Miraculous Corp. signs six new US licensing deals 

Chocolates, skincare and haircuts, très chic! Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir is set to make a splash through the end of 2026 with half a dozen licensing deals. The partnerships cover Miraculous-themed yogurt (Sweet Frog, pictured) at 250 locations from May to June; skincare products (Pipa) from June to August; in-store arts and crafts activations in stores (Color Me Mine) in September; confectionary products (Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory) from September to October; haircuts and in-salon themed experiences (Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids) in October and November; and crêpes (Crêpe Delicious) during the holiday season. 

Netflix renews family-friendly Stranger Things: Tales from ’85

The streamer didn’t wait long before booking another trip back to Hawkins, renewing its animated kids & family version of Stranger Things not even a week after its premiere on April 23. The CG-animated series (10 eps in season one) takes place between the second and third seasons of the original Stranger Things, with the kids solving a mystery that’s plaguing their town. The series hit number seven in the Netflix Global top 10 list following its debut. The entire Stranger Things series has reached 1.5 billion views across five seasons. 

In other Netflix news, the streamer inked its first deal with stationery company STABILO International to release a KPop Demon Hunters range, globally, sometime this year. 

Toon2Tango and ZDF Studios start production on Niko series

With three films under his harness, the flying reindeer Niko will now star in a series, with Toon2Tango, ZDF Studios and 20 Pictures to Midnight starting production on the 52-episode CG-animated show. The series will tell new stories about the young reindeer. ZDF is already signed on to air the show, and ZDF Studios is handling international distribution. The brand’s three films have reached a combined audience of more than 1.9 million admissions in German theaters, according to Toon2Tango. 

Neon picks up North American rights to Bong Joon Ho’s Ally 

The distributor will release the South Korean auteur’s first kid-friendly and animated feature film in North America in 2027. The movie focuses on a small piglet squid (yes, that’s a real animal) whose dreams of starring in a wildlife documentary are disrupted when a sunken aircraft brings real danger to marine life. CJ ENM, Penture Invest and Pathé financed and are distributing the film, with Seoul prodco Barunson C&C producing. Bong Joon Ho is the director behind acclaimed films such as Parasite and Okja (also about an animal). 

Onassis Foundation and TEAM roll out Live from Mount Olympus podcast’s final season

The tweens and family podcast that retells the story of Greek myths is set to launch its final season through May and June, with PRX distributing it to all major podcast platforms. Listeners have already downloaded the series more than two million times, according to a release. The upcoming season seven will focus on the twin gods Apollo and Artemis, and feature original music. The Onassis Foundation, an education-focused org, co-produces the podcast with Brooklyn-based theater ensemble The TEAM. (The series won Best Podcast (Kids) at the most recent Kidscreen Awards).