European animation studio Mediawan Kids & Family has partnered with El Reino Infantil, the premier YouTube Kids network in the Hispanic market, to create “Wadoo,” an innovative animated preschool series designed for the digital-first landscape, which will debut character concepts via AI-enhanced social media clips before evolving into a full-fledged series.
The comedic adventure features Wadoo, an inquisitive young dragoness guiding preschoolers on enchanting musical escapades in a fantastical realm. The 39 planned episodes, each lasting seven minutes, will intertwine themes of exploration, friendship, and environmental awareness, all highlighted through original songs that reflect each episode’s core lesson.
This collaboration marks Mediawan Kids & Family’s strategic entry into the digital-first animation space, leveraging traditional production strengths alongside El Reino Infantil’s impressive online presence, boasting over 222 million YouTube subscribers in 11 languages.
“We are excited to collaborate with El Reino Infantil, a trailblazer in digital content, to introduce Wadoo, an innovative preschool intellectual property tailored for contemporary audiences,” stated Julien Borde, president of Mediawan Kids & Family. “This partnership signifies a significant strategic move in our goal to merge digital creativity with top-tier traditional production quality.”
The initiative will begin with a comprehensive soft-launch, featuring social media shorts on El Reino Infantil’s platform to evaluate character designs and storytelling style. These shorts will incorporate AI tools to enhance the artistic process, while still ensuring creative integrity remains with the production teams.
Roberto “Kuky” Pumar, CEO of El Reino Infantil, remarked, “In the midst of a major evolution in children’s entertainment, our collaboration with Mediawan Kids & Family holds the potential to reshape how engaging brands for new generations are developed. Wadoo emerges from this synergy as a project for a world where digital and physical realms intersect. Collaboration is the key to success today.”
After analyzing viewership metrics and gathering community input from the shorts, the complete 39-episode series is set to premiere in 2026, featuring distribution on YouTube alongside international broadcasting through Mediawan Kids & Family Distribution. The creators aim to develop a robust transmedia franchise, inspired by successful models like “Miraculous” and “La Granja de Zenon.”
Nicolas Fisch from Mediawan Kids & Family and Ylka Tapia from El Reino Infantil will take on the roles of executive producers.
Mediawan Kids & Family, the children’s division of pan-European studio Mediawan, encompasses production labels such as Method Animation, Somewhere Animation, and Elliott Studio, along with operations in Italy, the U.K., and the Netherlands. The company is responsible for distributing “Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir” and boasts a vast catalog of 2,500 episodes sold in over 150 countries.
El Reino Infantil is recognized for animated hits like “Zenon the Farmer,” “Bichikids,” and “The Little Sailor,” and is also engaged in creating games, merchandise, and live entertainment across Latin America, Asia, and Europe.
