Egmont Publishing expands Masha and the Bear program

Russian CG-animated TV series Masha and the Bear has already established its popularity in its native land, and now Denmark-based Ink Brands has announced that Egmont will expand its publishing program across Europe.

The adventures of Masha and her reluctant bear playmate will be introduced to the UK, Germany, Scandinavia, Turkey, CIS territories, as well Central and Eastern Europe. The product line will include story books, coloring books and a Masha and the Bear magazine. The brand already has more than 100 partners in the Russian market for products ranging from confectionary to home decor.
The latest announcement comes less than a week after Simba Dickie Group was named master toy partner for Masha and the Bear across Europe, with products expected to hit shelves in early 2015.

Turner Brings ‘Masha’ to U.K.’s Cartoonito

United Kingdom-based preschool channel Cartoonito will air the second season of the hit Russian animated series Masha and the Bear.
The channel is already airing the first season, which has become one of its most popular shows.
Created by Oleg Kuzovkov in 2008, the series is broadcast in more than 100 countries, including KIKA (Germany), France TV (France), Boomerang (Latam), Rai YoYo (Italy) and others.
It has recently been picked up by SIC, the leading free-to-air station in Portugal, and Canal Panda in Spain. Masha also airs in South Korea and Indonesia.

Masha and the Bear

Liburan, Masha and The Bear Hibur Anak-anak di Surabaya

Surabaya - Liburan sekolah menjadi ajang bagi anak-anak menikmati berbagai macam hiburan. Kali ini warga Surabaya bisa menikmati Masha and The Bear. Bila tokoh kartun anak-anak ini hanya bisa dinikmati lewat teve, kali ini live action nya bisa dinikmati di Main Atrium Grand City, Surabaya.

Gadis kecil Masha bersama beruangnya hadir menyapa anak-anak. Tampak anak-anak kegirangan saat Masha dan beruangnya mengenalkan diri di atas panggung.

Masha bersama beruangnya merupakan bagian dari rangkaian event yang digelar Grand City selama liburan. Selain Masha and The Bear, event lain yang digelar adalah pagelaran musik dari beberapa sekolah umum dan sekolah musik, serta penampilan 19 choir dari beberapa sekolah di Surabaya. Acara Masha and the bear merupakan acara penutup dari serangkaian acara yang diadakan

"Kami mendatangkan tokoh Masha and the Bear dalam rangka menyambut liburan natal anak-anak sekolah," kata Senior Marketing Manager Grand City Jesica Juwono kepada wartawan di Main Hall Grand City, Selasa (22/12/2014).

Jesica menjelaskan, Masha and the Bear memang dipilih untuk ikon kartun tahun ini karena disukai anak-anak. "Kami memilih Masha and the Bear karena lagi booming di Indonesia, khususnya Surabaya," terang Jesica.

Bagi pengunjung yang ingin membawa anak-anak untuk bertemu langsung dan berfoto, bisa dilakukan mulai 24-28 Desember (Rabu-Minggu) mulai pukul 15.00 WIB, 17.00 WIB dan 19.00 WIB di Main Atrium Grand City.

Bila ada yang ingin berfoto, pengunjung bisa membayar Rp 50 ribu untuk satu kali. Sedangkan bagi pengunjung yang telah berbelanja minimal Rp 500 ribu di all tenant Grand City, dapat berfoto gratis.

First Masha and The Bear Mobile Game Lands on U.S. App Store

The first officially licensed game based on the cartoon Masha and The Bear is now avilable for iOS devices. Masha and the Bear: Search and Rescue is a side-scroller where players must use a hot air balloon to save rabbits from a flood. Along the way players can also collect candy to spend on items and power-ups from the in-game shop.

The app's cute story based on old Russian folklore, easy to use controls and lack of any danger make it a cute and innocent game for children to play. The game has been a hit on the Russian App Store, and the Masha and The Bear cartoon has been gaining popularity in Europe and Asia.
“We know there are huge numbers of Masha fans worldwide, and as lovers of the cartoon ourselves, we took our responsibility very seriously," said Game Manager Maxim Kochurin. "Long hours and every bit of effort has gone into not only creating the best possible game, but also one which encapsulates the passion, delight and vibrancy of the characters and the world they live in. In our opinion, we’ve achieved what we set out to do. We love the game and we are sure parents and children around the world will love it as much as we do.”

