NELVANA SECURES MAGNIFICENT DISTRIBUTION DEALS FOR HIGHLY ANTICIPATED PRESCHOOL SERIES MILLIE MAGNIFICENT
October 5, 2023
Nelvana Announces Broadcast Partners Canal+ in France and Treehouse in Canada for New Animated Series Millie Magnificent
Kids Can Press Expands Ashley Spires’ Most Magnificent Franchise with New A to Z Book and Make That Most Magnificent Thing Board Game from Fat Brain Toys
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For Immediate Release
TORONTO, October 5, 2023 – Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana, a world-leading international producer, distributor and licensor of children’s animated and live action content, announces two new distribution partners for its new 3D animated original series Millie Magnificent (52×11) to Canal+ in France and Treehouse in Canada. With deliveries starting early 2024, the endearing preschool series will be prominently featured by Nelvana at MIPCOM this fall. Kids Can Press, Corus Entertainment’s award-winning, internationally acclaimed children’s book publisher, has further expanded the Most Magnificent franchise with the new book The Most Magnificent Maker’s A to Z and the Make That Most Magnificent Thing board game, produced in collaboration with Fat Brain Toys, both launching this fall.
“It’s been quite the magnificent journey with our Millie! What started as a fun and relatable children’s book about the creative process quickly turned into a best-selling franchise, an award-winning short film and now a highly anticipated TV series, as well as an interactive board game that encourages creativity, critical thinking and STEM learning,” said Mellany Welsh, VP of Nelvana Enterprises and Kids Can Press. “The new animated series is a celebration of the creative process featuring Millie’s notorious ‘brain spark’ moments and learning through trial-and-error. We have had tremendous feedback from partners and are excited to share all the magnificent updates since we announced the series greenlight last spring.”
Inspired by the best-selling book by Ashley Spires and based on Nelvana’s award-winning short film The Most Magnificent Thing, Millie Magnificent fosters creativity and imaginative thinking for preschoolers around the world by actively promoting critical thinking, problem solving and the valuable process of trial-and-error. Through engaging storytelling, characters dive into relatable issues centered around community and home life while addressing the challenges of navigating complex and big emotions in a way that resonates with children.
“Millie Magnificent is an endearing and imaginative series that weaves together key themes of innovation, helping others, environmental consciousness, and empowering yourself to reach your full potential” said Geraldine Soto, Head of Acquisitions & Prebuys – Kids Content at Canal +. “Millie is a strong, curious and resourceful heroine who loves to create, recreate and innovate, and overcomes obstacles. We are proud to have joined the ‘Magnificent’ team so early on, and are delighted Millie and her Creato-Crew will soon be joining the team of Canal+ heroes.”
The latest installment in the immensely popular book series from the British Columbia-based author-illustrator arrived in bookstores in September and is a delightful twist on the traditional vocabulary book. The Most Magnificent Maker’s A to Z features the beloved characters from The Most Magnificent Thing as they take readers from A to Z, defining all the words they need to know about making. The new book follows the success of The Most Magnificent Thing and The Most Magnificent Idea, which combined have sales in excess of 925,000 copies.
The franchise has also expanded into the toy market, with a licensed board game to be released this month from Fat Brain Toys.
“I am a big fan of Ashley Spires’ book The Most Magnificent Thing, having read it many times to my daughters, and I could see how closely the elements of the story fit with a board game concept we were working on,” said Adam Hocherman, SVP of Product Development & Innovation at Fat Brain Toys. “We approached Kids Can Press about collaborating, and it moved along quickly. KCP and Ashley were a joy to work with.”
Make That Most Magnificent Thing encourages creativity and open-ended thinking. Players draw a prompt card and build something magnificent using the 200 odds-and-ends game pieces before the timer is up. Each player then explains why their invention is the most magnificent, before being awarded an appropriate badge by fellow players acknowledging their creation. The new board game is available at Indigo this October and Barnes & Noble next spring.
For broadcast and licensing opportunities, email nelvana.distribution@corusent.com or visit us at MIPCOM.
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About Nelvana:
Entertaining kids for over 50 years, Nelvana is a world-leading international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live-action content. Nelvana produces a stable of award-winning and globally renowned brands that focus on comedies, preschool and action series, and ancillary consumer products programs. Nelvana’s content airs on Corus Entertainment’s kids channels in Canada and in over 180 countries around the world. The Nelvana library has well over 5,000 episodes of programming and has received over 70 major international program awards including Emmys® and Canadian Screen Awards. Visit the Nelvana website at nelvana.com.
About Kids Can Press:
Kids Can Press, part of the Corus Entertainment family, is celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2023. A recipient of the distinguished Bologna Prize for the Best Children’s Publisher, North America, Kids Can Press is known for its acclaimed literary picture books, character-driven franchises with global and crossover appeal and award-winning STEM– and social issues–based nonfiction. The publisher’s catalog includes over 700 titles for children and young adults, with translation and licensing rights sold around the world. Kids Can Press is distributed globally by Hachette Client Services and is a proud signatory of the United Nations Publishers Compact. For more on our books and creators visit kidscanpress.com.
About Ashley Spires:
Ashley Spires has written and illustrated dozens of books for children, most notably the bestselling The Most Magnificent Thing, which, combined with its recent follow-ups The Most Magnificent Idea and The Most Magnficent Maker’s A to Z, have sold close to a million copies. Her Binky Adventure graphic novels inspired the award-winning Nelvana series Agent Binky. Ashley lives in British Columbia with her beloved cats and a revolving door of foster kittens.
About Corus Entertainment Inc.:
Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that develops and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. Engaging audiences since 1999, the company’s portfolio of multimedia offerings encompass 33 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, digital and streaming platforms, and technology and media services. Corus is an internationally-renowned content creator and distributor through Nelvana, a world class animation studio expert in all formats and Corus Studios, a globally recognized producer of hit scripted and unscripted content. The company also owns full-service social digital agency so.da, lifestyle entertainment company Kin Canada, and children’s book publishing house, Kids Can Press. Corus’ roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, Magnolia Network Canada, The HISTORY® Channel, Showcase, Adult Swim, National Geographic, Disney Channel Canada, YTV, Global News, Globalnews.ca, Q107, Country 105, and CFOX, along with streaming platforms STACKTV, TELETOON+, the Global TV App and Curiouscast. Corus is the domestic advertising representative and an original content partner for Pluto TV, a Paramount Company, which is the leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service. For more information visit www.corusent.com.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Brittany Bell, Associate Publicist
Corus Entertainment
416.479.3384
brittany.bell@corusent.com
Stacey Grimshaw, Senior Publicity Manager
Corus Entertainment
416.479.6082
stacey.grimshaw@corusent.com
