Mediawan Kids & Family

Last updated
Mediawan Kids & Family
Formerly
  • ON Entertainment (2014–2018)
  • ON Kids & Family (2018–2022)
Company type Division
Industry Animation
FoundedJanuary 16, 2014;11 years ago (2014-01-16)
Founder
  • Aton Soumache
  • Dimitri Rassam
Headquarters
Paris
,
France
Key people
Julien Borde (president)
Parent Mediawan (2018–present)
Divisions
  • Mediawan Kids & Family Cinema
  • Mediawan Kids & Family Distribution
  • Mediawan Kids & Family Licensing
Subsidiaries
  • Elliott Studio
  • Method Animation
  • Palomar Animation
  • Somewhere Animation
  • Submarine
  • Wildseed Studios
Website mediawankidsandfamily.com

Mediawan Kids & Family (formerly known as ON Entertainment and ON Kids & Family) is the children's production and distribution division of French media conglomerate Mediawan that produces & distributes premium children's and family content globally. It is a European leader in animation, creating premium TV shows, films, and digital content through several production labels mainly and partnerships. premium children's television series, digital content and feature films.

Contents

History

Mediawan Kids & Family was established as a film & television production company called ON Entertainment on January 16, 2014, when Aton Soumache decided to merge its animation production company Method Animation alongside its feature animation subsidiary Onyx Films (including its post-production & CGI feature studio Onyx Lux) with Dimitri Rassam's live-action film production outfit Chapter 2 to launch new leading film & television production group named ON Entertainment with the new company launching its focus on producing content as Method Animation including its feature film subsidiary Onyx Films and film production company Chapter 2 became labels of the new production and audiovisual group with the former became ON's animation label through the ON Kids & Family division with Method's feature film subsidiary Onyx Films moved from the former to become ON's animated feature film division alongside live-action film production house Chapter 2 which became ON's live-action film production label. [1] [2] [3]

In September 2016 one year before Mediawan's acquisition of ON Entertainment, ON Entertainment expanded its animation production operations into North America as the entertainment production company had established an in-house North American animation studio outside of France called ON Animation Studios Montréal. The new studio will based in Montréal, Canada and would increase ON's animated feature film production. [4] [5]

Acqusition by Mediawan and restructuring

In December 2017, Mediawan announced they were in exclusive talks to acquiring a majority stake of Paris-based entertainment & animation production group ON Entertainment who owns live-action film production house Chapter 2 and its animation label Method Animation under the ON Kids & Family division alongside their feature film division ON Animation Studios, their post-production & CGI feature studio Onyx Lux and their Montreal-based feature animation production studio for about €50 million in order for them to enter the animation and feature film businesses. [6] [7] [8] Ayear later in June 2018, Mediawan completed its acquisition of a majority stake in ON Entertainment alongside its animation studios Method Animation and ON Animation Studios & the latter's live-action production unit Chapter 2, the acquisition marked Mediawan's first entry into the animation market and gave Mediawan their own animation studio. Following its completion of Mediawan's acquisition of ON Entertainment, Mediawan restructured its operations into four groups and rebranded ON Entertainment as their children's subsidiary renamed to ON Kids & Family after ON's division with Chapter 2 moved into Mediawan's feature film production division. [9]

In April 2019 one year after Mediawan brought Paris-based production group ON Entertainment in June 2018, Mediawan alongside its children's subsidiary ON Kids & Family formed a partnership with world-known French author and illustrator Joann Sfar to adapt his works into film and television with Mediawan and its subsidiary ON Kids & Family's acquisition of a majority stake in Joann Sfar's animation production company Nice Pictures, marking ON Kids & Family's first acquisition and placed it under the latter subsidiary & would undergo a major rebranding and a state of series and movies. [10] [11]

