New WINNIE-THE-POOH Movies and Shows Being Developed Using AI Coming to Amazon
Kartoon Channel is producing a new series of Winnie-The-Pooh films and TV shows that will be coming to Amazon to viewers who subscribe to Kartoon Channel. These projects will be developed using AI technology.
This ambitious move will launch with an animated holiday movie, A Hundred Acre Christmas, and that will be followed by five holiday specials and 104 episodes of a series rolled out over four years.
Kartoon Studios is also going to launch a big merchandising push through an agreement with nationwide retail distributor Alliance Entertainment and a global consumer products rollout.
Kartoon Studios Chairman and CEO Andy Heyward said in a statement: “Capitalizing on the enormous equity inherent in A.A. Milne’s Winnie-The-Pooh, the unique designs and storytelling, as well as the production efficiency by harnessing AI, Kartoon Studios’ new iteration of the timeless brand will have an exceptional array of attributes that we believe can lead to extraordinary profitability for the company.”
The designs of the projects will be based on the art and stories of A.A. Milne’s original character. Pre-production on A Hundred Acre Christmas has already started and the plan is to release it on December 25, 2025. The other movies and the TV series will follow at later dates.
It’s explained that the "animated content will feature “a ‘yarn-based’ designer and palette for the characters and backgrounds, along with original modern stories inspired by the classic books. Stories will be told in ‘Seussian-style’ rhyme. AI has been used along with human work to develop the look.”
Heyward added: “Disney created an iconic and tremendously successful global brand with Winnie-the-Pooh that we have all admired so much over many decades.
“When the property went into the public domain, we knew we could only undertake creating Pooh for a new generation if we could bring a completely new, different and unique look that was contemporary, protectable, and gave voice to the characters and stories created by A.A. Milne, as has never been done.”
He continued: “At a time when our world can be confusing for children, Pooh is an oasis of goodness, grounded in family, friendship, kindness, and love.
“Those are the exact values our version of Pooh will showcase as we focus on building Kartoon Studios’ Winnie-The-Pooh into a long-term global megabrand, through which the simple and comforting values A.A. Milne originally imagined, will endure forever.”
Steven A. Horowitz, Sr. Managing Director of WTP SPV and Catalyst Venture Partners added: “Being able to participate in a timeless and proven children’s classic such as Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, through the production of original animated content and the licensing of consumer products from those proprietary character designs and stories, is a unique opportunity we are very excited about.”
“Andy Heyward and the team at Kartoon Studios have a long history of producing hit properties for children. An all-star array of award-winning talent across development, production, marketing, consumer products, and distribution has been assembled to manage the brand launch, and we are excited to be a part of what we are confident will be a hugely profitable and enduring business.”
These project sare being funded through a joint venture production funding deal with WTP SPV1, a subsidiary of Catalyst Venture Partners. The $30M agreement is non-dilutive to Kartoon’s existing shareholders, with Catalyst only taking equity stakes in the shows and films.