Shows and films based on Winnie the Pooh are headed to Amazon, but Disney is not involved. Deadline reports the new projects are part of an ambitious plan by Kartoon Studios. The Amazon rollout will begin with an animated holiday movie, followed by five holiday specials and 104 episodes of a series. The rollout plan is four years via the subscription kids network Kartoon Channel, which is distributed through Prime Video Channels.
Kartoon Studios initiated the plan two years ago. In conjunction with the film and television projects, they are also prepping a major merchandising push. Their retail distribution partner is currently Alliance Entertainment, with plans to sell the merchandise globally.
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“Capitalizing on the enormous equity inherent in A.A. Milne’s Winnie-The-Pooh, the unique designs and storytelling, as well as the production efficiency by harnessing AI, Kartoon Studios’ new iteration of the timeless brand will have an exceptional array of attributes that we believe can lead to extraordinary profitability for the company,” Kartoon Studios Chairman and CEO Andy Heyward said in a statement.
Pre-production on the holiday film, A Hundred Acre Christmas, has already begun. The film is set to premiere on the streamer Christmas 2025. Other series and films will be released at a later date.
Kartoon’s Winnie-the-Pooh will be based on the designs and stories of A.A. Milne’s original character. The first collection of books debuted in 1926, but the character was introduced a year earlier for London’s Evening News for a Christmas Eve story.
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Promotional art for 'The Grinch' (Credit: Universal Pictures)
