LA-based banner Moonheart Entertainment is developing a pair of new IPs that it plans to expand into multi-format franchises.

The prodco is working on a CG-animated family feature called New Dog City, which has been billed as a mystery-adventure that takes place in a canine civilization. Producer Derek Frey (Frankenweenie) is on board as a creative collaborator on the project. Moonheart plans to release the film theatrically.

Also in the works is a new game called Virtuous World, which will be geared toward the eight-to-14 set, though Moonheart expects it to appeal to adults as well. While the premise of the game is under wraps, the prodco is teasing it as a “values-led epic adventure” that will adapt to player choices. The company plans to launch the game on PC and mobile before expanding to platforms like PlayStation and Xbox. 

Moonheart hopes to expand both IPs into series, music, live immersive experiences and consumer products, and the team is in talks with various studio partners and developers about the projects. 

To support its ambitious slate, the company has been working with IBM Watson and is banking on what it calls “ethical AI”—particularly in the case of the Virtuous World game. AI won’t be used for storytelling and animation workflows, but instead to “prototype emotionally intelligent character behaviors [and] simulate dynamic interactions” in the game. The company also says it’s using AI to ensure consistency across transmedia formats, by checking scripts, gameplay, localization assets and marketing materials against a database of terms and the rules of the fictional world.

Founded in late 2018, Moonheart operated in stealth before it formally launched in 2022. Since then, the company has been working on a revival of the 1992 environmental animated film FernGully: The Last Rainforest. (Moonheart is a stakeholder in Machine Media, which acquired the rights to the IP in 2018.)

The prodco’s selective approach is about investing in a small number of family-friendly transmedia properties and positioning them to expand across formats spanning film, streaming, gaming and immersive experiences.

Dealing with a smaller number of properties means going “deeper on story, craft, data and distribution” without losing the creative soul of a project, founder and CEO Moonli Singha says. “In today’s youth and family landscape, with fragmented attention, parental scrutiny and a premium on trust, an intentional approach is an essential strategy in a saturated market.” 

Featured image (L-R): Rósa Guðmundsdóttir (chief creative officer), Krystine Beneke (EVP of finance and operations), Moonli Singha (founder and CEO) and Derek Frey.