Paddington Bear finds new home

The 2014 Paddington movie

Vivendi-owned producer and distributor StudioCanal has acquired the intellectual property rights to classic children’s character Paddington Bear.

StudioCanal released the Paddington movie in 2014 and it went on to become the most successful family film ever released outside Hollywood, taking close to US$300m at the box office.

A sequel is due to go into production in October, while StudioCanal’s multimillion-dollar acquisition of the property could pave the way for a TV series featuring the character.

Created by Michael Bond CBE in 1958, Paddington Bear is one of the most famous children’s book characters, with over 35 million books sold worldwide.

StudioCanal now takes full ownership of the Paddington brand worldwide, including activities such as live entertainment, video games and theme parks, but excluding publishing rights.

StudioCanal has also acquired The Copyrights Group, which acts as merchandising agent for Paddington Bear as well as several other literary properties, such as The Snowman and Fungus the Bogeyman.

Didier Lupfer, CEO of StudioCanal, said: “Beyond cinema, Paddington will benefit from the full strength of a media and entertainment group of Vivendi’s size, with a presence in television, music, live entertainment, video games and the digital world.”

The rights were acquired from Paddington and Company, whose MD Karen Jankel is the daughter of Paddington creator Bond.

“When Paddington made his big-screen debut at the end of 2014, his popularity grew to a whole new level and it was at that point that I realised the time had come to think about the future of the business,” said Jankel.

Jankel will retain a consultancy role on the future creative development of the brand in association with the team at The Copyrights Group, which has represented Paddington since 1984.