Leading German TV group Leonine is launching an animation division with Toon2Tango founders Hans Ulrich Stoef and Jo Daris.
The three partners will each contribute their shares in Toon2Tango to create Leonine Animation Studios, with effect from 1 January.
Leonine has held a 25.1 percent stake in Toon2Tango, whose credits include Mia And Me, since October 2022.

Leonine holds a stake of 50 percent in Leonine Animation Studios, with Stoef and Daris also jointly holding 50 percent. Leonine also has the option to acquire a controlling majority in Leonine Animation Studios from 2025.
Bernhard zu Castell, Chief Distribution Officer of Leonine, will serve as managing director alongside Stoef and Daris.
Leonine Animation Studios will operate as a growth and investment platform for the development, production and acquisition of new IPs with international scope as well as other selective M&A activities in the animation sector.
Initial projects include the production of the animated feature film Santa.Com, which will be released in German cinemas in 2025, and the TV series spin-off of cinema franchise Niko as well as the development of the series Littlest Robot, which was presented at the Cartoon Forum in Toulouse in September 2023, and the preschool series Hey Fuzzy Yellow, which is currently in production.
Fred Kogel, CEO of Leonine Studios, said: “We want to consistently expand our successful children’s and family entertainment segment and this step will create the conditions for further growth in this exciting market. We are delighted that we can now deepen our partnership with Toon2Tango, Ulli Stoef and Jo Daris after our first year of successful collaboration.”
Leonine Studios’ production companies include gebrueder beetz Filmproduktion, hyperbole. i&u TV, Madame Zheng Production, Odeon Fiction, SEO Entertainment, W&B Television and Wiedemann & Berg Film.
You are not signed in
Only registered users can comment on this article.
BBC launches pay model for US website
The BBC has launched the first phase of a pay model for visitors to its website in the United States.
Denis Villeneuve to direct next James Bond film
Denis Villeneuve has been named by Amazon MGM Studios as the director of the next James Bond film.
BBC CTO Peter O’Kane to step down
BBC Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Peter O’Kane is to step down later this year.

IBC2025: Future Tech to showcase very best of innovation in Hall 14
Ahead of this year’s show, IBC has announced the launch of Future Tech – a dynamic hub of emerging technologies, collaborative projects and next-gen talent taking up all of Hall 14.

Hilary Rosen appointed Deputy Chair of BAFTA’s board of trustees
UKTV Director of Commissioning Hilary Rosen has been elected Deputy Chair of BAFTA’s board of trustees.