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Sony Pictures Kids Zone

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Sony Pictures Kids Zone
FormerlySony Kids' Music/Video (1992–1993)
Sony Wonder (1993–2023)
Sony Pictures Family Fun (2015–2020)
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryEntertainment
FoundedFebruary 1992; 34 years ago (1992-02)
FounderLinda Morgenstern
Headquarters
New York City, New York
,
United States
ProductsFamily films
ParentSony Music Entertainment (1992–2004)
Sony BMG Music Entertainment (2004–2007)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2007–present)
Websitekidszone.sonypictures.com

Sony Pictures Kids Zone is the kids and family entertainment label of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and the former record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment.

Despite the similarity in name, Sony Wonder is not directly related to the former Sony Wonder Technology Lab, an interactive technology and entertainment museum, although the museum was also owned by Sony.

History

Under Sony Music

Sony Music Video launched its Sony Kids' Music and Sony Kids' Video labels in February 1992 after months of planning under the banner SMV Children's Library. Artists signed to Sony Kids' Music at launch included Dan Crow, Tom Chapin, Tom Paxton, Kevin Roth, Rory, and Lois Young, who would all release product in the spring.[1] After Sony Music Video dissolved in October, Sony Kids' Music and Video were coordinated and marketed through Epic Records beginning in January 1993.[2] On May 22, 1993, Nickelodeon signed a long-term agreement with Epic Records to distribute home video and audio titles through Sony Music.[3]

On July 3, Sony Kids' Music and Video were merged as Sony Wonder; Sony Wonder's president Ted Green sought new strategic alliances like their one with Nickelodeon.[4][5][6] On April 24, 1995, Children's Television Workshop entered a long-term agreement to distribute Sesame Street videos, music, and books through Sony Wonder, while Columbia Pictures began development on two Muppet films which would be released on video by Columbia TriStar Home Video. Sony Wonder also took over distribution of Random House Home Video titles in April.[7][8]

On July 29, Nickelodeon and Sony Wonder launched the Nick Jr. Video label with three titles based on Eureeka's Castle, Gullah Gullah Island, and Allegra's Window; an audio line launched on March 26, 1996.[9] In 1996, two years after Viacom's acquisition of Paramount Communications,[10] Sony Wonder's deal with Nickelodeon expired, leaving Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. videos and DVDs to be distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment (and CIC Video internationally until 1999).[11]

On August 2, 1997, Sony Wonder entered a long-term worldwide joint venture with Together Again Video Productions to create and distribute new and previous Kidsongs titles, starting with 20 new episodes of The Kidsongs Television Show.[12] On December 27, Sony Wonder and Golden Books Family Entertainment agreed to release titles from Golden Books' catalog starting in spring 1998;[13] the contract continued with Classic Media after they acquired Golden Books.

The company was also the Canadian home video distributor for series produced by CINAR, such as Arthur, Wimzie's House, Madeline, A Bunch of Munsch, The Busy World of Richard Scarry, and Caillou.[14]

On May 4, 1998, Sony Wonder bought Sunbow Entertainment,[15] which had produced various shows based on Hasbro's toy lines but whose original programming had mostly under-performed. On March 1, 2000, Sony Wonder signed a first-look distribution agreement with German-based management firm TV-Loonland AG to handle the distribution of their shows in German-speaking and Eastern European territories[16] and eventually signed a UK home video deal with Maverick.[17] On October 3, as an extension to the previous agreement, TV-Loonland purchased the television division of Sony Wonder, including its programming and ownership in Sunbow. As part of the deal, Sony kept the North American home video and international audio rights to its library.[18][19][20] On May 14, 2008, Hasbro acquired the Sunbow programs based on its properties, which are now part of Hasbro Entertainment.[21][22][23][24] In 2009, TV-Loonland filed for bankruptcy.[25] In 2011, Loonland sold its catalogue to m4e AG.[26] In February 2017, Studio 100 acquired a majority stake in m4e AG, becoming the current owner of television rights to most of the Loonland catalogue, including the Sunbow and Sony Wonder titles.[27]

Closure

From the end of 2006 to 2007, Sony Wonder began losing distribution agreements. The first company to revoke their deal with Sony Wonder was World Wrestling Entertainment, who signed with Genius Products in October 2006.[28] In January 2007, Sony Wonder had also lost their long-time distribution agreement deal with Classic Media to Genius, and this was followed with Sesame Workshop also signing with Genius in February 2007.[29][30] Shortly after in March, Shout! Factory announced they would also end their agreement with Sony Wonder and signed a new deal with Vivendi Visual Entertainment.[31]

With the loss of these agreements, Sony BMG Music Entertainment announced that it would shut down Sony Wonder to focus on its core music business. The last two releases under the Sony Wonder label were the 20th Anniversary Edition of The Transformers: The Movie and A Sesame Street Christmas Carol, which were released in November 2006.[22][23][24]

Under Sony Pictures

On June 20, 2007, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced that it would revive the Sony Wonder brand as its kids and family entertainment label.[32][33][34] The company announced that properties that would be released under Sony Wonder would include The Berenstain Bears, Dragon Tales, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Holly Hobbie & Friends, It's a Big Big World and Stuart Little: The Animated Series.[33]

In 2015, the Sony Wonder label was rebranded as Sony Pictures Family Fun, and later folded into Sony Pictures Kids Zone in 2020. The Sony Wonder label was still used for the direct-to-video The Swan Princess film series until 2023.

