KIDTOON FILMS KIDTOON FILMS

Following up on my post below about the theatrical release of the new TOM & JERRY movie, Michele Martell of KIDTOON FILMS wrote in to clarify what her company does:

I just saw your posting about Kidtoon Films and our theatrical releases of new animated movies for kids and thought I’d drop you a note to give you some background.The theatrical distribution arm, Kidtoon Films, is part of Sabella Dern Entertainment – a production company run by Paul Sabella and Jonathan Dern. Paul and Jonathan were the co-heads of MGM Animation (ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN 2)for most of the 90’s, and I’m sure you are aware of Paul’s experience and reputation in the field (especially given your book on Pink Panther!).One of the primary motivations for creating Kidtoon Films was our awareness that much of the animation being produced for kids these days is destined for the direct-to-DVD market, and we believed that there would be a theatrical audience for this content. The response from audiences, theatre circuits, and the companies making and releasing these films has validated that belief. In particular, we are happy to be working closely with the folks at Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, as it has such a great legacy in animation and cartoons.In addition to new films, we are also showing cartoon shorts – some classic such as Casper the Friendly Ghost, and new, award-winning shorts like “Gopher Broke” from Blur Studios. We see this new theatrical pipeline as a way to create additional opportunities for animation of all kinds – shorts or features, 2D or 3D, made independently or by studios, and from the US or international territories.

Jerry Beck

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