Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG will exhibit at LicensingCon Brazil for the second year running to showcase its brands and highlight the growth of ZAG in the region. Brands include the globally popular property Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, a co-production with Grupo Globo. Also to be presented is the animated CG action-comedy series, Ghostforce, available across Latin America on Discovery Kids, and also on SBT in Brazil from August 19, 2023. ZAG will share its brand plans for the properties at an exclusive summit and cocktail on the first night of the event.
Miraculous is a 360 brand reaching fans at all touchpoints, from content to games, products, and experiences. Following the global success of the launch of Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, The Movie, Miraculous is stronger than ever. The movie originally launched theatrically in Europe in early July, with over 1.5 million tickets sold in France, over 1 million in Germany, and over 700 thousand in Poland. On July 28, the movie premiered on Netflix in over 50 countries, becoming a top-ranked movie on their Top 10 Global Movies list. And more new content is coming with two animated specials! Paris, Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir, is set in an alternate universe where Ladybug and Cat Noir are the villains; and Miraculous Action is a special episode to raise awareness about the global plastic crisis.
New products and events for Miraculous are scheduled for launch in Brazil this year. These include a range of apparel from Loja Anime and FAN LAB stores (print on demand) for young audiences, and featured in the fashion show of Licensing Brazil; a range of oral care from GUM; a 32-page illustrated Miraculous movie sticker book by Panini; a manga from Kodansha by Koma Warita and Riku Tsuchida, rated for ages 8 and up; and a new line of back-to-school backpacks for 2024 from Dermiwil. Miraculous will also be featured in December aboard the Gloob Ship where children can enjoy Miraculous attractions including encounters and greetings with the superhero characters; C+E will launch Miraculous experiences at malls in September in Curitiba; and the popular Miraculous Run from BTS Eventos, which took place earlier in the year in Brazil, will have another edition this year. And coming in 2024 is a new global event, Miraculous Day.
Gaming continues to be popular across the LatAm region. The mini game from PKXD, which launched in April 2023, already has over 105 million plays, with 37 million from Latin America; and Brazil is the #1 country to download the official Miraculous app that has over 250 million downloads to date. Additionally, the new mobile game, Miraculous Life, for iOS, GooglePlay and Amazon, surpassed 6 million downloads with 38 million minutes played globally in 3 months with almost 50% of downloads from Brazil! And Brazil has the most plays of the Roblox game Miraculous RP: Quests of Ladybug & Cat Noir outside of the U.S. The console game, Miraculous: Rise of the Sphynx from GameMill Entertainment continues to rank highly around the world.
For Ghostforce, Halloween 2023 marks the launch of the first products at retail for the brand. Novabrink is launching costumed 18-inch figurines of the Ghostforce heroes as well as Halloween costumes; Xalingo will unveil wooden board games, jigsaw puzzles, activity sets, memory games and dominoes; luggage, backpacks and lunch boxes will be available from Dermiwil; and Lolla Sorvestes will offer ice cream. C+E will also launch Ghostforce experiences at shopping malls in September in Curitiba.
“Our brands continue to perform exceptionally well across Latin America with a broad and passionate fan base from kids to young adults,” commented Angela Cortez, VP Licensing, Latin America & Canada. “Miraculous is stronger than ever with a 360 program that reaches all age demographics with the core brand, as well as manga, gaming, and music. And for Ghostforce, we are working closely with our content partners Discovery Kids and SBT to amplify toys, back to school, party goods and apparel as well as mall event activities.”