Zephyr, the production arm of APC Kids and part of leading co-production and distribution group APC Studios, has secured its first presales for the 2D animated adventure-comedy Lana Longbeard, co-produced with Canadian animation studio Copernicus, which is currently in production.
Pre-sales secured by Zephyr for the vibrant 52 x 11” series targeted at six to nine-year-olds include Warner Bros. Discovery in EMEA, SUPER RTL in German-speaking Europe following key co-development deal, M6 Group’s Gulli in France and CBC in Canada. APC Kids holds worldwide distribution rights.
Here’s the synopsis of Lana Longbeard: Lana is a super-feisty, forward-thinking and passionate 11-year-old girl, who is also the heir to her father’s adventuring ship, the Mighty Windbreaker. Along with her Captain dad and his diverse crew (an orc, a dwarf, a barbarian and a cyclops), she sails across the Ten Realms, dreaming of becoming one of the greatest adventurers of all time. But first, she must overcome some challenging obstacles: impulsivity, stubbornness, extreme curiosity, disdain for rules… and a love of pancakes. All the best things about her!
Zephyr producer and CCO David Sauerwein said, “Lana Longbeard is a laugh-out-loud vibrant, fun comedy series with a hefty dose of adventure, and a lot of heart with Lana, a gutsy, charming, and open-hearted character, at its core. We’re very proud and excited to have assembled such a wonderful team to bring our series to life.”
The series’ executive producer and Copernicus co-founder Paul Rigg said, “Heading to Annecy with the knowledge that Lana Longbeard has been pre-sold to a number of hugely respected international players re-affirms our belief that we have a series that audiences will love. The series has the perfect mix of storytelling, fun characters, and sense of adventure to capture the imaginations of young viewers.”
Zephyr president Lionel Marty added, “As we head into production, we are thrilled to have secured such respected broadcast partners to introduce Lana and look forward to expanding the reach of this highly anticipated series in the coming months.”
SUPER RTL’s CEO Thorsten Braun shared, “Already the joint development of this adventurous, loving, humorous series has convinced us that Lana Longbeard and her very special family on the Mighty Windbreaker will play their way into the hearts of the audience. A crew could hardly be more diverse, and we are delighted that the ship is now setting sail and that SUPER RTL can be on board.
Groupe M6 kids’ channels, deputy executive director Julien Figue said, “We are delighted to support Zephyr for the creation of this new original series. This comedy that mixes humour and action, fully meets the expectations of M6 Group’s youth channels’ audience. We are thrilled to welcome this new heroine. Courageous and determined, no doubt Lana will find her place in France among kids’ favorite heroes.”
The series was originally created by Tony Mitchell and Andrew Power at Copernicus Studios. Baljeet Rai (Atomic Puppet, Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese, The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti) is co-author of the bible, and story editor along with Alice Prodanou (Star Stable: Mistfall, Hotel Transylvania). The series is directed by Franz Kirchner (Rabbids: Mission to Mars, Rabbids Invasion, Mighty Mike, Angelo Rules).
