Kartoon Studios’ Sneak Peek of “Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie And Friends” Wowed a Packed House at the Iconic Chinese Theatre in Hollywood
Livingston Taylor, the voice of Pooh, surrounded by
fans, after yesterday’s performance
A DEFINING CREATIVE MOMENT SHOWCASING THE HEART, MUSIC, AND WARMTH OF THE ICONIC FRANCHISE BASED ON A.A. MILNE’S CLASSIC CHARACTERS
“I CAN’T WAIT FOR MORE WINNIE!”; FAMILIES AND CHILDREN EMBRACE THE WARMTH AND WONDER OF WINNIE AND FRIENDS AT FIRST SNEAK PEEK
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Dec. 17, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kartoon Studios (NYSE American: TOON), today announced the packed house debut of its exclusive sneak peek screening of the upcoming animated franchise, Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends, held at Hollywood’s legendary TCL Chinese Theatre. The event had a packed audience including not only industry insiders and family influencers, but children and families from After School All-Stars and Shriner’s Children’s, charitable organizations whose kid-first missions, Kartoon Studios proudly supports.
One mom with her kids, said that “she hasn’t seen such excitement over a children’s property, since she was a kid herself with the Cabbage Patch Kids frenzy.” When the music started playing, and the characters were doing their dances, many of the kids started dancing.
Attendees and cast at yesterday’s sneak peek of footage
from Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends
The screening offered attendees an intimate and immersive first look at the creative heart of the series, showcasing its distinctive visual artistry, original music, and emotionally resonant storytelling, highlighted by the debut performance of Livingston Taylor as the iconic Winnie the Pooh. Kids literally got up spontaneously and were dancing in their seats.
Carefully curated clips introduced audiences to the warmth, humor, and gentle wisdom of the Hundred Acre Wood, revealing the totally unique yarn-based world, brought vividly to life through expressive character animation, rich color, and a storybook aesthetic designed to appeal to both children and parents.
Attendees at yesterday’s sneak peek of footage
from Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends
Watch & Relive the Event
• Event Recap Video:
Guests were also treated to a live Broadway-style “table read” of Episode One, “Worry Sticks,” directed by series Co-Executive Producer, Linda Woolverton, writer of Lion King and Beauty and the Beast, including a special live musical moment, as Taylor grabbed his guitar to perform ‘The Worry Wiggle’, a featured song in the first episode, that Taylor co-wrote, offering an early glimpse into the musical identity of the series. The performance highlighted the central role both music and dance plays in Winnie and Friends.
“This sneak peek was a celebration of everything we believe makes Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends truly special,” said Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Kartoon Studios. “Experiencing a packed theater filled with families and children, all laughing, singing, and emotionally connecting with the Hundred Acre Wood together for the very first time, was profoundly moving for all of us who believe so deeply in this most special of all properties for children. Livingston Taylor’s performance as Pooh is nothing short of magical, he brings a gentleness and authenticity that connects instantly with audiences. This event marked the beginning of what we believe will be one of the most enduring and beloved family franchises for generations to come. We couldn’t have possibly hoped for more.”
The franchise is creatively led by Linda Woolverton, the celebrated writer behind Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Maleficent, and Alice in Wonderland. Speaking after the event, Woolverton commented, “Sharing this world, its characters, its music, and its kindness with families today was a joy. Winnie and Friends was created to bring comfort, imagination, and showcase neurodiversity, to children growing up in a fast, loud, and otherwise anxious world. Seeing the audience respond with laughter, wonder, and connection affirmed everything we’ve worked so hard to create.”
Livingston Taylor, the voice of Pooh, and Producers Linda Woolverton and Andy Heyward
Families and children in attendance responded with wide smiles and excitement, with young guests eager to share their favorite moments from their first visit to the Hundred Acre Wood. One 6-year-old described the experience as “so exciting,” saying they loved the characters and the songs, and that “Winnie and Friends was their new favorite,” adding that they could not wait to watch the whole show when it comes out. Another young guest, bouncing with delight, shared that they loved the music, thought Pooh was really smart and cute, and especially enjoyed seeing all the characters together, saying ‘they wanted to watch it again’. A 5-year-old summed up the experience simply, saying “it made me happy, the colors were so pretty, and the characters felt like they were my friends,” a sentiment echoed throughout the theater, as guests of all ages agreed they could not wait to see more.
The sneak peek also offered attendees a first look at the series’ handcrafted “yarn universe,” a visually distinctive style that blends warmth, texture, and state-of-the-art animation, paired with original music by legendary composer Danny Elfman.
“As we look ahead, Winnie and Friends represents far more than a beautiful new series, it is a transformational opportunity for Kartoon Studios,” added Heyward. “With its emotional depth, universal themes, world-class creative team, and expansive multi-platform roadmap, we believe this franchise has the potential to become one of the most important long-term assets in our company’s history. For TOON and its investors, this is not just another show—this is a cornerstone brand with the power to drive meaningful growth, global reach, and enduring value for many years to come.”
