Winx Club producer buys Canuck studio

MIPCOM: Italian children’s TV producer and distributor Rainbow has expanded into North America with the acquisition of a Canadian animation studio.

Winx Club

Rainbow, which claims to be the largest animation studio in Europe, has bought Vancouver-based Bardel Entertainment for an undisclosed fee.

Loreto-based Rainbow is the company behind the long-running CGI action fantasy series Winx Club, a coproduction alongside Italian pubcaster Rai about a group of young fairies.

Bardel, meanwhile, employs 650 artists across three divisions in Canada who provide animation for the likes of Nickelodeon, DreamWorks and Disney.

It is best known as a service producer on series such as King Julien and Puss in Boots, but has dipped its toe into coproductions, including Lah-Lah’s Adventures alongside Stella Projects in Australia.

Delna Bhesania, CEO at Bardel, added: “With Rainbow’s expertise in licensing and distribution and Bardel’s expertise in production, the company is well positioned to create first class global brands.”