Kartoon Studios is going all in on iconic publishing brand Winnie-the-Pooh, which entered the realm of public domain when it turned 100 in January 2022. The studio plans to produce a 140-episode series, several festive specials and a holiday movie, and it has already lined up Alliance Entertainment to distribute a range of merchandise to its network of retail partners in the US. 

Cash-flowing this ambitious plan is US$30 million in investment capital that a subsidiary of Catalyst Venture Partners has channeled into Kartoon to finance production. Catalyst will not have an ownership stake in Kartoon, but both companies will share the revenue derived from the content created under this special-purpose joint-venture. Senior MD Steven Horowitz says Catalyst made the investment because it sees potential in adapting a proven classic brand into original animation and consumer products.  

Winnie-the-Pooh has generated more than US$80 billion in sales over the last four decades and is estimated to still make upwards of US$3 billion a year for Disney, according to a release. Kartoon’s take on the IP will give the character a new look that can be copyright-protected. 

Pre-production is already underway on an animated holiday movie that will make its streaming debut on December 24, 2025. The plan is to launch all of the content on Kartoon Channel!, the company’s US$3.99 monthly subscription service that’s available through Amazon Prime Video. When the movie premieres, Alliance will start distributing a range of licensed consumer products that Kartoon is seeking manufacturing partners for now. 

Kartoon isn’t the first studio to hitch its wagon to Winnie-the-Pooh since its ownership status changed. Baboon Animation is working on a 52 x 11-minute series and live-action/CG-animated film that will tell a prequel story about Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends. Its approach seems to be gathering steam, with LA-based audio company GoKidGo putting in an order for Baboon to also develop a preschool podcast called Stories from Pooh Corner. (And outside of the kids space, low-budget horror film Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023) and its 2024 sequel have collectively made more than US$12 million at the global box office.)