Jay Ward Productions And Wildbrain Strike Deal To Create New Cartoons
Ready for more Rocky & Bullwinkle?
Jay Ward Productions has struck a pact with Canada’s Wildbrain covering distribution, production, and licensing for all Ward-owned IP.
Wildbrain will add 788 classic episodes to its distribution library, and the companies will create new content based on the vintage properties, which also include George of the Jungle, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Dudley Do-Right, and Super Chicken.
These were all created beginning in the late 1950s at Jay Ward Productions, run by the eponymous producer, and appeared in various series throughout the Sixties.
Since Ward’s death in 1989, his company has stayed in the family: it is now run by his daughter Tiffany Ward (president) and granddaughter Amber Ward (vice president). Tiffany previously worked with Eric Ellenbogen, now Wildbrain’s CEO, to launch Bullwinkle Studios, a joint venture between Jay Ward Productions and Classic Media (now part of Dreamworks).
Bullwinkle Studios produced 52 episodes of a George of the Jungle reboot that launched on Cartoon Network on 2007. It was also credited on the 2014 feature Mr. Peabody & Sherman. Other recent reboots of Ward titles include Amazon Prime Video’s The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2018–19) and Netflix’s The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show (2015–17), both produced by Dreamworks.
“Everything old is new again,” said Ellenbogen. “I’m delighted to be reunited with Tiffany to bring new audiences the hilarious characters and shows created by her father, which are part of the canon of the world’s greatest animation. Never has there been a better time to refresh classic branded IP like this, just as we are doing with so many of our evergreen Wildbrain brands.”
“I’m thrilled to be teaming up with Eric again,” said Tiffany Ward. “Our past partnership with Bullwinkle Studios was prolific and successful, and now that Eric is at the helm of a creative powerhouse like Wildbrain, I’m excited to work with him and his fantastic team to broaden the legacy of my father’s work to new generations of kids and families.”
Halifax-headquartered Wildbrain is no stranger to rebooting classic properties: its Vancouver animation studio has lately worked on several Peanuts productions, including Snoopy in Space and The Snoopy Show, as part of a deal with Apple TV+.
The studio is also behind Carmen Sandiego, Go, Dog. Go!, Chip and Potato, and Cartoon Saloon co-production Dorg Van Dango, among other shows. Wildbrain’s library runs to around 13,000 half-hours and includes properties such as Strawberry Shortcake, Caillou, Yo Gabba Gabba!, Inspector Gadget, and Johnny Test.
