Maurizio Distefano Licensing (MDL), has been appointed to manage licensing in Italy for the remarkable new 52 x 11’ animated series ZAFARI, on behalf of brand owner Ink Group.
Produced by ZAFARI Holdings and distributed worldwide by NBCUniversal/Dreamworks, ZAFARI has already enjoyed a strong reception in France, Latin America and the UK and is about to launch in a number of other territories. It will appear in Italy on Rai YoYo, the free-to-air kids television channel owned by the Italian public broadcasting group RAI.
This innovative and original new series follows the adventures of Zoomba, a baby elephant born with zebra stripes who worries about being different until he and his best friend, a Borneo tarsier monkey named Quincy, discover ZAFARI, a world in a valley at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro. There they meet Antonio, a lion with pink flamingo feathers, Pokey, a giraffe with a peacock tail, Babatua, a baboon with penguin colours, and many more. Together with his new friends, Zoomba learns to embrace differences in others and himself, realizing that sometimes being different, makes all the difference.
Aimed at audience of both boys and girls aged four to nine, ZAFARI takes up themes such as inclusion, tolerance and friendship through funny and exciting stories, creative characters and high-quality production values that bring beautiful locations and animals to life in stunning computer graphics.
In addition, a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund has allowed the creation of 52 special mini videos, one of which will appear at the end of each episode. The videos will show real images of animals in their natural habitat, adding a touch of real-life magic to each delightful animated tale.
This is an entertaining and imaginative animated story that is already building audiences across Europe, but it’s even more than that. The look and themes have inspired a colorful and unique style guide that will allow the brand owner and licensees to build strong, appealing product lines, whilst the many endearing and instantly recognizable characters will lend themselves to numerous licensing categories.
The MDL team is available to provide more detailed information about the new property to potential licensees and retail partners.
Maurizio Distefano, founder and President, MD Licensing, says: “The ideas, themes and sheer quality of ZAFARI really make it stand out both as an animated show for kids and as a licensing property. We at MDL are very excited about ZAFARI, whose charm, wit, originality and stunning visuals are sure to charm children everywhere.”
