Sony Pictures Kids Zoneis the kids and family entertainment label ofSony Pictures Home Entertainmentand the former record label owned bySony Music Entertainment.
| Formerly | Sony Kids' Music/Video (1992–1993) Sony Wonder (1993–2020) Sony Pictures Family Fun (2015–2020) |
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | February 1992 |
| Founder | Linda Morgenstern |
| Headquarters | , United States |
| Products | Family films |
| Parent | Sony Music Entertainment(1992–2004) Sony BMG Music Entertainment(2004–2007) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment(2007–present) |
| Website | kidszone |
Despite the similarity in name, Sony Wonder is not directly related to the formerSony Wonder Technology Lab,an interactive technology and entertainment museum, although the museum was also owned bySony.
History
Sony Music Video launched itsSony Kids' MusicandSony Kids' Videolabels in February 1992 after months of planning under the banner SMV Children's Library. Artists signed to Sony Kids' Music at launch includedDan 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 throughEpic Recordsbeginning in January 1993.[2]On May 22, 1993,Nickelodeonsigned 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 asSony 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 Workshopentered a long-term agreement to distributeSesame Streetvideos, music, and books through Sony Wonder, while Columbia Pictures began development on two Muppet films which would be released on video byColumbia TriStar Home Video.Sony Wonder also took over distribution ofRandom HouseHome Video titles in April.[7]
On July 29,Nickelodeonand Sony Wonder launched theNick Jr.Video label with three titles based onEureeka's Castle,Gullah Gullah Island,andAllegra's Window;an audio line launched on March 26, 1996.[8]In 1996, two years afterViacom's acquisition of Paramount Communications,[9]Sony Wonder's deal with Nickelodeon expired, leaving Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. videos and DVDs to be distributed byParamount Home Entertainment(andCIC Videointernationally until 1999).[10]
On August 2, 1997, Sony Wonder entered a long-term worldwide joint venture with Together Again Video Productions to create and distribute new and previousKidsongstitles, starting with 20 new episodes ofThe Kidsongs Television Show.[11]On December 27, Sony Wonder andGolden BooksFamily Entertainment agreed to release titles from Golden Books' catalog starting in spring 1998;[12]the contract continued with Classic Media after they acquired Golden Books.
The company was also the Canadian home video distributor for series produced byCinar,such asWimzie's House,Madeline,A Bunch of Munsch,The Busy World of Richard ScarryandCaillou.[13]
On May 4, 1998, Sony Wonder boughtSunbow Entertainment,[14]which had produced various shows based onHasbro'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 firmTV-Loonland AGto handle the distribution of their shows in German-speaking and Eastern European territories[15]and eventually signed a UK home video deal with Maverick.[16]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.[17][18][19]On May 14, 2008, Hasbro acquired the Sunbow programs based on its properties, which are now part ofHasbro Entertainment.[20][21][22][23]
In 2009, TV-Loonland filed for bankruptcy.[24]In 2011, Loonland sold its catalogue to m4e AG.[25]In February 2017,Studio 100acquired a majority stake in m4e AG. Studio 100 currently holds the television rights to most of the Loonland catalogue, including the Sunbow and Sony Wonder titles.[26]
On March 13, 2007, Sony BMG announced that it was shutting Sony Wonder to focus on its core music business.[21][22][23]However, on June 20, 2007, it was announced that Sony Wonder became a division ofSony Pictures Home Entertainmentas its kids'- and family-entertainment label.[27][28]Classic Media's, Sesame Workshop's and Random House's video deals were sold toGenius Productsfor an undisclosed amount, and later toVivendi Entertainment.[28]The home media releases to Caillou were moved to Vivendi Entertainment Canada. Since 2012, Caillou DVDs are distributed byEntertainment Oneand after their purchase ofPhase 4 Filmsin 2014, are released through the KaBoom Entertainment label. Sesame Workshop's properties were moved toWarner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainmentin 2010 following the closure of Genius Products. As of 2018, Sesame Workshop's properties are distributed byShout! Factorythrough the Shout! Factory Kids label.[29][30]
In 2012,DreamWorks Animationacquired Classic Media for $155 million; the company became a unit of DreamWorks Animation and was renamed to DreamWorks Classics.Universal Pictures Home Entertainmentis the current distributor for Classic Media's properties afterNBCUniversalacquired DreamWorks Animation in 2016.[citation needed]
In 2015, the Sony Wonder label was rebranded asSony Pictures Family Fun,and later folded intoSony Pictures Kids Zonein 2020. The Sony Wonder label was still used for the direct-to-videoThe Swan Princessfilm series up until the same year.
