News

TelevisaUnivision is making a major change in its senior leadership ranks, with ad sales chief Donna Speciale to exit, and Tim Natividad set to join the company later this month as its president of ad sales.

TelevisaUnivision CEO Daniel Alegre announced the news to staff Monday morning.

“Over the past several months, Donna and I have been in thoughtful conversation about the future of our business. Together, we agreed that this would be the right time for the next step in the evolution of our ad sales leadership,” he wrote. “Given the importance of our digital future, I am excited to welcome Tim and the unique experience he will bring. Tim has a very deep background in leading large and dynamic ad sales teams, and I know you are going to love the enthusiasm and energy he will bring to the company.”

Natividad was most recently head of U.S.

Looking to IP and the resilient market for live action family fare, Filmax has swooped on kids adventure caper “The Footballest II,” the second big-screen adaptation tapping into the children’s book saga created by Spain’s Roberto Santiago which has sold over 5 million copies in Spain.

“The Footballest and the Mystery of the Pirate Treasure” will be released in Spain by Filmax in the summer of 2025. First-look images of the family film will be shown at next week’s American Film Market in Las Vegas.

To date, the book series has been adapted and published in north of 20 countries, including France, Italy, Portugal, Poland, Greece, The Netherlands, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Algeria, Iran and Turkey, among others.

“The Footballest and the Mystery of the Pirate Treasure” follows up the breakout hit “The Footballest,” adapting Santiago’s story “The Mystery of the Sleeping Referees,” which grossed €3.4 million ($3.8 million) at Spanish cinema theaters,...

Baboon Gets Nuts

Baboon Animation and Tokyo and Los Angeles-based indie studio Custom Nuts are joining forces in a toon development pact that pools the companies’ writing and visual talent.

Custom Nuts founder Silas Hickey developed a number of hit Asian animated series, including “Chhota Bheem,” while serving as senior development director at Turner International, Asia Pacific.

Hickey and fellow Custom Nuts exec Matthew Howison signed the deal with Baboon CEO Mike de Seve at Mipcom.

“Silas and Matthew bring absolute top-class expertise, deep, first-hand experience in IPs from countries across Asia, and funny, funny cartoon comedy,” said de Seve.

“There are no better writers anywhere than Baboon,” added Hickey.

Baboon’s credits include more than 20 series that have been distributed globally, including “Angry Birds Toons,” “Gigantosaurus” and “Pocoyo.” The company boasts 31 Emmys collectively.

“Expect some extremely funny cartoons to come out of this partnership,” said Baboon head of series Joe Vitale.

Iconic Spanish show “Pocoyo,” the Stephen Fry-narrated animation about a little boy in blue, is up for a revamp. The 20-year old brand has been acquired by Animaj, the London and Paris-based kids’ media company recently co-founded by former Google and YouTube’s senior executive Gregory Dray (pictured).

Since launching in May 2022, Animaj has raised €100m (in equity and debt), with major investors including U.S. fund Left Lane Capital, and European Vc funds Daphni and X-Ange. The company’s mandate is to acquire international IPs with potential and turn them into global franchises.

“Pocoyo” is already available across free and pay TV, VOD, mobile apps, and games, as well as a massive following on YouTube with more than 40 million subscribers. The show itself is available in 17 different languages with a voice cast that includes Stephen Hugues and José María del Río, as well as Fry. “Pocoyo’s” critical...

The Canary Islands are attracting illustrious animation directors and art directors from France and the Spanish mainland, as local talent is returning and building:

Daniel Albaladejo Robles

Growing up on the island of Tenerife at a time when pursuing a career in animation and film was out of bounds, Albaladejo moved to Madrid to study both subjects at the Madrid Film School. His first jobs were on children’s series “Jelly Jamm,” “Pocoyo” and “The Amazing World of Gumball.” His VFX credits include “Game of Thrones” and “A Monster Calls” at El Ranchito in Madrid. “For the past few years, I have focused on storyboarding or animation, working as a freelancer for various studios, including Las Palmas-based Amuse,” he says. He recently worked on animated docu pic, “Mariposas Negras,” and is now collaborating on a U.K. series under wraps. Amdlf

André Bergs

A Dutch native residing in Spain and...

16 animation productions involving Canary Islands companies either as service studios or production houses. (The Canary island company is featured in brackets)

“200% Wolf,” (3Doubles Producciones)

A 3D animated feature and sequel to “100% Wolf” about Freddy Lupin, the dancing wolf, a teenage heir to a family of wolf hunters. Following a transformation into a dog by an evil sorcerer, Freddy embarks on a quest to reclaim his wolf form. The film sees the return of writer Fin Edquist. The film will be distributed across Australia by Studiocanal, while Studio 100 Film is managing international sales.. The production is currently in the animation phase, with the first lighting shots complete. Produced by Flying Bark Productions.

“Arcane,” (Fortiche España)

An inspirational milestone Netflix series from Fortiche, the first streaming series to win an Animated Emmy, meshing the beauty and texture of hand-painted 2D and the explosive mobility and character design of 3D – and they are really combined,...

Sling Freestream users now have access to a huge array of Spanish-language content, thanks to the addition of Canela.TV. That channel, along with Canela Telenovelas, Canela Deportes, Canela Clasicos and Canela Cinema are all available to stream on Sling Freestream now.

