Feb 25, 2021

"Avatar", "Rugrats" and "Star Trek" lead the animated slate with Paramount+

Do you crave more streaming options - ViacomCBS willingly oblige. The conglomerate is preparing to launch its new SVOD platform Paramount+, which is technically a rebranding of the existing CBS All Access service, on May 4, with promising animation

on Investor Day on Wednesday, the company set the launch details. By summer, Paramount+ will have an impressive 2,500 feature films and 30,000 series episodes. The premium plan is premium9.99, and the base plan with ad support is 4 4.99. The platform will debut in Canada and Latin America on 3/4, in Northern Europe on 3/25, and also in Australia later that year.

As for animation, ViacomCBS is busy developing established franchises that come from a portfolio of brands such as Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central. We have previously written about the company's broad strategy for both family and adult animation. Below are some animation-related highlights from Wednesday's presentation.

Space Avatars created in the hit series: The Legend of the Last Airbender and Kola is set to continue to grow. Nickelodeon has established a new division, Avatar Studio, that creates original content based on the franchise.

Series creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko will lead the studio as co-Chief Creative Officers. They create Paramount+ as well as Nickelodeon's linear and digital platforms, third-party platforms and theater titles. The studio's first project will be an animated theatrical film, which is scheduled to begin production later this year.

The iconic Nickelodeon Show will be revived as a cg animated series that will debut on Paramount+ this spring. It will again be produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studio.

The main voice cast of the 1990s series is reprising its role as a toddler faction. The original producers Eryk Casemiro and Kate Boutilier are executive producers, Dave Pressler and Casey Leonard are co-executive producers, Rachel Lipman is co-producer and kellie Smith is line producer. The production is directed by Mollie Freilich, Nickelodeon's Senior manager and current series animation.

First, CG to debut at Paramount+ this spring Rugratsの再起動を見てくださいpic.twitter.com/cGGX8H9CFe

-cartoonbrew.com -Animation News (@cartoonbrew)2021年2月25日

Star Trek: Prodigy, an animated show originally conceived for Nickelodeon, is a 10-episode series created by Kevin and Dan Hageman (Netflix Trollhunters) for the first time at Paramount+. It will begin in late 2021. The second season of the animated Star Trek: The Lower Deck (which began as CBS All Access Original) will also come to Paramount+ this year. Ultimately, streamers will be the home of all Star Trek content.

The long-awaited hybrid feature Spongebob movie: Spongebob on the Run has finally come to the US audience and has already premiered almost everywhere else. The movie will be available on Paramount+ on 3/4. Joining it on launch is the franchise's first spin-off series, cg animation's Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years.

Mike Judge has created a new Beavis & Bat Head feature film that will debut on Streamers sometime next year, ahead of the launch of the previously announced series.

Two popular animated Nickelodeon series, Dora the Explorer and Pretty Weird Parents, are coming back in live-action form. Little is known about the reboot being developed for Paramount+, but it is said to be the "vein" of the 2019 live-action feature film "Dora and the City of Lost Gold."

Following rival studios, Paramount Pictures seized the opportunity presented by the pandemic to ditch the traditional 90-day theater window. It tries 45 days window for tentpoles and 30 days for other releases. After that period, the film can move freely to Paramount+ and other places.

Among the titles that will be streamed exclusively on the platform after the shortened theater run is Paw Patrol: The Movie, a spin-off from the hugely popular preschool show scheduled to be released in cinemas on 8/20.