The power of brands continues to fascinate Hollywood.
In a year-end deal, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sony Music Entertainment took a significant stake in Peanuts Holding LLC, the company that controls the intellectual property rights to beloved characters created by Charles M. Schulz, such as Charlie Brown and Snoopy.
Sony has acquired the entire approximately 41 percent stake held by WildBrain, a Canadian children’s and family entertainment company.
According to the announcement, the resulting deal will see Sony, which already had a stake in the company, own 80% of Peanuts Holdings. The remaining 20 percent will remain owned by members of the Schulz family.
“Since 2018, SMEJ has been proud to be part of the partnership behind Peanuts, an iconic global entertainment brand with a 75-year legacy of delighting audiences around the world,” said Shunsuke Muramatsu, President and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Group (Japan). “With this additional stake, we are excited to be able to further increase the value of the Peanuts brand by leveraging the extensive global network and collective expertise of the Sony Group. We are deeply committed to continuing the legacy of Charles Schulz and the Schulz family. Together with SPE, and supported by WildBrain’s continued partnership, we will continue to pursue new opportunities to ensure that Peanuts remains a relevant and beloved presence across generations, reaching new audiences and sharing the timeless charm of the Peanuts gang for years to come.
Sony will now focus on keeping the characters in the public eye and growing the brand.
“With our combined strengths, we have the unique ability and extraordinary opportunity to protect and shape the future of these beloved characters for generations to come,” said Ravi Ahuja, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures.
Schulz Peanuts became an American institution in the 20th century thanks to a daily comic strip that lasted 50 years and only ended with his death in 2000.
He went beyond four-panel walls with landmark cartoon specials A Charlie Brown Christmas And It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown which aired year after year on network television, cementing Peanuts’ status in the pop culture firmament.
20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios have already produced The Peanuts moviea 2015 feature film that was highly praised and ended a major on-screen drought for Charlie Brown.
WildBrain has kept some aspects of the intellectual property alive with animated series Snoopy in space And The Snoopy Show over the last few years.
