WALMART, TARGET, AND AMAZON DEBUT FIRST TWO DVD RELEASES OF GENIUS BRANDS INTERNATIONAL’S NICK JR. SERIES, RAINBOW RANGERS

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., March 31, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Genius Brands International, Inc. (“Genius Brands”) (NASDAQ: GNUS), a global brand management company that creates and licenses multimedia entertainment content for children, and its home entertainment partner, Distribution Solutions, announce the first two Rainbow Rangers DVDs, “Welcome to Kaleidoscopia” and “I Heart Unicorns,” from its hit original TV series currently airing daily on Nick Jr. in the U.S.



Available at Walmart and Target stores nationwide, as well as online at Amazon, the first DVD features eight episodes from season one of Rainbow Rangers, plus original music videos. The second DVD features six Rainbow Rangers episodes and two bonus specials. The debut of the new DVDs follows the initial retail rollout of Rainbow Rangers branded merchandise, including a full-scale Halloween program, featuring an in-store exclusive with Walmart, and a direct to retail program with Spirit Halloween, as well as an assortment of costumes and accessories at online retailers, including Walmart, Amazon, Party City and halloweencostumes.com. Additional products available for Rainbow Rangers include apparel from Bentex on Amazon; storybooks from Macmillan Publishing at Target.com, Walmart.com, and Barnes & Noble; bicycles from Dynacraft at Walmart.com and Kohl's.com; and stationery items from Inkology on Amazon. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Genius Brands also just released a series of PSAs available to broadcasters and platforms worldwide that feature children’s brands from the company’s catalog, including Rainbow Rangers.



“For years, I have been championing the timeless value of animation as an asset class. As we find ourselves in a time of turmoil dominating the news—Coronavirus, Brexit, oil prices, interest rates--and their impact on the global economy, the release of our DVD content across the gold standard of retail--Walmart, Target and Amazon--further underscores that animated cartoons flourishes in virtually any climate,” states Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Genius Brands. “Despite the effects of the global economy, kids will continue to watch cartoons, and the growing success of Rainbow Rangers and its distribution on DVD emphasizes that point. As more and more live content is consumed online, the category of children’s animation entertainment, meanwhile, stands apart and delivers a very robust business of physical DVD product for the major retailers.”



“The launch of our original preschool brand, Rainbow Rangers, at retail is just beginning, and we are building a lot of momentum with key retail partners set across multiple categories, including the debut of our Rainbow Rangers toy program,” commented Jon Ollwerther, EVP, Global Brand & Business Development, Genius Brands. “We are thrilled with the retail placement that our partner Distribution Solutions secured for the first DVD releases of this special series, and we look forward to working with them as we expand globally.”



“We are excited to collaborate with our partners at Genius Brands on the global rollout of Rainbow Rangers, and to offer young viewers and their families more ways to interact with their favorite characters and express their fandom,” commented Ben Means, President, Distribution Solutions. “These DVD releases from Season one are the kick off to a regular cadence of DVD releases planned throughout the year.”



Rainbow Rangers, which airs on Nick Jr. in the U.S. Monday – Friday with four airings per day, and six airings on the weekends, is a rescue-based series that follows the adventures of seven girls who are Earth’s first responders, protecting people, animals, resources, and the natural beauty of our world.



The series boasts a unique and highly-accomplished team of creators from the animated motion picture and television worlds, including Rob Minkoff (Disney’s The Lion King director), Shane Morris (Disney’s Frozen co-writer), Tim Mansfield, and New York Times Bestselling author and Emmy Award-nominated writer Elise Allen (Dinosaur Train, Lion Guard, Barbie specials), who serves as head writer and co-creator. Multiple Emmy Award-winning director Michael Maliani directs the series, and Genius Brands' Chairman and CEO and multiple Emmy Award-winning producer, Andy Heyward, serves as executive producer.



About Genius Brands International



Genius Brands International, Inc. (Nasdaq: GNUS) is a leading global kids media company developing, producing, marketing and licensing branded children’s entertainment properties and consumer products for media and retail distribution. The Company’s award-winning ‘content with a purpose’ portfolio includes Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; Rainbow Rangers for Nick Jr.; Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner, for Netflix; award-winning toddler brand Baby Genius; adventure comedy STEM series Thomas Edison's Secret Lab; entrepreneurship series Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club; and Stan Lee's Cosmic Crusaders, created with Stan Lee's Pow! Entertainment. Through licensing agreements with leading partners, characters from Genius Brands’ IP also appear on a wide range of consumer products for the worldwide retail marketplace. The Company’s Genius Brands Network of channels, including Kid Genius Cartoon Channel, Baby Genius TV, and Kid Genius Cartoons Plus!, are available in over 100 million U.S. television households via a multitude of distribution platforms, including Comcast, Cox, DISH, Amazon Prime, Sling TV, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and more. For additional information, please visit .



About Distribution Solutions



Distribution Solutions, a division of Alliance Entertainment, is the largest aggregator and downstream distributor of independent film labels in North America. We have extensive experience in home entertainment sales and distribution, including Physical Distribution (DVD/BLU-RAY/4K), Digital Distribution (TVOD, SVOD, AVOD,) and Global Television Distribution for a variety of label partners, including Time Life, Genius Brands International, Magnolia Pictures, RLJ Entertainment and The Criterion Collection. Distribution Solutions also offers comprehensive marketing and creative services, scaled to meet the needs of our partners.



Forward-Looking Statements:



_{Certain statements in this notice 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. 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 those set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), not limited to Risk Factors relating to its patent business contained therein. 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.}



CONTACTS:



GENIUS BRANDS INTERNATIONAL:



Michelle Orsi

Three.Sixty Marketing & Communications Tel: (310) 418-6430



PORTER LEVAY & ROSE



7 Pennsylvania Plaza, Suite 810 New York, NY 10001

T: 212-564-4700

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