Watch Now $0 / month sling.com

These channels offer entertainment options ranging from Canela Original docu-series “Mi Vida” featuring Latin stars such as William Levy, Danny Trejo, Gaby Espino, Ludwika Paleta, Kate del Castillo, and Roselyn Sánchez; “Secretos de Villanas,” a drama-filled reality series with the most iconic Telenovela villains of all time.

The new additions to Sling Freestream also include live news shows ¡Ponle Canela! and Canela News, featuring up-to-date coverage of the latest entertainment and global news; children’s programming from Canela Kids including the new original series “SúperEllas” to the most well-known hits like “Blippi,” “Cocomelon and Pocoyo;” and the latest in sports - from live Masl...

Spain’s Madrid region is riding the crest of a wave towards becoming one of the most important animation/VFX hubs in Europe.

Taking in the country’s capital, the Madrid region hosts more than 32 of Spain’s active audiovisual companies and around 31 of its animation and VFX firms.

Regional animation and VFX players – structured around Pixel Cluster Madrid – scored last year a net revenue of €72.6 million (72.6 million) and generated 1,855 jobs.

“Animation and video games are strategic sectors within the economy of Madrid,” says Ignacio Carballo, head of audiovisual industries in the Madrid region. “They are elements of the future, dynamizers.”

The region is proving the cradle of high-profile toon productions reaping international recognition, an increasing trend in recent years.

Its importance is proved by several standout moves, often related with animated films:

*With its third instalment, “Tad The Lost Explorer. The Emerald Tablet,” currently dominating Spanish box office, the “Tad” saga,...

Social Impact

Viacom International Studios has launched Vis Social Impact, a new studio division dedicated to developing social impact-driven content focused on topical issues such as climate, equality and health. The division is part of Vis’s larger Content for Change initiative, which was established to counteract racism, bias, stereotypes and hate throughout the company’s culture, creative supply chain and its finished productions.

Georgia Arnold, Vis senior VP of social responsibility will head the new division, reporting directly to Jc Acosta, president of Vis and networks Americas. Arnold brings with her a wealth of experience in large-scale behavior changing and was the co-founder and director of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, which was established to protect young people worldwide against HIV and improve sexual and reproductive health.

The division’s first Social Impact Commission is “Protest & Progress” from photographer and social activist Misan Harriman. A three-part docuseries, the show...

WarnerMedia Kids & Family has released a trailer for Cartoonito’s upcoming preschool block launching this fall on HBO Max and Cartoon Network, as well as the first look at Ellen DeGeneres’ new animated show.

“Little Ellen” is a 2D animated children’s show that “explores the world through the eyes of a hilarious and unpredictable seven-year-old Ellen Degeneres,” according to its description. The series will follow a young Degeneres as she ventures into her vibrant, musical hometown of New Orleans, taking big risks, making mistakes and learning from them. In the sneak peek, which you can view above, Ellen can already be seen starting her antics as she and her friends teach a macaw bird a silly dance.

In addition to “Little Ellen,” a preview of the original CGI-animated show “Lucas the Spider,” based on a viral YouTube clip, was also released on Thursday. It follows the adventures of a young,...

Canary Island studio Koyi Talent has boarded Argentine-Spanish animated series project “GhostBros,” winner of both the Premio Pixelatl and MIFA/Annecy awards at last year’s Ventana Sur. Thanks to the latter, the project is currently pitching virtually at the Annecy Animation Festival’s MIFA marketplace .

In recent years Koyi has been part of a vanguard of production companies which, thanks to industry-leading tax incentives and a disproportionately large local population of creative talent, is enjoying an unprecedented boom in animation production.

Koyi joins series co-developers Yellow Kingdom in Argentina and WeDoo Studio in Spain and will lead animation production for the 52-part series, with WeDoo handling creation and development of the series’ paranormal universe.

Heading Koyi’s work will be Luis Armengol, a 20-year industry veteran and co-producer of the popular Spanish pre-school series “Pocoyó,” available on more than 150 networks worldwide. His first responsibility on “GhostBros” will be to...

Madrid -- Guillermo Garcia Carsi, one of the three authors of pre-school animated series "Pocoyo" is suing Madrid-based producer Zinkia for a greater share of net profits.

According to the suit, the co-author is seeking 10% of license revenues and 2% of broadcast and home video sales, as well as back payments in keeping with these percentages.

Presently, Garcia Carsi is reportedly entitled to 0.5% of the profits from the first season.

Meanwhile, starting Oct. 13, Zinkia will offer €11 million ($15.3 million) worth of three-year bonds, with an annual interest of 9.75%.

MADRID -- London-based rights manager Big Picture Entertainment has inked a deal with Spain's Zinkia Entertainment to handle home entertainment rights here for the award-winning, pre-school series Pocoyo, the Spanish company announced Thursday

Big Picture, which manages brands like Cookie Jar TV series Caillou, will launch the first Pocoyo DVDs this spring.

Co-produced by Zinkia Entertainment and Granada International in association with Granada Kids and Cosgrove Hall, Pocoyo recently won a BAFTA award for best pre-school animation series earned the nod for best TV production at the 2006 Annecy animation festival.

The 3D CGI series, which has attracted strong ratings and critical acclaim on Spain's TVE La 2, tracks the amusing adventures of a little boy with an insatiable curiosity who sets out on a journey of discovery and adventure.