Canadian movieco opens kids’ arm

Canadian movie producer Bron Studios has launched a kids’ and family division to produce original TV series and feature films.

Mighty Mighty Monsters

The British Columbia-based company, which is behind films such as A Single Shot, has launched Bron Animation, which will create children’s IP with an emphasis on “Absurd comedy with an edgy tone that parents will also enjoy.”

The division will be led by former Electronic Arts executive Gil Rimmer and Ben Burden Smith, who joins Bron from Goldtooth Creative. Both serve as creative directors.

“Rimmer’s background as a production designer and visual development artist, coupled with Burden Smith’s production, writing and directing experience, create the perfect storm for the story-driven company I want Bron Animation to be,” said Bron Studio’s MD Aaron Gilbert.

Production on its debut TV project, Mighty Mighty Monsters, is already underway. Rimmer and Burden Smith developed two 44-minute HD specials, entitled Halloween Havoc and New Fears Eve, based on Scott Olezskowicz’s (Wingin’ It, Baxter) teleplay. Industry veteran Michael Taylor is co-executive producer.

The property is based on a book series from author Sean Patrick O’Reilly that follows a group of classic movie monster characters including Frankenstein and Dracula that are expelled from their high school.

Shaftesbury Sales Company, the distribution wing of Christina Jennings’s Shaftesbury Films, has taken global distribution rights.