Following a record-breaking season in 2017, Leolandia is extending its partnership with licensing company Entertainment One (eOne) by signing a multi-year agreement for children’s superhero series, PJ Masks.
This superhero animated preschool TV series airs daily on Disney Junior and RAI and has rapidly become one of the most popular properties for young children throughout Italy and elsewhere in Europe.
Leolandia and eOne previously collaborated on a Peppa Pig themed attraction. The new agreement will enable the theme park, which is located close to Milan, to become the first and only park in the world to host the PJ Masks heroes when it launches on March 17th. Development of the dedicated area is now underway and the second season of the TV series will be airing in March with 52 new episodes and a third series already in production.
“The partnership between Leolandia and eOne, who are both well-renowned in the kids’ entertainment industry has produced positive results since 2014. The park set a precedent with their Peppa Pig area, which included interactive elements based on familiar scenes from the series and subsequently attracted millions of visitors over the last few years – Giuseppe Ira, the President of Leolandia remarks. – Innovation and vision are our driving forces. Therefore, we are very pleased to have signed this agreement which extends our collaboration with eOne, a brand that solidified the popularity of Leolandia among our core preschool audience. Having closed 2017 season with record numbers and a double-digit growth in turnover for the fourth year in a row, we are broadening our preschool entertainment offering with the exciting development of a dedicated PJ Masks area at our theme park.”
This partnership with eOne grants exclusive rights in Italy to Leolandia for the development of an entire themed area, where the PJ Masks heroes’ headquarters will be brought to life.
“The project will start in 2018 season with new contents – Ira continues – and will be advanced in the coming years with significant investments that will create a truly unique and interactive guest experience. We will offer new attractions, entertainment, shows, restaurant service and visitors will even have the opportunity to meet their beloved characters Catboy, Owlette and Gekko who they can snap a souvenir photo with to treasure this memorable experience.”
“PJ Masks has rapidly soared in popularity to become one of the leading preschool properties in Italy, so a dedicated themed attraction is the obvious next step in the incredible trajectory of this much-loved children’s brand – said Andrew Carley, head of Global Licensing at Entertainment One – The significant investment that Leolandia is making underlines our own strategy of building the brand for the long term and we’re delighted to be partnering with them to bring the show to life. The combination of this new attraction and two new series in the pipeline, ensures that we will continue to grow PJ Masks for many years to come.”