Global kids and family entertainment major Toonz Media Group, and creator-driven kids franchise company Epic Story Media announced that they have partnered with chef, cookbook author and television personality Aliya LeeKong to produce Issa’s Edible Adventures in a new 52 x 11” animated series.
Toonz, Epic and LeeKong have agreed to jointly develop, finance, produce and distribute the series. While Epic will have exclusive distribution and L&M rights in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand, Toonz will retain the distribution and L&M rights in the rest of the world. The teams will bring Issa’s world to life via books, an animated series, consumer products and more.
Official synopsis reads: Innovative, sparkling, and deeply empathetic, Issa journeys from the centre to the edge of Earth, falling into the wackiest, but most delicious adventures ever, showing just how extraordinary food can be! Issa inspires curiosity about the world and an openness to new tastes and flavours as well as a knowledge that the things that make us different can also bring us together.
“After the birth of my first daughter, Asya, I realised there were no interesting food properties out there for kids nor was there a central character to be its ambassador – the way Doc McStuffins taught about wellness, for example,” said LeeKong. “There were also very few characters that were multiracial and multicultural, which I clearly think is important for children, like my daughters, to see. And, thus, Issa’s Edible Adventures was born – combining my own loves of food, cooking, travel and kids.”
“Issa’s Edible Adventures offers authentic educational content for kids in an area where kids’ content is scarce—food,” said Toonz Media Group chief executive officer P Jayakumar. “The series is being developed into a wholesome content with focus on education, inclusivity, and adventure around the world. I am confident that this series will become a household name in the near future.”
“We’re extremely excited to work with Aliya and the Toonz team to bring this unique show and Aliya’s vision to a global audience. The series will resonate with today’s families by celebrating different cultures and bringing people together…all through food! A guaranteed recipe for success,” said Epic Story Media president Ken Faier.
The series aims to tell multicultural and multiracial stories using food and cooking as narrative, entertaining viewers globally. This series highly encourages co-viewing among children and parents, a proven way to facilitate communication and connection within families and communities. Diverse and inclusive, these stories will be fun and educational for children and parents alike.
Toonz delegation will be at Mipcom this year at R7 L23 in the Italian pavilion for meetings regarding this series and others between 14 and 19 October.