Notes and references

  1. ^ (page 10)
  2. ^ (page 12)
  3. ^ (page 10)
  4. ^ "Sony Wonder Restructures (page 120)" (PDF). July 17, 1993.
  5. ^ "SONY WONDER ANNOUNCES EAGERLY AWAITED DEBUT OF NICKELODEON'S PREMIER PROGRAMMING ON HOME VIDEO & AUDIO WITH THE LAUNCH OF THE NICK COLLECTION" (Press release). Sony Wonder. 6 July 1993. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
  6. ^ Ayscough, Suzan (1993-07-07). "Sony Wonder to issue Nick fare on vid/audio". Variety. Retrieved 2013-08-29.
  7. ^ "Big Bird & Friends Land In Sony Wonder's Nest (page 4/92)" (PDF). May 6, 1995.
  8. ^ "Sesame Street teams up with Sony". UPI. April 25, 1995.
  9. ^ "Sony Wonder, Nickelodeon launch Nick Junior video". New York Amsterdam News. 86 (29): 26. July 1995.
  10. ^ During this period, two companies named Viacom have owned Paramount. The original Viacom owned the studio until 2006, when the new Viacom (spun off from the old one, which was renamed CBS Corporation) assumed ownership of Paramount, along with MTV Networks and BET Networks.)
  11. ^ Matzer, Marla (June 1996). "Sony, Nick are quits". Brandweek. 37 (23): 3.
  12. ^ "Sony Wonder Signs On To Sing 'Kidsongs' Praises In Together Again Deal". August 2, 1997.
  13. ^ "Sony Wonder And Golden Books Form Kid-Vid Pact (page 14/89)". December 27, 1997.
  14. ^ "CINAR CORPORATION RENEWS HOME ENTERTAINMENT DEAL WITH SONY WONDER CANADA". October 2, 2000. Archived from the original on 2003-02-05.
  15. ^ Schneider, Michael (May 1998). "Sony Wonder gets animated". Electronic Media. 17 (19): 75.
  16. ^ "TV-Loonland goes public and inks distribution deal with Sony Wonder".
  17. ^ "News in Brief - Maverick to carry Sony Wonder catalog in the U.K."
  18. ^ Saint Marc, Francoise Meaux (2000-10-03). "MIPCOM: TV-Loonland acquires Sony Wonder". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 2012-05-22.
  19. ^ "TV Loonland buys up Sony Wonder units". Variety. 2000-10-03. Retrieved 2013-08-29.
  20. ^ "Broadcast" 6 October 2000 TV-Loonland takes on Sony's Sunbow broadcastnow.co.uk, Retrieved on August 30, 2013
  21. ^ "Hasbro Reacquires Sunbow Cartoons". ICv2. 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
  22. ^ a b Arnold, Thomas K. (2007-03-14). "Kids label Sony Wonder going under: sources". Reuters. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  23. ^ a b Arnold, Thomas K. (2007-03-14). "Sony ceases Wonder label". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-01-18.
  24. ^ a b Ball, Ryan (2007-03-15). "Sony Wonder Closing Shop?". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2013-08-30.
  25. ^ Roxborough, Scott (2009-12-09). "TV Loonland files for bankruptcy protection". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-07-19.
  26. ^ Getzler, Wendy Goldman (2011-04-05). "m4e acquires TV Loonland content library". Kidscreen.
  27. ^ "Studio 100 Takes Stake in m4e". 25 January 2017.
  28. ^ "WWE, Genius Products: A winning combination". WWE. October 17, 2006. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  29. ^ "Genius Products announces long-term co-production and distribution agreements with Entertainment Rights PLC and Classic Media". Genius Products. Wayback Machine. 8 January 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  30. ^ Ball, Ryan (February 21, 2007). "Sesame Workshop Has Job for Genius". Animation Magazine. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  31. ^ "Vivendi gives Shout distribn [sic] deal". The Hollywood Reporter.
  32. ^ "SPHE absorbs Wonder label". Variety. 2007-06-21. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
  33. ^ a b DeMott, Rick (2007-07-11). "Sony Home Ent. Takes Over Sony Wonder". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
  34. ^ "A wonder-ful world SPHE". The Hollywood Reporter.
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