Studio 100 buys German theme park

Belgian animation house Studio 100 has acquired a 40-year-old theme park in Germany, and plans to invest €25m (US$35m) in it.

Studio 100 – the firm behind toons like Maya the Bee and Vicky the Viking – already operates three theme parks in Belgium and another in the Netherlands, via its Plopsa subsidiary. Together they attract some 2.5 million visitors per year.

The takeover deal for Germany’s Holiday Park, situated in the south-western city of Hassloch, was sealed by Plopsa MD Steve Van den Kerkhof and Holiday Park MD Wolfgang Schneider.

No financial details of the deal were not disclosed, though Studio 100 confirmed that Schneider will leave his post as part of the agreement. His family opened the park in 1971.

“A dedicated theme park in Germany in which we can also give a home to the Studio100 Media characters such as Maya the Bee and Vicky is a logical strategy,” said Van den Kerkhof.

Holiday Park will keep its name and will be reopened in April 2011, having shut its door at the end of last month. The deal also sees the park’s 85 staff keeping their jobs. Studio 100 said it will invest €25m over the next four years to turn it into one of the five most visited theme parks in Germany.

“It is important for Studio 100 to offer family entertainment on all platforms under our own direction,” added Patrick Elmendorff, MD of Studio100 Media. “This includes allowing fans to experience classics such as Vicky and the heroes from our production House of Anubis.”