In June 2020 following ON Kids & Family's acquisition of Joann Sfar's Paris-based production outfit Nice Pictures one year prior in June 2019 and whilst during the online Annecy Animation Film Festival, ON Kids & Family had rebranded its Paris-based production subsidiary Nice Pictures as their mini-studio, renaming it to Magical Society with Veteran animation producer, founder of Method Animation founder and ON Kids & Family co-founder Aton Soumache joining the rebranded production unit as renowned comic book artist & filmmaker Joann Sfar continued heading the rebranded production company with the release of its first movie based on Sfar's comic book series Little Vampire . [12]

Mediawan had brought all of their kids and family activities and ramping up their youth entertainment content byy rebranding their subsidiary ON Kids & Family and reformatting it as their own children's division through the Mediawan name rebranded it to Mediawan Kids & Family effectively retiring the ON name after seven years with their animation production labels Method Animation, Magical Society, ON Animation Studios and ON Classics being placed under the newly renamed division with the latter two retaining the ON name. Mediawan also announced that they had launched two new production labels which was traditional animation production studio Somewhere Animation and live-action studio Elliott Studio which would be part of the division, along with Mediawan Kids & Family launching their own distribution label called Mediawan Kids & Family Distribution which will handle all of their live action and animated programmes along with third-party programmes. [13] [14] [15]

In February 2023 following the rebranding of Mediawan's childrens production subsidiary-turned division ON Kids & Family to Mediawan Kids & Family, Mediawan Kids & Family entered the British film & television production operations as they had acquired a majority stake in Bristol-based British scripted and animation production company Wildseed Studios, making it Mediawan Kids & Family's first international acquisition with Wildseed Studios became a production label within Mediawan Kids & Family. [16] Two months later in April 2023, Mediawan Kids & Family alongside its parent Mediawan via its film production division Mediawan Pictures had brought Amsterdam-based Dutch independent film & television production company and animation production studio Submarine, marking Mediawan Kids & Family's second expansion this time into the Netherlands as Submarine became its Dutch production label under Mediawan Kids & Family. [17] [18] [19]

In March 2025 when Mediawan Kids & Family's parent Mediawan merged with German production and distribution company Leonine Studios, Mediawan Kids & Family enterted a stragic partnership with Toon2Tango the animation subsidiary of Mediawan-owned German production and distribution company Leonine Studios via its animation division Leonine Animation Studios to interrogate distribution of Toon2Tango's content portfolio into Mediawan Kids & Family's own distribution division Mediawan Kids & Family Distribution with Toon2Tango's future productions will now be distributed under Mediawan Kids & Family distribution services. [20]

Labels

Wildseed Studios

Wildseed Studios is a British film and television production subsidiary of Mediawan Kids & Family based in Bristol that specializes in live-action and animated films and shows. It was founded in April 2013 when former Aardman Animations head of broadcast Miles Bullough stepped own at and former BBC creative executive Jesse Cleverly teamed up to launch a new British production studio to produce series for online platforms. [21]

On October 11 2016, Wildseed Studios launched a new digital feature-length production studio called Wildseed Movies that would develop and produce microbuster feature films for online platforms with British film & television studio Pinewood Studios financially supporting Wildseed Studios' digital feature-length production division. [22]

Filmography
TitleYearsNetworkNotes
Counterfeit Cat 2016–2017 Disney XD
Teletoon (Canada)		co-production with Tricon Kids & Family
PrankMe [23] 2017 Fullscreen
Dodo [24] 2021–present Sky Kids co-production with Cake Entertainment, Telegael, Toonz Media Group and Ingenious Media
The Last Bus [25] 2022 Netflix
Ama's Story [26] 2023Sky Kids
The Magic Roundabout [27] TBATBAco-production with Method Animation and Magic!
Collide-Oscope [27] TBATBA
Tuff Pom [28] TBA CBBC [29]
France 4 (France)		co-production with Method Animation

