Fantastic Four Flexes Sales Muscle
Friday, December 08, 2006
By: Claire Webb
http://www.animationmagazine.net/article.php?article_id=6227
Following the blockbuster 2005 film the recent launch on French channel M6, Marvel’s animated series Fantastic Four has captured the attention of broadcasters worldwide. Marvel, in conjunction with Taffy Entertainment, has just announced a slew of new deals to sell this popular comic book family outside the U.S. Broadcasters in Germany, Singapore, Spain, Canada and even the Middle East have noted the success of the series in France as it has acquired an average of 600,000 viewers and has been rated high on the children’s slot with no sign of slowing.
“We are extremely pleased with the response from broadcasters worldwide,” says Taffy Entertainment’s president of sales and distribution Lionel Marty. “The enormous success of the show, particularly in France on M6, is indisputable evidence that the characters and storylines translate well in every country and in any language where kids love superheroes.”
A product of combined efforts from MoonScoop Productions, Marvel Comics and Cartoon Network Europe, Fantastic Four maintains colorful stories of an unlikely group of people that must brave the unknown terrors of space. A scientist, his best friend and a pair of siblings once changed by cosmic rays transform into the superhuman Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, The Invisible Girl and The Human Torch. The comic book heroes battle evil in classic Marvel character form and come from a long-standing tradition of character franchise success. It’s no wonder distribution and brand managing company Taffy Entertainment, who also represents top-notch animation producers Mike Young Productions and Europe’s own MoonScoop, jumped on the Fantastic bandwagon along with broadcasters. The property has already hit up the feature film division with the sequel due in June of 2007, and with the rise in popularity of the TV show, Taffy and Marvel will also emphasize brand expansion into video games, toys and other officially licensed consumer products in the upcoming year.
“Since the film premiered in 2005, interest in the Fantastic Four brand has continued to grown exponentially,” boasts president and COO of Marvel Studios Michael Helfant. “We’re looking at 2007 as another breakout year for the brand, particularly as word-of-mouth grows for the upcoming feature film sequel.”
It looks like 2007 will be another fantastic year for Fantastic Four!
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Neither Cartoon Network nor Marvel has commented on the show's removal from the Cartoon Network lineup.
http://www.comicscontinuum.com/stories/0701/01/index.htm
BRIEFLY
* Although it was pulled from Cartoon Network's line-up several weeks ago, the Fantastic Four animated series has been picked up in several worldwide markets.