Studio W.Baba, a South Korean animation production and character design company, is diving into the global content market through international co-production of an animated feature film called Pirate Cat.
Studio W. Baba will be bringing Pirate Cat to MIPCOM for the first time, to introduce this brand new animated feature, along with the animation studio and its other content to potential international partners.
Studio W.Baba is a leader in the industry known for its hit animation series Hello Carbot, a popular, long-running robot action show that the studio has been producing and airing since 2014, as well as other productions such as Mask Masters and Space Bug. Studio W.Baba is also responsible for the web series B Family, the robot battle series Mecard Ball, and many others.
Pirate Cat features 16-year old Max, who dreams of adventuring across the high-seas in search of his long-lost father and some pirate gold, but in the meantime he’s just a shipbuilder. A surprise inheritance of a rather shabby boat changes Max’s life and puts his dreams within reach. Accompanied by his ramshackle crew of friends, most of whom have never been at sea before, Max sets sail. Their maiden voyage immediately hits trouble, for as soon as they leave harbour they are chased by pirates into sea-god Triton’s forbidden territory. Max’s punishment for trespassing is to be turned into a cat, and live as a cat for eternity, Pirate Cat. Along their journey Pirate Cat and his crew encounter lawless pirates, squalls and storms, enchanting mermaids, magic, and treasure. Pirate Cat is a tale of adventure, friendship and love.
“Animation is art, and we plan on developing Pirate Cat and other theatrical-release animations that feature highly developed character designs and storylines incorporating elements of Korean culture. With global interest in K-content at an all-time high, our focus is on developing and deploying a business model with K-characters at its core, and we are therefore in the process of producing K-webtoons and animations rendered in real time and exploring new opportunities in fields such as immersive content and NFTs. We are currently fully prepared to start working with international partners,” noted Studio W.Baba founder and CEO Hong Ju Lee.
Studio W.Baba is already partnering with UniK Studios to work on joint projects and establish further partnerships abroad. UniK Studios is a leading South Korean production company specialising in joint international projects which has developed a global reputation as a co-producer of programs such as Wild Weather With Richard Hammond and Nat Geo’s Wild Kore.
“Pirate Cat is a captivating animation. Studio W.Baba has already demonstrated its production capabilities domestically, and this joint production and release of Pirate Cat will offer international partners an opportunity to take part in Studio W.Baba’s K-character business model,” said UniK Studios’ Lee Changsoo.
Along with the joint production of Pirate Cat, Studio W.Baba is also planning on publishing NFTs.