Entertainment
‘Pout-Pout Fish’ Studio Like a Photon Creative Unveils Seven-Film Animation Slate With Sola Media, Ahead of AFM (EXCLUSIVE)
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Published 11/5/2026 9:10:59 PM
'Pout-Pout Fish' Studio Unveils Seven-Film Animation Slate With Sola
Like a Photon Creative, the Australian animation studio behind “The Pout-Pout Fish,” has lined up seven new animated features and handed international distribution rights on the full slate to Sola Media.
Production finance comes from Elevate Production Finance and Alceon Entertainment Partners. Maslow Entertainment has picked up Australia and New Zealand distribution on the features. According to the companies, the lineup could create as many as 1,000 jobs in Australia and Ireland. Like a Photon Creative CEO Kristen Souvlis will attend the upcoming American Film Market (AFM).
First up is “Familiar,” an original developed in-house that will be made as a treaty co-production with Irish company Elephant Goldfish. Production on the film is expected to start in March 2027. Further titles will be revealed later.
The film is set at Ironclaw Academy, a school where the animal companions of sorcerers – known as familiars – go through a demanding and frequently messy training regime. Its central character is Josie, a feisty young cat.
“Families keep coming back to our films, and we’re focused on making projects that deserve that trust, with strong stories and broad appeal. ‘Familiar’ is the first of seven new features in our growing pipeline. Sola Media has a proven track record with our work, and together we see real opportunity to take Australian and European content to international audiences,” Souvlis said.
Alongside each of the seven features, the studio will make short-form direct-to-consumer material built from footage that won’t appear in the films themselves. That content will be bundled with the movies and rolled out across a range of online and social platforms.
The slate follows “The Pout-Pout Fish,” which Sola Media handled internationally. Adapted from the popular children’s book series, the film opened at No. 9 at the U.S. box office and currently ranks as the fourth highest-grossing Australian film of 2026. It also hit No. 1 on Amazon Prime Kids and No. 6 among all Prime viewers. Maslow released it in Australian cinemas on Jan. 1, with Viva Kids handling the U.S. release on March 20.
Sola Media will also oversee international distribution for the studio’s next release, “The Neverending Pillow Fort,” the first feature from Crayola Studios, produced with MIMO Studios. Allison Brownmoore directs the film, which is due in early 2027. Elizabeth Cullen and Sofia Rose voice best friends Maggie and Abby, with Guy Pearce, David Tennant, Teresa Palmer and Marsai Martin also in the cast.
Sola Media managing director Solveig Langeland said mixing humor and heart has always sat at the center of the studio’s storytelling, backed by its skill at bringing characters to life through strong voice casts. “We are proud of the successes we have achieved together and excited to embark on the next chapter of our partnership. With their expansion into co-productions with Ireland, Like a Photon is taking another exciting step forward. Their forward-thinking approach to building brands and engaging audiences through direct-to-consumer content from the earliest stages of production adds a powerful new dimension to their upcoming slate, creating awareness and marketing momentum long before the films reach cinemas,” she said.
Separately, Like a Photon Creative has teamed with Screen Queensland on the Escalate: Feature Focus Writers Initiative. Under the scheme, six screenwriters based in Queensland will each write a script for a possible 3D animated feature, working from concepts supplied by the studio. Writers’ rooms kick off in February 2027.
The studio has backed and made 10 animated features in 3D for worldwide theatrical release since 2017, among them “The Wishmas Tree,” “Combat Wombat” and its 2023 sequel, “Daisy Quokka: World’s Scariest Animal,” “The Sloth Lane” and “The Lost Tiger.” It also created the Sanctuary City multiverse for Universal Content Group.
Langeland founded Sola Media in 2004. The company, which has offices in Stuttgart and Munich, was acquired in 2020 by Embracer Group’s Plaion but continues to operate independently under Langeland and fellow managing director Moritz Peters.
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The Japan IP Market will be back in Cannes next May for a second straight year. The Cannes Film Market and TIFFCOM, the content market of the Tokyo International Film Festival, are again teaming up on the event, and the 2027 edition will run May 14-15.
The return was revealed at TIFFCOM in Tokyo, during a conference on how Japan can forge new international partnerships after its stint as Country of Honor in Cannes. Alexandra Zakharchenko, head of industry programs at the Cannes Film Market, was among the panelists.
“The success of Japan, Country of Honor showed what can happen when a focused national presence creates lasting opportunities for the industry. The Japan IP Market is one of those outcomes: a collaboration that extends beyond a single edition and gives Japanese intellectual properties greater access to international partners,” said Guillaume Esmiol, executive director of the Cannes Film Market. “I’m delighted that we are continuing this work with TIFFCOM to create more opportunities for rights holders to connect with international producers and partners, develop new adaptations and bring their stories to global audiences.”
The Japan IP Market first ran in May 2026, one of the initiatives tied to Japan’s turn as Country of Honor at the Cannes Film Market. It put Japanese rights holders in the same room as industry professionals from abroad via pitches, one-on-one meetings and industry discussions. Kadokawa, Shochiku and Toei Company were among the companies taking part. The speaker lineup included Fujimura Tetsu, executive producer of “One Piece” and founder and CEO of Filosophia, Inc.
