iWorld
Mattel & Netflix to premiere animated preschool series ‘Deepa & Anoop’ soon
MUMBAI: Toy company Mattel has announced that its new animated children’s series Deepa & Anoop will debut on OTT platform Netflix on 15 August, 2022. Created by Bollywood animator Munjal Shroff (Shortcut Safari), writer Lisa Goldman (Dragon Tales), and producer Heather Kenyon (Doki Adventures), Deepa & Anoop is Mattel television’s first series based on its original intellectual property. The debut season includes 11-30-minute episodes and two 22-minute specials.
The music-driven series follows the adventures of seven-year-old Deepa and her best friend Anoop, a half-ton colour-changing baby elephant. The duo, self-appointed “concierges of fun,” makes everything bigger, grander and more wonderful for guests at Mango Manor, the bed and breakfast run by Deepa’s multigenerational family. With a Bollywood number in every episode, Deepa creates music, merriment and mischief while working with the rambunctious Anoop to solve the simplest of problems with the most imaginative of solutions.
With a focus on the authenticity of Deepa’s Indian heritage, Deepa & Anoop includes 18 original song and dance performances, several of which are presented in the Bollywood tradition. The main cast is voiced by actors of Indian descent, including Pavan Bharaj as Deepa, Veena Sood (The Twilight Zone) as Naani-ji, and Ana Sani (The Magic School Bus) as Mama.
“While Mattel is well-known for developing entertainment content based on our fan-favourite brands, we’re excited to partner with Netflix to bring audiences a heartwarming, all-new series based on original IP. Later this summer, fans will be delighted as Deepa and her best friend Anoop take on exciting challenges and lead colourful musical numbers that illustrate the importance of friendship. Deepa & Anoop is sure to make an impact on audiences globally” said Mattel Television senior vice-president, GM Fred Soulie.
In addition to this original series, Mattel said that it continues to expand its roster of brands well beyond the toy aisle and into the television and film space. More than 30 of its brands—including Barbie, Masters of the Universe, Thomas & Friends, Polly Pocket, Monster High, Fireman Sam, Bob the Builder, and Hot Wheels, to name a few—have come to life in various animated series, movies, specials and digital short-form. Deepa & Anoop, however, marks Mattel’s first-ever animated series based entirely on an original story and original characters.
“We have been lucky to work alongside best-in-class advisors and consultants during every stage of Deepa & Anoop’s development. We hope that young audiences around the world will find this heartwarming series as authentic as they do relatable. We could not be more proud or excited that Deepa & Anoop is Mattel’s first original series based on an all-new IP,” said Mattel Television senior vice president- creative Christopher Keenan.
Deepa & Anoop is executive produced by Mattel Television’s Fred Soulie and Christopher Keenan.
iWorld
Snapchat parent Snap cuts 16 per cent of workforce in AI-driven restructuring
The Snapchat parent is axing around 1,000 jobs and closing 300 open roles to save $500m, as artificial intelligence makes smaller teams the new normal
CALIFORNIA: Snap is snapping. The Snapchat parent has confirmed plans to cut around 1,000 employees, roughly 16 per cent of its full-time workforce, as it bets that artificial intelligence can do what headcount once required. Shares jumped more than 10 per cent in premarket trading on the news, a brisk vote of confidence from a market that has watched the stock shed about 31 per cent this year.
The restructuring, which also closes more than 300 open roles, follows pressure from activist investor Irenic Capital Management, which holds an economic interest of about 2.5 per cent in the company and has been loudly pushing Snap to tighten its portfolio and lift performance. The firm got what it asked for, and then some.
Chief executive Evan Spiegel told employees the cuts would reduce annualised expenses by more than $500m by the second half of the year. The company expects to incur charges of between $95m and $130m related to the layoffs, mostly severance, with the bulk landing in the second quarter. Staff in Snap’s North America team were asked to work from home on the day of the announcement.
The financial backdrop is not without bright spots. Snap expects first-quarter revenue to rise around 12 per cent to approximately $1.53 billion, broadly in line with analyst estimates. Adjusted core profit for the January to March quarter is forecast at about $233m, comfortably ahead of Wall Street’s expectation of $186.8m.
The harder question surrounds Specs, Snap’s augmented reality smart glasses subsidiary, which Irenic has urged the company to spin off or shut down entirely. The unit has absorbed more than $3.5 billion in investment and burns through approximately $500m in cash annually. Snap is pressing ahead regardless, with a consumer product expected later this year, even as Meta leads the market in the segment.
Spiegel is betting that leaner teams, smarter machines and a consumer AR play can restore Snap’s credibility with investors who have run out of patience. The redundancy notices have gone out. The harder restructuring, the one that requires a hit product rather than a headcount reduction, is still very much pending.
