Xilam Animation’s Mr Magoo to Break Into the US
DreamWorks Animation’s Classic Media takes exclusive US TV, home video and VOD rights.
Award-winning French animation studio Xilam Animation has secured a deal with DreamWorks Animation’s Classic Media for its hilarious new animated series, Mr Magoo based on the hugely successful classic cartoon of the same name. DreamWorks has exclusively picked up all US TV, home video and VOD rights to season one (78 x 7’). Mr Magoo will then be available from 17/01/2020 on CBS All Access streaming service.
Marc du Pontavice at Xilam Animation said: “Since debuting in fall 2018, Mr Magoo has drawn strong ratings and captured the hearts of kids and their families around the world. The original version of Mr Magoo was first created in the US so we’re delighted DreamWorks has now come on board to introduce local audiences to our fresh take on this wonderfully candid and optimistic character, back where it all began 70 years ago.”
Originally commissioned by France Télévisions, Mr Magoo currently airs on Turner’s Boomerang channel in France, Africa, the Middle East, Israel, Turkey and Nordics, Cartoon Network (Asia), Discovery Kids (Latin America), Super RTL (Germany), VRT and RTBF (Belgium), SIC K (Portugal), RTVE (Spain), RTS (Switzerland), CITV (UK), Discovery and DEA Kids (Italy), among other channels.
This latest deal expands Xilam’s US footprint which includes its recently announced Netflix commission for CGI animated preschool series Oggy Oggy, based on the company’s hit global franchise Oggy and the Cockroaches. Netflix also acquired worldwide rights to the studio’s critically acclaimed first adult animated feature I Lost My Body, which launches on 29 November and received the International Critics’ Week Grand Prize at Cannes Film Festival, Cristal for a Feature Film and Audience Award at Annecy and Grand Prize at the Animation is Film Festival. Additionally, Xilam is in production on Disney+ original Chip ‘n’ Dale, which will feature the return of Disney’s much-loved chipmunk troublemakers in a non-verbal, classic style comedy.
About Mr Magoo
In the neighbourhood, everybody loves Mr Magoo – the lively, kind-hearted and cheerful guy always happy to give a helping hand. But beware – he also causes disasters! Without his glasses, he mistakes his surroundings for other places, gets people mixed up, and wreaks havoc everywhere he goes. All his neighbours have kindly adjusted to his uniqueness…except for one: a megalomaniac hamster by the name of Fizz whose sole goal is to have all of humanity recognize his tremendous genius. He’s determined to leave his mark on history, but somehow Magoo always interferes, forever thwarting Fizz’s crazy plans!
Mr Magoo has been adapted by Olivier Jean-Marie and Xilam’s Hugo Gittard from John Hubley’s original series, created in 1949. Hugo Gittard is also showrunner of the new series.