“The Japan IP Market is about creating the right conditions for business opportunities between Japanese rights holders and international companies,” said Zakharchenko. “By bringing them together in Cannes, we can help turn growing interest in Japanese content into concrete adaptation deals and acquisitions, while fostering new collaboration opportunities.”
Shiina Yasushi, executive adviser at UNIJAPAN and CEO of TIFFCOM, said the partnership with the Cannes market plays an important role for Japan’s audiovisual industry. He described the Cannes market as the biggest market attached to any film festival in the world. “Meeting the international professionals who gather there and creating together with them is the key to nurturing Japanese IP into global content,” he said.
Ikeda Kaori, managing director of TIFFCOM, said the first edition had shown how keen producers and partners worldwide are on Japanese IP. “Through the continued partnership linking Cannes in May with the Tokyo IP Market in October, we are pleased to offer more professionals the opportunity to meet Japanese rights holders directly and discover the rich diversity of Japanese IP,” she said.
The 2027 roster of companies and the rest of the program will be unveiled in the months ahead.
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Mexico’s beloved Guillermo del Toro descended on the 24thMorelia Film Festival like the rockstar he is, greeted by hordes of shrieking fans that impressed even the most jaded in the crowd.
In town to present the much-anticipated 3D Re-Release of “Pan’s Labyrinth,” he was everywhere all at once, holding a masterclass where tickets were as elusive as a seat at Cannes that went on for nearly three hours and a free-wheeling press conference that extended past its time limit.
It was his third time at the fest, 20 years after his multi-Oscar winning “Pan’s Labyrinth’ first played there and years later with his 2018 best picture Academy Award winner “The Shape of Water.”
Before the presser kicked off, Del Toro, an Honorary Doctorate recipient from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), received the Filmoteca UNAM Medal, an honor also bestowed on Alfonso Cuarón, in town to support his son Jonas Cuarón’s opening night film, “Campeón Gabacho,” which he produced.
Alongside Del Toro were festival director Daniela Michel, “Pan’s Labyrinth” producer Bertha Navarro, his then young lead Ivana Baquero and DP Guillermo Navarro, who took home the cinematography Oscar for his stunning work on the anti-fascist fable.
Reflecting on a question posed midway through the press conference about what has stayed the same and what has changed over the 20 years since “Pan’s Labyrinth,” del Toro responded with tears.
“The state of our species and society today goes beyond anything we could have imagined back then. But I recognize the same sadness and despair. It pains me deeply to see one, two, or three generations fail the next. We’re handing down a world in ruins, morally, socially and spiritually fractured, with the very fabric that once allowed us to tell fables and parables falling apart.”
Asked whether he knew beforehand if “Pan’s Labyrinth” would be well received, Del Toro recounted how his collaborations with both Navarros sustained him through all the challenges they faced.
“We embarked on an adventure that was financially horrifying but cinematically beautiful,” he said.
“You never know how a film will be received. We only found out when we screened it for the first time at Cannes. We got that famous standing ovation that lasted more than 22 minutes, and from that moment on, everything changed. It changed our lives.”
“I think ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ marked a before and after for me. In terms of creative freedom, possibilities and everything else, I’m where I am today because of that film. But none of it would have been possible without the faith of my immediate family, Bertha and Guillermo.”
Said DP Navarro: “Guillermo and I share the belief that cinematic language is storytelling through images that convey emotion and narrative. ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ is the ultimate expression of that. The camera is constantly searching, discovering and communicating.”
“It was also an incredibly difficult shoot. We had a limited budget, had to find unconventional solutions and took risks that could easily have failed. But we gambled and we won. Without a doubt, it’s my best film, and I hold that experience close to my heart. I hope new generations will continue to discover and appreciate it. And now, 20 years later, it returns. Olé!”
Producer Navarro, who also backed Del Toro’s career-launching feature debut “Cronos” and his much-lauded “The Devil’s Backbone,” said: “When he gave me the screenplay for ‘Cronos,’ I was absolutely fascinated. Talent shines, and you have to know how to recognize that light. That’s what I saw in Guillermo.”
“It’s been an incredible privilege to have made those three great films with Guillermo. I’ve produced many films throughout my life, but those three hold a much deeper significance for me. They changed my life.”
Baquero concurred: “’Pan’s Labyrinth’ undoubtedly opened doors for me, both into the genre and in my career. We’ve talked this afternoon about how much the film changed our lives, professionally and personally. For me, acting went from being a hobby – I had worked before ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ – to becoming my profession. Without that film, I might not be here today. It unquestionably marked a turning point in my career.”
Reflecting on its impact on young audiences. Del Toro noted: “There’s an urgency and a fragility and ferocity that coexist in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth.’ And somehow, I think it’s an urgent moment to speak, for the film to speak to a new audience.”
Local politics also crept into the conference, with a journalist asking him what he would say to the young people protesting in his hometown of Guadalajara over its current issues of contaminated water, repression and the alleged kidnapping of protesters on Oct. 11.
He responded:“This morning at my masterclass, I gave young people the floor to speak about these issues. It’s terrifying that something so fundamental should have to be fought for instead of being resolved through basic humanity and responsible leadership.”
“I said it clearly: “Their voices must be heard, and I stand with them 100%. It’s unacceptable that this remains unresolved or that anyone would try to silence them. Speaking out, protesting, and demanding a solution are fundamental rights – anytime, anywhere.”
The Morelia Film Festival began on Oct. 16 and wraps Oct. 25.
