Event Coverage
NEWS FROM HIT ENTERTAINMENT AND MATTEL AT 2014 MIPCOM
· New content added across HIT and Mattel portfolio, including all-new Bob the Builder and Little People series
· New global content distribution team structure announcedBig year for Thomas & Friends in 2015 as the brand celebrates 70th anniversary
ALL-NEW BOB THE BUILDER
HIT Entertainment, one of the world’s leading pre-school entertainment companies and a subsidiary of Mattel Inc, has unveiled the all-new look for Bob the Builder who will bring construction to life for millions of children in the upcoming CG-animated series of the show.
The new series – which will be delivered in late 2015 – will see Bob the Builder continuing to bring the world of construction to life for kids, with exciting characters, new relatable locations and an aspirational hero.
All of the show’s core characters return for the new series, including Wendy, Roley and Dizzy, plus popular vehicles Lofty, Muck and Scoop. There will be new faces for viewers to meet, including apprentice Leo, Mayor Maria Madison, young sports club members ‘The Spring City Rockets’ and two new machines: a heavy-lifting low-loader truck ‘Two Tonne’ and a tower crane named ‘Tiny’.
The all-new series of Bob the Builder will air on Channel’s 5’s Milkshake! in the UK, PBS KIDS in the US and Super RTL in Germany, beginning next year.
LITTLE PEOPLE
HIT Entertainment has announced global entertainment company DHX Media as its animation partner on a brand new CG animated series of Little People.
Based on the iconic Fisher-Price® Little People® brand, the new series is being produced out of HIT’s UK content hub and will feature imaginative and energetic characters that are contemporary and relatable to today’s young children.
The animated pre-school series of 52 x 11’ episodes, planned for release in late 2015, showcases a unique format and emphasizes the power that imagination and group play can have on discovery and critical thinking skills.
PORTFOLIO UPDATE
With a focus on exceptional storytelling, HIT Entertainment (Stand R7.B2), arrives at MIPCOM 2014 with its largest portfolio to date.
In 2015, the HIT and Mattel portfolio will add new content across its premier, iconic and globally renowned portfolio of brands including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Monster High®, Thomas & Friends®, Bob the Builder, and Fisher-Price® brands, including Little People®. Content formats include new movie specials, new series, and new short-form content.
In 2015, Barbie will continue to delight girls of all ages with three new CG animated feature-length movies. Thomas & Friends DVD “Dinos & Discoveries” will launch Q1 2015 and DVD feature-length special “Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure” in the autumn. Series 19 will also launch on air introducing all-new characters.
Edward Catchpole, Senior Vice President and General Manager, HIT Entertainment, said: “As the business evolves from producing shows for traditional TV to include digital distribution outlets and in readiness for new emerging platforms, our capabilities in this space will provide us breadth and depth of content critical to global production and the business across the Mattel portfolio.”
NEW REMIT FOR HIT
The updated content portfolio coincides with an all new global content distribution team structure.. Consolidated under Mattel’s HIT Entertainment division, led by veteran industry experts across broadcast distribution, home entertainment, and emerging media, the team will be responsible for distribution of content across all of Mattel’s leading brands including, Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Monster High®, Thomas & Friends®, Bob the Builder®, and Fisher-Price® brands, including Little People®. The new structure has been designed to maximise the impact of the strategic, global distribution of its content and leverage its leading pre-school, girls, and boys portfolio of brands and will be led by Edward Catchpole.
The combined Mattel portfolio currently has more than 600 hours of content, with additional content being green lit for production every year. Across all its brands, Mattel content is viewed by more than one billion households more than 185 global territories and 40 languages.
Event Coverage
Anime India announces Amazon MX Player as co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata 2026
MUMBAI: Riding high on the success of its blockbuster Mumbai debut, Anime India is accelerating its nationwide expansion with the announcement of Amazon MX Player as the co-presenting partner for Anime India Kolkata. The partnership marks a significant step forward in the festival’s mission to deliver large-scale, accessible, and fan-first anime experiences across the country.
Scheduled for 14 and 15 February 2026 at the iconic Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan, Anime India Kolkata will launch the first regional chapter of what is set to be a year-long, multi-city tour. As the curtain-raiser for the 2026 circuit, the Kolkata edition aims to fuse the energy of global Japanese pop culture with India’s fast-growing community of anime, manga, and pop-culture fans.
A household name in digital entertainment, Amazon MX Player brings unmatched reach and cultural relevance to the Anime India platform. With its expanding focus on anime and youth-driven content, Amazon MX Player’s involvement as co-presenting partner reinforces Anime India’s vision of making anime culture more inclusive breaking barriers of language, geography, and accessibility to connect with fans nationwide.
Anime India Kolkata 2026 will showcase cosplay competitions, interactive zones led by the Indian Gunpla Community, India-39 Vocaloid Community, The Japan Curry, and Adda-o-Otaku by The Otaku Guild. Fans can join tournaments across fighting games, Pokémon VGC, and more. Acclaimed Japanese director Susumu Mitsunaka (Haikyu!!) will attend as guest of honour, appearing in panels and live sessions. Positioned as an immersive celebration of fan culture and industry collaboration, the Kolkata edition marks the beginning of Anime India’s nationwide expansion.
Sharing their perspective on the partnership, Amazon MX Player director Aruna Daryanani expressed, “Anime in India has evolved from a niche interest into a mainstream cultural movement, driven by an increasingly engaged and passionate fanbase. At Amazon MX Player, our focus is on expanding access by bringing anime to audiences across the country for free and in multiple local languages. Our association with Anime India reflects our commitment to supporting the growth of anime in India and deepening connections with fans, while continuing to build Amazon MX Player as a trusted destination for free, high-quality entertainment.”
“Anime India Kolkata is a celebration of how anime has grown beyond entertainment into a powerful cultural and creative force. By bringing fans, creators, and industry leaders onto one shared platform, the festival is helping define the future of pop culture in India,” said Anime India co-founder and director Neha Mehta.
The debut edition of Anime India 2025 in Mumbai attracted over 29,000 fans, quickly cementing its status as a landmark celebration of anime and Japanese pop culture. Riding on this overwhelming response, the Kolkata chapter is projected to draw more than 40,000 visitors across two days, positioning it as one of the biggest anime conventions ever held in eastern India.
Anime India is focused on bringing together fans from across the country to create a truly pan-India celebration of anime, manga, cosplay, gaming, and Japanese culture. With plans to expand into four key metropolitan hubs in 2026—east (Kolkata), north (Delhi), west (Mumbai), and south (Hyderabad)—the festival seeks to deliver globally benchmarked experiences while supporting and uplifting creators, artists, and fan communities throughout India.