The first four levels of Masha and The Bear: Search and Rescue are available for free on the U.S. App Store. The full game can be bought as an in-app purchase once you reach level 5. The game requires iOS 5.1.1 or later, and is compatible with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Masha and the Bear lands raft of Italian licensees

London-headquartered agency Ink Global has secured a string of new Italian licensing deals for Russian animated preschool series Masha and the Bear.
New licensees joining the Masha roster include Accademia (back-to-school, gift items), Clementoni (toys), Dolfin (confectionery), Grabo (balloons), IN.TE.SUD. (apparel), Jaxo Tirabasso (accessories), Lisciani (puzzles and toys), Modecor (cake decorations), Multiprint (play prints), World Cart (tissues) and Sicem (apparel).

The 26 x seven-minute series, produced by Russian animation studio Animaccord, brings the popular Russian folklore tale of an active young girl and her reluctant playmate to life. Distributed to Italian broadcast and home entertainment channels by Dall’Angelo Pictures, Masha and the Bear has placement on RAI YoYo and Dea Junior. Each channel airs roughly 15 episodes daily, with Rai YoYo averaging more than 500,000 viewers per day for the show.
Since its 2009 debut, Masha quickly became one of the most popular shows in Russia and now airs in more than 100 countries worldwide.
Egmont Publishing recently expanded its Masha publishing program (storybooks, coloring books and a Masha and the Bear magazine) across Europe, and  Simba Dickie Group (master toy licensee for Europe) is working on launching Masha toys early this year.

Dinobatkan Animasi Terbaik, Episode Baru Masha and The Bear Tayang di ANTV

Serial animasi yang tengah digandrungi anak-anak ini tak terasa sudah mencapai season kedua. Kabar baiknya, Masha and The Bear season kedua ini sudah bisa disaksikan di layar kaca Indonesia.

Bagi pencinta dunia animasi, pastinya tahu serial animasi Masha and the Bear yang tayang di ANTV. Serial animasi yang tengah digandrungi anak-anak ini tak terasa sudah mencapai season kedua. Kabar baiknya, Masha and The Bear season kedua ini sudah bisa disaksikan di layar kaca Indonesia.
Pihak ANTV belum lama ini mempublikasikan melalui akun twitternya bahwa Masha and The Bear season 2 sudah dapat disaksikan mulai hari ini (14/6). "Untuk Adik-Adik Manis Jangan Lewatkan MASHA AND THE BEAR Season 2 Mulai Pkl 07.00 WIB," tulis ANTV.
Seri pertamanya sudah ditayangkan oleh ANTV setiap hari sejak tahun 2013. Serial animasi ini menceritakan kehidupan sehari-hari bocah perempuan bernama Masha dan seekor beruang coklat besar bernama Misha/Mishka yang merupakan temannya. Di season kedua, tentunya Masha and The Bear akan memiliki cerita dan petualangan baru.
Bulan Maret lalu acara anak-anak populer ini menjadi serial animasi Rusia yang pertama kali membawa pulang penghargaan bergengsi di dunia animasi. Masha and The Bear memenangkan penghargaan Animasi Terbaik dalam kategori creative talent di 2015 Kidscreen Award.
Produser seri Masha, Dmitry Loveiko mengatakan penghargaan itu merupakan tonggak utama dalam kartun Rusia. "Pertama kalinya serangkaian animasi Rusia diakui di tingkat profesional di internasional," jelasnya sebagaimana yang dilansir AsiaRBTH.
Kartun tersebut juga membuktikan ketenarannya di YouTube. Lebih dari 2,5 Miliar ditonton pada tahun 2014 dan menjadikannya berada dalam daftar 20 saluran yang paling populer di layanan berbagi video. Tak pelak, saluran penyiaran Inggris, Tuner Broadcasting System yang merupakan bagian dari Group Time Warner juga tertarik membeli hak distribusi dan penayangan Masha and The Bear musim keduanya.
"Masha telah memiliki reputasi yang sangat bagus di Eropa dan Amerika Latin. Popularitas baru tertinggi kita mencapai ke pasar Asia dan Amerika," ucap Vladimir Gorbulya, Kepala perizinan Masha and The Bear dilansir Variety.

Masha and the Bear bed linen, clocks and watches to launch in Italy

                                  Masha and The Bear - Don't Wake Till Spring (Episode 2)

New deals have been signed with Gabel and Nemesi.

Maurizio Distefano Licensing has signed two more partners in the Italian market for the pre-school property Masha and the Bear.
Gabel will launch a range of Masha and the Bear bed linen, while Nemesi will supply Masha and the Bear clocks and watches.

Both the Gabel line of children’s sheets, duvet covers, duvets, quilts and bedspreads and Nemesi's line of wall clocks, alarm clocks and wrist watches will launch in High Street retail, major supermarkets and specialist stores across Italy in September 2015.

Masha and the Bear is broadcast in over 100 countries around the world and in Italy, the animated series airs on DeA Junior and RaiYoYo.

