This is actually old news, but TPTB said they didn't even know who holds the rights to M.A.S.K. Well here you go:
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DIC ENTERTAINMENT RE-ACQUIRES THE RIGHTS TO OVER 750 HALF-HOURS OF ANIMATED PROPERTIES
DIC ENTERTAINMENT RE-ACQUIRES THE RIGHTS TO OVER 750 HALF-HOURS OF ANIMATED PROPERTIES FROM THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY AND JETIX EUROPE FOR GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION
20 Television Series Returned to DIC for Television and Home Entertainment Distribution and Merchandising
Burbank, California – March 22, 2006 – DIC Entertainment (DIC) has re-acquired the rights to an extensive slate of animated children's properties from The Walt Disney Company and Jetix Europe for television, home entertainment and consumer products. The announcement was made today by Andy Heyward, Chairman and CEO, DIC Entertainment.
As part of the deal, DIC will now control various marketing and distribution rights for 750 half-hour episodes of globally recognized brands previously produced by DIC, including Care Bears, Inspector Gadget, Heathcliff, Dennis the Menace, The Littles, and more.
"We have one of the largest libraries of animation in the world consisting of some of the most popular children's properties ever, and we are thrilled to have these properties back in the DIC family," comments Heyward. "There is always a huge demand for classic children's programming, particularly in the home entertainment marketplace, and we look forward to offering our clients these series across multiple platforms."
The slate of top-programming, which will be offered at MIP-TV this year, includes, Inspector Gadget (86 half-hours), Beverly Hills Teens (65 half-hours), Care Bears (11 half-hours), Dennis the Menace (78 half-hours), Dennis the Menace specials (3 hours), Get Along Gang (13 half-hours), Heathcliff (86 half-hours), Hulk Hogan (26 half-hours), Jayce & the Wheeled Warriors (65 half-hours), Lady Lovelylocks (10 half-hours), The Littles (29 half-hours), MASK (75 half-hours), Photon (26 half-hours), Pole Position (13 half-hours), Poochie (1 hour), Popples (23 half-hours), Rainbow Brite (13 half-hours), Starcom (13 half-hours), Sylvanian Families (13 half-hours), The Littles Movies (6 hours) and Ulysses 31 (26 half-hours).
Brand highlights from the new programming include Care Bears, an evergreen property and one of the most popular children's brands across the world. Since re-launching four years ago, Care Bears has grown into a 1.8 billion dollar franchise and generated more than 600 million dollars n worldwide retail in 2005. Inspector Gadget, DIC's flagship property, is a hit franchise that includes a television series which has aired for over 20 years in key territories around the world.
Additionally, the property has been a major success with two blockbuster features--a star-studded, Disney live-action feature film that generated over $100 million at the box-office and a direct-to-DVD title which has sold nearly 3 million units to date. Based on the classic cartoon strip which still appears in over 1,000 newspapers globally, Heathcliff has been a best-selling children's book, a greeting card line and #1 best-selling comic book.
About DIC Entertainment:
DIC Entertainment, a fully-integrated global brand management company, is dedicated to creating, developing, producing, distributing, marketing and merchandising family-based intellectual properties. DIC has distinguished itself by building one of the largest libraries of western-style animation with approximately 2,800 half-hours of renowned programming, including Trollz, Inspector Gadget, Strawberry Shortcake, Sabrina, Madeline, Liberty's Kids, Where On Earth Is Carmen Sandiego?, Sonic The Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros and Care Bears.
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