Flintham’s engaging characters and clever, fantastical Press Start! game-world are the perfect launching pad for an endless series of adventures. Super-excited to work with Cyber Group’s incredible artists to build an epic immersive video-game world for Sunny and friends to play in.”

Cyber Group Studios and Soyuzmultfilm have recently joined forces to create the first ever French and Russian label of animated programs Cyber Soyuz Junior, targeting the preschool audience around the world.

Cyber Group Taps NCircle for ‘Gigantosaurus’ home entertainment

Cyber Group Studios has granted NCircle Entertainment the North American home entertainment rights for Gigantosaurus, its CGI-animated series airing on Disney Channel and Disney Junior.

The CGI animated series airs on Disney Channel and Disney Junior. The show is set to land on DVD at Walmart and Target and other retailers beginning January 2020, with content to be made available via electronic sell-through starting next April.

NCircle Entertainment is the latest licensee to join the Gigantosaurus pack, which includes master toy licensee Jakks Pacific and publishing partner Templar Publishing, whose products are now available at retail for holiday 2019. Other series-inspired products heading to retail in 2020 include soft lines introductions from American Marketing Enterprises, Centric Socks LLC, Children’s Apparel Network, and Jay Franco. Cyber Group Studios and Outright Games will also release the first video game inspired by Gigantosaurus next spring. The new game will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

“We’re very excited to be working with NCircle Entertainment to make Gigantosaurus content available on DVD and streaming platforms for fans across North America. NCircle is a leader in its field and an outstanding partner that will help us further develop our consumer products program into a powerhouse in the preschool space,” said Cyber Group Studios USA president and CEO Richard Goldsmith.

Gigantosaurus is based on Jonny Duddle’s bestselling book of the same name. The series will debut worldwide on Disney this year and launch on Netflix in 2020.

Cyber Group Studios secures new soft lines licensees ‘Dino-Mite’ for ‘Gigantosaurus’

Gigantosaurus, the CGI animated preschool series from Cyber Group Studios, airing daily on Disney Channel and Disney Junior, is extending the fun of the hit show to a range of “Dino-Mite” apparel and soft home fashions.

Making their way to retail from spring 2020, there are series-inspired introductions from American Marketing Enterprises (AME), Centric Socks LLC (Centric), Children’s Apparel Network and Jay Franco. These soft lines partners follow on the tail of master toy licensee JAKKS Pacific, whose debut offerings will begin arriving at retail this fall.

Cyber Group Studios USA president and CEO Richard Goldsmith said, “We are thrilled to welcome our first group of soft lines licensees to the Gigantosaurus family, joining JAKKS and our award-winning publishing partner, Templar Publishing. Each of these companies is a recognised market leader in their respective category and work with some of the biggest-name licenses in the business. All are well-suited to help us make a huge impact in the preschool space with Gigantosaurus.”

The upcoming range of apparel and soft home goods will provide kids and families with fresh opportunities to embrace the world of Gigantosaurus. The new offerings for kids aged over three include:

AME – sleepwear
Centric – hosiery
Children’s Apparel Network – tees, hoodies, sportswear
Jay Franco – bedding, bath accessories, beach towels, travel items, and room décor

Gigantosaurus, which is based on Jonny Duddle’s bestselling book of the same name and directed by award-winning director Olivier Lelardoux, stars four fiercely-fun dinosaur friends – Rocky, Bill, Tiny and Mazu – who take preschoolers on exciting, comedy-filled adventures as they dare to be themselves and explore the world beyond their nests.

“We are delighted to have such top-tier licensing partners onboard for Gigantosaurus. We look forward to working with these standout companies to translate this series’ instantly-relatable dinosaur characters, fun-filled adventures and positive messages for preschoolers into an exciting array of offerings that will further strengthen fans’ connection to the popular show,” added Licensing Street LLC partner Jason Korfine.

Gigantosaurus launched on Disney Channel in the U.S. on 18 January 2019, and less than two months later was added to the Disney Junior line-up as well. The series will debut worldwide on Disney this year in most territories and premiere on Netflix in 2020.

Cyber Group Studios USA expands its Los Angeles office with new operations

Cyber Group Studios USA, an animated entertainment company, announced the launch of two new operations, Ira Singerman and Jessica Hogan for its Los Angeles office.

Cyber Group Studios chairman and CEO Pierre Sissmann said, “We established the office in Los Angeles to continue the organic growth of our businesses and to meet our objective of being a truly global company. The new development pipeline was started out of demand for our productions in the region and the direct-to- consumer group to take advantage of new technologies, platforms and consumer preferences.”

Singerman has joined as the vice president of development. He will be responsible for a slate of new television projects and other animated content that will be developed in North America. Along with it, Singerman will use the creative resources of the company’s Paris animation studio. He previously held similar roles with Spin Master Entertainment, NBC Universal Kids and Family and Mattel.

“We are always looking for the next great series for kids, but a major focus of our new development pipeline will be well-known intellectual properties and strategic partnerships with toy companies. Ira has the perfect background to achieve our goals,” commented Cyber Group Studios USA president and CEO Richard Goldsmith.

Hogan is assigned the position of manager of direct-to- consumer. She will oversee the company’s business with platforms reaching consumers directly with video-on- demand content and print-on- demand consumer products as well as a new, branded OTT platform for kids.

“We are really excited to be able to reach kids and parents directly with our library of successful animated series, many of which have never been seen in North America,” stated Goldsmith.

The content development and direct-to- consumer operations are part of the parent company’s overall expansion plans.

Cyber Group Studios’ ‘The Tales of Tatonka’ premieres on CCTV in China

Cyber Group Studios and Pacific Media Group announce that the animated series The Tales of Tatonka by Cyber Group started airing on CCTV in mainland China from 29 March.

Pacific Media Group co-founder Grace Hung commented, “We are proud to partner with Cyber Group to broadcast this amazing and interesting series on CCTV followed by all major Chinese platforms. We know families will find Tatonka exciting, warm and educational.”

The Tales of Tatonka is a 52 x 13 CGI preschool series for five to seven year olds, telling the adventurous stories of four wolf-cubs who grow together as a family in the nature. Their friend Tatonka, the bison helps the young wolves explore their home in the wild along with friends Cinksi the lynx, Poum the bear, Wahi the squirrel and Wambli the eagle.

“It’s our pleasure to present Tatonka to the Chinese audience along with CCTV. We believe the educational theme and well-crafted storyline of this series will be welcomed by parents and kids alike,” said Mango TV director (international content) Rebecca Wang.

Written by Pierre Sissmann and directed by Olivier Lelardoux, The Tales of Tatonka has received multiple awards including Golden Panda nomination in China and Karusel TV’s best kids’ series in Russia. It has also been praised for its environmental themes to inspire children globally.

“It is a great honour for our company and myself as an original author to have The Tales of Tatonka air in China,” said Cyber Group Studios chairman and CEO Pierre Sissmann.

The series combines an animated adventure of eleven minutes and a live action segment entitled The World of Tatonka with real-life scenes depicting animal life in the wild.