The general manager of Animotion Media Group discussed the expansion of its flagship animated franchise in Latin America, following its arrival on TV Azteca. At Mipcom, the company is also introducing Fixie Lab, a live-action format based on the brand, while advancing the development of its new animated series Shooting Stars.
*with reporting by Carolina Mussio and Ana Paula Carreira from Cannes, France.
Animotion Media Group arrived at Mipcom 2026 with a catalog of more than ten children’s and family properties, alongside new projects in development and a strategy focused on extending its established franchises into different genres, formats and digital platforms.
“We brought a large catalog of kids’ and family IPs, with more than ten properties, as well as several projects in development. We also brought a live-action format based on one of our flagship properties,” Julia Nikolaeva, General Manager of Animotion Media Group, told ttv in Cannes.
“The Fixies is our number one project, with worldwide distribution. Based on that franchise, we created a live-action format that has already been produced in China and will soon launch in the Middle East,” she explained.
The company’s presence at Mipcom follows a series of international distribution agreements, including a partnership with La Panadería Licensing & Marketing to bring The Fixies to TV Azteca in Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras. The deal covers the first three seasons of the animated series in Spanish, with exclusive free-to-air rights and non-exclusive digital rights for La Panadería’s FVOD and AVOD platforms.
“The agreement with TV Azteca was something we’d been waiting for for a long time. The series premiered this week, during Mipcom, so we’re still waiting for the ratings, but we’re very optimistic about its potential,” Nikolaeva said.
The Fixies Finds New Audiences in Latin America
The Fixies, an educational animated franchise about tiny creatures living inside household appliances and electronic devices, has been reaching international audiences for more than a decade. Its stories combine humor and adventure with explanations of everyday technology and scientific concepts.
“We started noticing significant growth over the past year, particularly on our Spanish-language YouTube channels and social media. This year, our Spanish-language channel reached three million subscribers,” Nikolaeva highlighted.
“The Fixies has been in the market for more than ten years, in over 30 languages. What we’re starting to see now is that there’s already a generation that grew up with the brand. On social media, we’re reaching parents and young adults who grew up watching the show and still feel attached to it. In that sense, the brand is becoming evergreen for them.”
The executive pointed to the importance of adapting established content to social media and changing viewing habits.
“We’ve seen some very interesting examples of our content going viral. For instance, we published a video explaining mathematics and how to count using your fingers, and some Spanish-speaking content creators picked it up. It generated around 30 million views in just one week,” she said.
“That’s further proof that we need to focus more on Spanish-speaking audiences, especially Latin America. We’re analyzing our data and trying to create more tailored content, particularly short-form videos, because consumption habits differ from one territory to another. Shorts are extremely popular in Latin America, across different ages and genres.”
For Animotion, repackaging existing animation is also becoming a central part of its digital distribution and monetization strategy.
“I think it’s a must nowadays for children’s content. That’s the beauty of animation: children can watch it again and again, and it doesn’t get old. We already have several seasons and feature films of The Fixies, so we need to think about how to adapt that material for different markets.”
“Our audience also helps us do that. Through their comments, their involvement and the trends we see, we can rethink the content we already have. It’s a very useful marketing tool, but also a monetization opportunity,” she explained.
Fixie Lab Takes the Franchise Into Live Action
One of Animotion’s main presentations at Mipcom is Fixie Lab, a live-action educational entertainment format developed from the animated universe of The Fixies. The format recreates the franchise’s laboratory setting, bringing together a real-life professor, children dressed as Fixies and animated sequences to explore science and technology through experiments.
“The idea is very similar to our animated episodes. We’ve already covered around 250 topics in animation, from technology to gadgets and everyday devices, so we have a lot of material to work with,” Nikolaeva explained. “We’ve already produced one season of this format in China, and now we’re producing an Arabic version for the MENA region. We introduced Fixie Lab to our international catalog at Mipcom and have already received interest from other territories.”
“We have a real professor playing Professor Eugenius, children wearing Fixie costumes and a laboratory setting similar to the one in the animated series. They conduct experiments together. For example, an episode might explore how a washing machine works. The professor and the Fixies investigate, ask other children questions and try to find the answers.”
“We also incorporate animation to explain the theoretical side. It’s a very entertaining 15-minute format, and because it’s a television show, we can reach a slightly older audience, up to 12 or 14 years old.”
The initiative is part of a broader effort to extend the lifespan of established children’s properties by introducing new formats and age groups.
“When you have a successful, sustainable franchise, you need to think about expanding it into different genres and reaching different age groups. That’s what we’re doing with The Fixies,” Nikolaeva said. “Animation takes a long time to produce, while live action can be faster. A format like this can also travel internationally. Once you have a popular character, you need to think about what else that character can do and where else it can exist.”
“We treat our characters like stars, almost like real actors. We also have a podcast with The Fixies. In animation, bringing together characters from different universes can sometimes be complicated, but in audio, for example, you can have two characters from different shows meeting in a podcast and having a conversation,” she explained.
Shooting Stars Moves Forward in Development
Animotion is also advancing Shooting Stars, a new animated action-comedy series centered on a girls’ football team whose players acquire extraordinary superpowers. The 2D project, presented in the company’s catalog as a 22 x 11-minute series, combines sports, science fiction, friendship and the challenges of growing up.
“At last year’s Mipcom, we were looking for the right partners for Shooting Stars, including animation studios and potential media partners. I think that during this Mipcom, we’ve finally found the studios we were looking for. We hope to announce more details soon,” Nikolaeva revealed.
“Coproduction has become essential. Platforms tend to prioritize spin-offs and projects based on existing successful properties, whether they’re books, series or films. When you’re developing a new IP, you have to bring together different partners and understand where and how the content will be distributed before the project can move forward. Putting all those pieces together takes time.”
In Shooting Stars, a girls’ football team gains superpowers after a mysterious meteor strikes their playing field. Their new abilities reflect their personalities and personal challenges, while the players must confront monsters threatening their city.
“It’s about a girls’ football team with superpowers, and those powers are connected to the problems they face growing up. For example, a girl who tends to run away from her problems becomes incredibly fast,” Nikolaeva explained. “It’s a story about friendship and relationships with parents, but at the same time, the girls have to save their city from monsters. We’re still keeping our focus on safe, family-friendly entertainment, while exploring new stories and audiences.”
