Cartoon Network, HBO Max in EMEA scale new heights with Goat Girl

Goat Girl follows a “fairly well-adjusted” 13–year-old who was raised by goats

WarnerMedia EMEA has commissioned Goat Girl, an Irish/UK/French coproduction about a 13-year-old girl raised by mountain goats, for Cartoon Network and streaming service HBO Max.

ABC in Australia has also pre-bought the 52×11′ 2D animated comedy series, which was pitched online at Cartoon Forum last year by Ireland- and UK-based Daily Madness.

It follows a “fairly well-adjusted” 13–year-old girl, who just happens to have been raised by mountain goats, as she attends a boarding school and spends time around actual people for the first time.

The series, which the producers said is about being comfortable in your own skin and embracing your quirks, is the first original series created by Shannon George and Kristina Yee, who are the showrunner and head writer on the series, respectively. They are joined by series director Krystal Georgiou and art director Adam Kavanagh.

The series is produced by Lindsey Adams and Hanna Mouchez, with the latter’s Paris-based Miam! Animation also signed up as worldwide distributor for the property.

Zia Bales, acquisitions, partnerships and coproductions lead for kids and family at WarnerMedia EMEA, said: “Goat Girl’s quirky humour and strong and inspirational female lead make it a perfect fit for the WarnerMedia family. This is a show that celebrates uniqueness and encourages kids to accept others for who they are – it’s an important message and one that we always hope to convey to our young audience. We are proud to be on board as commissioners.”

The news comes as HBO Max gears up to launch in a host of European countries later this month, with further launches set in 2022 as part of its ambition to bring the streaming service around the world by 2026.

HBO Max arrives in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Spain and Andorra on October 26 and then in Central and Eastern Europe and Portugal in 2022, replacing existing HBO-branded streaming services. The streamer last week announced plans to launch in Estonia, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Turkey and the Netherlands in 2022.