WildBrain Spark, the digital media division of WildBrain, one of the world’s largest independent kids’ and family entertainment companies, is making its first foray into augmented reality. Teaming up with South Korean AR specialist ANIPEN, characters from WildBrain’s Teletubbies, In the Night Garden and the original WildBrain Spark’s show Boy & Dragon will be brought to life through ANIPEN’s AR technology and made available within their AnibeaR app. Through the app, users will be able to create short videos which will incorporate the characters in real-world scenes shot on their phones. These videos can then be shared via social media. The project is currently in development and the characters are due to launch on AnibeaR in Korea, Japan, China, Southeast Asia, and Australia later this year.
Jon Gisby, Managing Director of WildBrain Spark, said: “This is a ground-breaking project for WildBrain Spark as we use immersive technology to allow kids and families to create their own stories with our globally recognized characters. We are excited about the possibilities of AR and look forward to bringing our favorite characters to life through ANIPEN’s unrivaled technology.”
Jaewoong Jeon, CEO of ANIPEN, added: “We are committed to bringing next-generation augmented reality content that provides bold new experiences for users, such as interactive AR technology that combines our technical expertise with the family characters audiences know and love. With a portfolio of popular and internationally successful brands such as Teletubbies, In the Night Garden and Boy & Dragon, we’re very excited to be teaming up with WildBrain Spark and to take their characters into the world of AR.”
Based in South Korea, ANIPEN Inc. is an augmented reality startup that was founded in 2013 and developed an interactive augmented reality content-authoring engine to help global companies at home and abroad in technology and content. The AnibeaR app was developed and serviced in-house at ANIPEN and was also selected as the Best of AR in Google Play in 2019.