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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.

The eagle — or at least some form of “Angry Birds” — will be landing on Netflix in 2021.

Netflix will release “Angry Birds: Summer Madness,” the popular franchise’s first long-form television series, next year, though a specific release date hasn’t been determined. Each installment of the 40-episode series will run for 11 minutes and maintain the family-friendly humor and tone of the franchise’s films, while still boasting its own style.

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Per Netflix, “Angry Birds: Summer Madness” will follow Red, Bomb, and Chuck, as well as a cast of brand new feathered friends, as tween birds at summer camp under the questionable guidance of their counselor Mighty Eagle. Explosive antics, improbable pranks, and crazy summertime adventures see...

A new “Angry Birds” TV series is being hatched and will take the game-inspired bird-throwing franchise into longform territory for the first time. The new show will be aimed at 6-to-12 year-olds and is slated to launch in 2020.

Finnish firm Rovio, which owns the “Angry Birds” property, has tapped London-based producer and distributor Cake to make the new show. The producers have not said how many episodes there will be or how long each installment will run, but the new series will be the first fully-fledged longform show based on the property. Development is underway.

The deal builds on Rovio’s existing relationship with Cake, which sells its TV shows internationally. The current TV and digital lineup includes the original 2D “Angry Birds Toons” series, and spin-offs “Angry Birds Blues” and “Piggy Tales,” which featured characters from the “The Angry Birds Movie.” The picture grossed over $352 million at the global...

Following in the steps of Bad Piggies and Angry Birds Go!, Rovio has announced another spin-off of their wildly popular Angry Birds franchise entitled Angry Birds Stella.

This announcement encompasses more than just another game though, as the company revealed that they are already working on an animated series based around the spin-off. Rovio has previously partnered with animation studio Kombo in order to release both Angry Birds Toons and an upcoming series based around Bad Piggies.

Centring around the titular pink bird and her new set of feathered friends, Stella will focus on bringing messages of “inspiration, empowerment and other real issues” to its intended audience. The Finnish developer has also revealed that this new project will delve further into the world of the franchise and into parts we have never seen before.

Rovio Entertainment CEO Mikael Hed elaborated a little more on what Angry Birds Stella will bring...

Rovio Entertainment announced today that Fergal Reilly and Clay Kaytis will direct Angry Birds, the upcoming 3D CG-animated film based on Rovio’s bestselling app. The film is being produced by John Cohen and Catherine Winder and executive produced by David Maisel; the screenplay is by Jon Vitti. The movie is slated for a July 1, 2016 release and will be distributed worldwide by Sony Pictures.

Reilly and Kaytis are both animation veterans, making their directorial debuts with Angry Birds. Kaytis began his career as an animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios. In his 19 years at Disney, he served as animation supervisor of Tangled and the follow-up short, Tangled Ever After. He also conceived and oversaw the end credits sequence of Wreck-It Ralph and animated on that film; in addition, he was the supervising animator of the character Rhino in Bolt. Kaytis also animated on the upcoming film Frozen and the Oscar®-winning short,...