“The friendly, kind bear and his cheeky little friend have amused young children from the moment they appeared on TV in Italy and also provided some wonderful imagery perfect for a range of children’s clocks and watches," said Renato Bucciero, director, Nemesi.

"We’re delighted to be working with this charming and very popular property.”

Paolo Baratelli, marketing director at Gabel added: "The colour, charm and sense of fun of the show have provided some striking imagery for our new range of kids’ bed linen, which we are sure will be very popular with the show’s many young fans as well as parents and gift-buyers.”

Maurizio Distefano, founder and director of MD Licensing, continued: “We are representing Masha and the Bear in Italy because we see it as an ideal property for the pre-school market and we’re thrilled viewers, retailers and many high-quality licensees agree.

"Masha and the Bear is a phenomenon that has made a major impact in Italy already but is certain to reach much greater heights.”

Masha and the Bear' second season to air in the UK

A screenshot from 'Masha and the Bear.' Source: kinopoisk.ru

British broadcaster Turner, part of the U.S. Time Warner Group, has picked up the distribution and screening rights to the second season of Russian cartoon series, 'Masha and the Bear' at an international TV content market.
Turner, which airs animation in the UK and Europe on Cartinito and Cartoon Network, is already screening the first series and did a deal for the second series at MIPTV in Cannes, Russian internet entertainment portal ProfiCinema reported.
Vladimir Gorbulya a sales and licensing agent for the Russian animated series, said marketing strategy at the bi-annual TV content show in the southern French resort had been to "meet with channels and distributors who had already bought the rights to 'Masha and are how interested in acquiring second season rights."

              Masha and The Bear - Prances with Wolves (Episode 5)

 Circus bear

He added that the cartoon about a little girl and her friend, a large brown bear that is a former circus performer and their adventures together, had proved popular in Europe and a key focus now was on expanding sales into North America and Asia.
The first series is being aired six times a day, including weekends and, according to ProfiCinema, is popular with both children and their parents.
Last month the popular children's show became the first Russian animated series to pick up an award at the cartoon world's 'Oscars', when it won the prestigious 2015 Kidscreen Award for best animation in the Creative Talent category at a ceremony in Miami, Florida.
Series producer Dmitry Loveiko said the award was a major milestone in Russian cartooning, telling Izvestia that it was "practically the first time that a Russian animation series had been recognised at an international professional level.
The cartoon has proved a big hit on YouTube, with more than 2.5 billion views in 2014, making it the 20th most popular channel on the video sharing service.

Masha and The Bear - Hide and seek is not for the Weak. Source: YouTube

'Mash and the Bear' is currently competing in the 'Cartoons on the Bay Pulcinella Awards' in Venice, Italy with the results due to be announced April 18.
The cartoon was first released in 2009 and each episode is six minutes long.

Russian Animation Rises From Ashes of 1990s

Masha and The Bear / YouTubeYouTube channel of “Masha and the Bear” cartoon has racked up over 58 million views and earns up to half a million dollars per year.

An influx of state cash and some breakthrough projects are pulling Russian animation back from its near-collapse in the 1990s and toward a revival of its Soviet heyday.
Soviet cartoons were one of communist Russia's most famous cultural products, but the arrival of capitalism gutted the animation industry. Now, under President Vladimir Putin, Russian animation is receiving state support as part of a project to reassert Russian cultural identity against foreign influence.
"Over the last five years, the production budget of Russian animation has doubled," Irina Mastusova, executive director of the Russian Animated Film Association, told The Moscow Times

РЕКЛАМА

Kind-Hearted Bear

Symbolizing the breakthrough is "Masha and the Bear." The cartoon, in which a small Russian girl with big green eye tests the patience of an exasperated but kind-hearted bear, has become a global brand, recognized by 80 percent of 7-year-old girls in Indonesia, 50 percent of 7-year-old girls in Denmark and Italy, and 40 percent of them in China, according to Animaccord, the studio that makes "Masha and the Bear."
The cartoon's YouTube channel has racked up over 58 million views and earns up to half a million dollars per year, data from SocialBlade, YouTube's official public statistics source, shows.
And that income is dwarfed by global sales of merchandise, including schoolbags, umbrellas, toys, cosmetics, food and puzzles.
"Seventy percent of our license profit comes from merchandise, 30 percent from digital media and television," the cartoon's co-producer, Dmitry Loveyko, told The Moscow Times in Animaccord's Moscow studios.