ABOUT “HUNDRED ACRE WOOD’S: WINNIE AND FRIENDS”
Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends is Kartoon Studios’ reimagining of A.A. Milne’s beloved characters, created to introduce Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Owl, Rabbit, and their friends to a new generation through music-rich, emotionally warm storytelling. Designed from inception as a 360° global franchise, the property integrates short-form content, holiday specials, consumer products, and future live experiences into a long-term, multi-platform brand strategy.
Led by Executive Producer Linda Woolverton, with original music by Danny Elfman and series direction from Head Writer/Showrunner Elise Allen, the franchise combines world-class creative leadership with a distinctive handcrafted “yarn universe” animation style that blends tactile textures with cutting-edge digital production to create a warm, storybook visual signature.
The rollout includes 208 serialized short-form episodes, a slate of holiday specials beginning in 2026, and an expansive global consumer products program spanning toys, apparel, publishing, and more. Experiential activations and live events are in development to further extend family engagement worldwide. Together, these elements position Winnie and Friends as a cornerstone franchise engineered for long-term global reach and multi-generational appeal.
Acclaimed musician Livingston Taylor voices Winnie the Pooh, bringing warmth, sincerity, and musical authenticity to the iconic character—an inspired performance that serves as a defining creative element of the franchise.
About Kartoon Studios
Kartoon Studios (NYSE AMERICAN: TOON) is a global leader in children’s and family entertainment, delivering premium content and high-value animated intellectual property to millions of viewers worldwide. The Company’s portfolio features globally recognized brands, as well as holding a controlling interest in Stan Lee Universe, and operates Mainframe Studios, one of North America’s largest animation producers, with more than 22,000 minutes of award-winning programming delivered.
Through its Toon Media Networks division including Kartoon Channel!, Ameba, Kartoon Channel Worldwide and Frederator, Kartoon Studios reaches audiences across linear television, AVOD, SVOD, FAST channels, and top streaming platforms. Kartoon Channel! is consistently rated the #1 kids’ streaming app on the Apple App Store. With a global distribution footprint in over 60 territories, and a robust content pipeline, Kartoon Studios is being positioned for sustained growth and long-term shareholder value.
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Forward-Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements and include statements regarding: positioning Kartoon Studios for growth at the intersection of high-value content and a global consumer-products revenue platform; hosting a special sneak peek event for “Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends”, at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre on December 16, 2025; “Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends” having the potential to become a billion dollar global evergreen brand for generations to come; “Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends” becoming one of Kartoon Studios’ most valuable long-term assets; the new series bringing POOH, and his friends, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, Owl, Rabbit, and others, to a new generation of consumers; structuring “Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends” as a 360° global franchise, with an integrated roadmap designed to maximize engagement, accelerate monetization, and expand worldwide presence; plans for the multi-phase rollout, including serialized short-form content engineered for broad distribution, producing a Christmas premiere in 2026 and specials for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Easter, a consumer products program and experiential and live event extensions; becoming a powerful, enduring asset for both audiences and shareholders; developing “Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends” as a cornerstone franchise, supported by a large-format content strategy that spans short-form episodes, holiday specials, and an ambitious multi-platform rollout; engineering “Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends” for long-term durability, with a comprehensive roadmap that reaches across streaming and broadcast partners, global consumer products, live and experiential events, and other immersive brand touchpoints; accelerating worldwide expansion, deepening engagement with families across generations, and positioning the property as a meaningful and enduring growth engine for the Company and its shareholders for years to come; and the Company being positioned for sustained growth and long-term shareholder value. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, the Company’s ability to position Kartoon Studios for growth at the intersection of high-value content and a global consumer-products revenue platform; the Company’s ability to develop the Company’s ability to develop “Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends” into a billion dollar global evergreen brand for generations to come; the Company’s ability to bring POOH and his friends to a new generation of consumers; the Company’s ability to structure “Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends” as a 360° global franchise, with an integrated roadmap designed to maximize engagement, accelerate monetization, and expand worldwide presence; the Company’s ability to implement its multi-phase rollout, including serialized short-form content engineered for broad distribution, producing a Christmas premiere in 2026 and specials for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Easter, a consumer products program and experiential and live event extensions; the Company’s ability to develop “Hundred Acre Wood’s: Winnie and Friends” as a cornerstone franchise; the Company’s ability to accelerate worldwide expansion, deepen engagement with families across generations, and position the property as a meaningful and enduring growth engine for the Company and its shareholders for years; the Company’s ability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms, if at all; fluctuations in the results of the Company’s operations from period to period; general economic and financial conditions; the Company’s ability to anticipate changes in popular culture, media and movies, fashion and technology; competitive pressure from other distributors of content and within the retail market; the Company’s reliance on and relationships with third-party production and animation studios; the Company’s ability to market and advertise its products; the Company’s reliance on third-parties to promote its products; the Company’s ability to keep pace with technological advances; the Company’s ability to protect its intellectual property and those other risk factors set forth in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 and in the Company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
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