Notes and references
- ^(page 10)
- ^(page 12)
- ^(page 10)
- ^"Sony Wonder Restructures (page 120)"(PDF).July 17, 1993.
- ^"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 fromthe originalon 5 March 2016.
- ^Ayscough, Suzan (1993-07-07)."Sony Wonder to issue Nick fare on vid/audio".Variety.Retrieved2013-08-29.
- ^"Big Bird & Friends Land In Sony Wonder's Nest (page 4/92)"(PDF).May 6, 1995.
- ^"Sony Wonder, Nickelodeon launch Nick Junior video".New York Amsterdam News.86(29): 26. July 1995.
- ^During this period, two companies named Viacom have owned Paramount. The originalViacomowned the studio until 2006, when the new Viacom (spun off from the old one, which was renamedCBS Corporation) assumed ownership of Paramount, along withMTV NetworksandBET Networks.)
- ^Matzer, Marla (June 1996). "Sony, Nick are quits".Brandweek.37(23): 3.
- ^"Sony Wonder Signs On To Sing 'Kidsongs' Praises In Together Again Deal".August 2, 1997.
- ^"Sony Wonder And Golden Books Form Kid-Vid Pact (page 14/89)".December 27, 1997.
- ^"CINAR CORPORATION RENEWS HOME ENTERTAINMENT DEAL WITH SONY WONDER CANADA".October 2, 2000. Archived fromthe originalon 2003-02-05.
- ^Schneider, Michael (May 1998). "Sony Wonder gets animated".Electronic Media.17(19): 75.
- ^"TV-Loonland goes public and inks distribution deal with Sony Wonder".
- ^"News in Brief - Maverick to carry Sony Wonder catalog in the U.K."
- ^Saint Marc, Francoise Meaux (2000-10-03)."MIPCOM: TV-Loonland acquires Sony Wonder".ScreenDaily.Retrieved2012-05-22.
- ^"TV Loonland buys up Sony Wonder units".Variety.2000-10-03.Retrieved2013-08-29.
- ^"Broadcast" 6 October 2000TV-Loonland takes on Sony's Sunbowbroadcastnow.co.uk, Retrieved on August 30, 2013
- ^"Hasbro Reacquires Sunbow Cartoons".ICv2.2008-05-14.Retrieved2013-04-06.
- ^abArnold, Thomas K. (2007-03-14)."Kids label Sony Wonder going under: sources".Reuters.Retrieved2016-01-18.
- ^abArnold, Thomas K. (2007-03-14)."Sony ceases Wonder label".Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved2016-01-18.
- ^abBall, Ryan (2007-03-15)."Sony Wonder Closing Shop?".Animation Magazine.Retrieved2013-08-30.
- ^Roxborough, Scott (2009-12-09)."TV Loonland files for bankruptcy protection".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved2015-07-19.
- ^Getzler, Wendy Goldman (2011-04-05)."m4e acquires TV Loonland content library".Kidscreen.
- ^"Studio 100 Takes Stake in m4e".25 January 2017.
- ^"SPHE absorbs Wonder label".Variety.2007-06-21.Retrieved2013-12-08.
- ^abDeMott, Rick (2007-07-11)."Sony Home Ent. Takes Over Sony Wonder".Animation World Network.Retrieved2013-08-28.
- ^"TVShowsOnDVD.com - Goodbye".www.tvshowsondvd.com.Archived fromthe originalon 2018-05-24.Retrieved2019-04-28.
- ^Dade Hayes (2018-08-01)."Sesame Workshop And Shout Factory Reach Multi-Year Distribution Deal – Deadline".Deadline Hollywood.Archived fromthe originalon May 10, 2019.Retrieved2021-02-22.