Saving the Industry

Animaccord consists of about 50 animators, who produce 10 seven-minute episodes of "Masha and the Bear" a year. Each minute of animation costs the studio around $20,000.
For an industry that was once on the verge of death, such budgets are extraordinary.
The biggest Soviet studio, Soyuzmultfilm, founded in 1936, produced in its best years famous animations such as "Hedgehog in the Fog" (1975), "Winnie-the-Pooh" (1969), "Nu, pogodi" (1969), and "Cheburashka" (1971). The studio's output collapsed during Soviet perestroika in the 1980s. The fall of communism in 1991 left it on the edge of bankruptcy.
When Russian animator Oleg Kuzovkov came up with the idea for "Masha and the Bear" in 1996, there was simply no market for it. Production of the cartoon began only in 2007.
"The significant step forward," as Mastusova called it, happened when a group of Russian animators, including the creator of "Hedgehog in the Fog," Yury Norshtein, met with Putin in 2011.
At the meeting, then-Prime Minister Putin said that while the Soviet Union had produced up to 400 animated hours per year, in the 2000s, Russia's yearly output fell to around 20 hours.
That encounter created a program to save animation that formed the Russian Animated Film Association, a noncommercial partnership set up to consolidate and the animation industry and help to lobby for state funding.
Despite the commercial success of "Masha and the Bear," Animaccord, like all animation studios in Russia, receives state funding through direct subsidies and interest-free loans from the Cinema Fund, a state agency that controls the purse stings of Russian film subsidies.
"Animation in Russia would not survive without state funding, because the production costs are extremely high," said the association's Mastusova.

Russian Animation, Scottish Voices

Another big studio, Wizart Animation, recently requested 400 million rubles ($8 million) from the Cinema Fund to create a third film of its franchise "The Snow Queen."
The first "Snow Queen" was released in 2012 and grossed $12 million worldwide in 80 countries. "Snow Queen" will be shown this year in Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, South Africa and on 3,000 screens in China.
Wizart Animation's ambitions, like Animaccord's, are global. The studio's 250 animators are based in Voronezh, but part of production is done abroad. To target a worldwide audience, the original sound for the Snow Queen project is recorded in English on location in Scotland, said Vladimir Nikolayev, Wizart's executive producer.
American singer Bella Thorne performs on the soundtrack for the Russian franchise and the music was composed by an Emmy Award-winning American composer Mark Willott.
But though the "Snow Queen" films have some of the biggest budgets in Russia, they pale in comparison to the United States, where animated films often have budgets of more than $100 million.

Ideological Messaging

To gain access to funding, a studio hands over a script, which must be approved by the Cinema Fund's expert team before cash is allocated.
Last year the Cinema Fund gave 1.3 billion rubles ($26 million) to 26 projects, eight of which were animated, according the Russian Animated Film Association's website.
Among the chosen projects was a 3-D animated film, "Sergei Radonezhsky," based on life of the 14th-century Orthodox monk who blessed Dmitry Donskoi before the prince rode to battle Russia's Tatar rulers.
The choice demonstrates a trend of picking films that promote Russian achievements and values.
In 2010, for example, the state backed "Space Dogs," a film dedicated to the 50 year anniversary of the Soviet space flight of dogs Belka and Strelka.
Putin, in his 2011 meeting with animators, said he loved Russian cartoons. "Everything there is kindness, [about] the battle with evil, [about] faithfulness, truth — it is all in our animation," he said.
Most Soviet and Russian animations are based on old Russian fairy tales, where good always conquers evil.
Generations of Russians can quote a phrase from the Soviet cartoon "Leopold the Cat" (1975), in which the cat constantly exclaims: "Folks! Let's live in peace!" They contrast this with the serial humiliations wreaked on Tom the cat by Jerry the mouse in the U.S. cartoon "Tom and Jerry."

The Best Fur

State funding also aims to shift educational standards for Russian animators. At a time when in the 1990s 3-D animation was emerging in the West, post-Soviet Russia had only old-school animators using "wet technology" — shooting hand-painted drawings and manually developing film.
Now all you need is a computer with animation software. Sergei Martinov, head of production at the Animaccord studio, told The Moscow Times that his studio had spent two years developing software and programs to better depict bear fur.
Many companies are training their own professionals. Yelena Boyarskaya is deputy director of the Melnitsa studio in St. Petersburg, which is famous for "Luntik," an animated program about a four-eared pink creature who fell to earth from the moon. The program has amassed 2 billion views on YouTube since its launch in 2007. She said, "Every year we organize courses: artists with diplomas study here for free for two months."
In 2013, Melnitsa earned $31.5 million at the box office — a record for Russian animation — with the film "Three Warriors on Far Shores," about the adventures of three Russian folk heros from Kievan Rus — Alyosha Popovich, Dobrynya Nikitich and Ilya Muromets.
When The Moscow Times visited Animaccord, senior animator Alexander Goncharov was gathering a 3-D "library of poses" of a new character for the "Masha and the Bear" — a frog.