Apple said it reached a multi-year deal with Skydance Animation, which will produce kids and family TV series and movies for Apple TV Plus.
The deal includes the animated feature films Luck and Spellbound, and a two-season order for the series The Search for WondLA.
Kids programming has been an important battle ground for streaming services. Apple TV Plus already streams The Snoopy Show and Sesame Street Workshop’s Helpsters. Upcoming are Fraggle Rock and Harriet the Spy from the Jim Henson Co. and a new series based on the stories and illustrations of Maurice Sendak.
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The Search for WondLA is based on the book series by Tony DiTerlizzi. The Apple original series will be written and executive produced by showrunner Lauren Montgomery, with Chad Quant, DiTerlizzi and Gotham Group also serving as executive producers.
Directed by Peggy Holmes and written by Kiel Murray, Luck centers around the unluckiest girl in the world, who after stumbling upon the never-before-seen world of good and bad luck, must join together with magical creatures to uncover a force more powerful than even luck itself.
Spellbound is a new animated musical that follows a young girl who sets out to break the spell that has divided her kingdom in two. It is directed by Vicky Jenson and written by Lauren Hynek, Elizabeth Martin and Linda Woolverton. The original score for the film is by Academy Award-winner Alan Menken, with lyrics by Glenn Slater.
Skydance Animation is a division of David Ellison’s Skydance Media which is run by John Lasseter and Holly Edwards. Ellison and Lasseter will serve as producers on all feature films and executive producers on series.
