France’s Mediawan has acquired a majority stake in Amsterdam-based Submarine, which owns one of the country’s largest animation studios and produces films and TV shows for both children and adults. 

Submarine’s kids library includes Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood (pictured), a coming-of-age film that launched on Netflix last year; and in-development projects like 2D-animated series Pol The Pirate Mouse and Max, a preschool book adaptation that was presented at Cartoon Forum 2022.

In a release, Mediawan said its goals with this acquisition are to strengthen its presence internationally, diversify its production capacities, and tap into Submarine’s experience working on international co-pros. 

Animation continues to be a focus for international M&A activity. Last week, Spanish animation shop Mondo TV Studios was snapped up by the country’s third-largest broadcaster, Squirrel Media.