References

  1. ↑ Hopewell, John; Keslassy, Elsa (January 16, 2014). "Soumache, Rassam Launch ON Entertainment". Variety. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  2. ↑ Dickson, Jeremy (January 21, 2014). "Method, Onyx and Chapter 2 form On Entertainment". Kidscreen. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  3. ↑ Wolfe, Jennier (January 21, 2014). "Method Animation, Onyx and Chapter 2 form On Entertainment". Animation World Network. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  4. ↑ Milligan, Mercades (September 16, 2016). "ON Ent. Opens North American Studio in Montreal". Animation Magazine. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  5. ↑ "ON Entertainment Opens North American Animation Studio in Montréal". Animation World Network. September 16, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  6. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (December 17, 2017). "Mediawan Closes In on Acquisition of Dimitri Rassam's ON Kids & Family". Variety. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  7. ↑ Foster, Elizabeth (December 18, 2017). "Mediawan to acquire majority stake in ON kids & family". Kidscreen. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  8. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (December 18, 2017). "Content Platform Mediawan Eyes Buy of 'Little Prince' Studio ON". Animation Magazine. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Mediawan Announces the Finalization of the Acquisition of ON Entertainment and Preparations for the Group's New Operational Organization". Business Wire. June 7, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Group Mediawan: ON Kids & Family Partners with Joann Sfar in Order to Develop His Universes across All Screens". Business Wire. April 8, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  11. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (June 9, 2019). "On Entertainment Teams with Joann Sfar on 'Little Prince"s Live Action/CGI Mini-Movies (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  12. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (June 15, 2020). "Aton Soumache, Joann Sfar Build Mini-Studio With Magical Society (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 19, 2024.
  13. ↑ Brzoznowski, Kirstin (June 13, 2022). "Mediawan Forms Kids & Family Unit". Worldscreen. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  14. ↑ Kaminska, Karolina (June 13, 2022). "France's Mediawan combines kids and family interests into single division". C21Media. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  15. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (June 2, 2022). "'Little Prince' Producer Mediawan Bows Youth Entertainment Division, Mediawan Kids & Family (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  16. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (February 7, 2023). "'The Last Bus' U.K. Producer Wildseed Studios Joins Mediawan Kids & Family in First International Acquisition (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  17. ↑ Bharanidharan, Sadhana (April 17, 2023). "Mediawan buys a majority stake in Submarine". Kidscreen. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  18. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (April 17, 2023). "Mediawan Buys Majority Stake in 'Undone' Producer Submarine". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  19. ↑ Alexa, Laurén (April 18, 2023). "Mediawan Pictures Acquires 'Undone' Producer Submarine". Animation World Network. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  20. ↑ Kaminska, Karolina (March 11, 2025). "Mediawan Kids & Family adds German studio Toon2Tango's shows to its sales catalogue". C21Media. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Team — Wildseed Studios". Wildseed Studios.
  22. ↑ Franks, Nico (October 11, 2016). "Wildseed launches new studio". C21Media.
  23. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (June 1, 2017). "'Girl Meets World's Corey Fogelmanis To Topline Fullscreen Series 'PrankMe'". Deadline Hollywood.
  24. ↑ Tuchow, Ryan (April 9, 2021). "Deals of the Week: NHK, Sky Kids, Planeta". Kidscreen. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Netflix boards The Last Bus from Wildseed Studios". Televisual. August 11, 2020.
  26. ↑ Alberge, Dalya (February 19, 2023). "Black British family wins commission to make show for Sky Kids". The Guardian. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  27. 1 2 Goodfellow, Melanie (June 10, 2025). "Mediawan Kids & Family Unveils 'The Magic Roundabout' Reboot & Paul Whitehouse's 'Collide-Oscope'; Digital First YouTube Shows 'Claynosaurz' & 'Wadoo' – Annecy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
  28. ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (June 19, 2024). "Mediawan Kids Announces 'Tales of Miruu,' 'Astroboy,' 'Tuff Pom' & More". Animation Magazine. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  29. ↑ Campbell, Kambole (October 6, 2025). "Market Vision Quests: European Animation Execs Reflect on the State of the Industry & Fall Content Markets". Animation Magazine.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.