Sony Pictures Consumer Products Appoints Jazwares As Master Toy Partner, And Teams With Leading Publishers Simon & Schuster, Papercutz Comics And Bendon Publishing For Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania Franchise

The Jazwares toy-line, based on new and classic characters from the beloved franchise, will hit shelves in the summer of 2018 leading up to the release of Sony Pictures Animation's Hotel Transylvania 3. A wide range of books in various formats from Simon & Schuster Children's Group, Papercutz Comics, and Bendon Publishing will debut as early as this fall. 

The Hotel Transylvania universe is continually expanding. A new computer-animated short, Puppy, directed by Hotel Transylvania's Genndy Tartakovsky, and featuring many of Hotel Transylvania's dynamic characters, debuted in July 2017 in theaters worldwide before The Emoji Movie. In the short, the residents of Hotel Transylvania find their world turned upside-down when youngster Dennis gets a surprise monster-sized pet. The film adventure will continue next summer with the July 2018 release of Hotel Transylvania 3. The monster family fun continues on the high seas when Mavis surprises Dracula with a family voyage on a luxury Monster Cruise Ship -- the first time the characters will venture outside of the hotel. 

The franchise has recently expanded to television with an all-new animated TV series which is being produced by Nelvana and Sony Pictures Animation. The series premiered on Disney Channel in June 2017 and features Mavis' teenage years and that of her friends at Hotel Transylvania. The series delivered a strong performance in its opening week, ranking as the No. 1 TV telecast in its time period across major youth Kids 2-11, Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14 demographics. Launch to date, the series has reached over 31 million Total Viewers across the U.S., including 13 million Kids 2-14 and 11 million Adults 18-49, and adds an additional near 2 million engagements across the Disney Channel App and Disney Channel VOD. New episodes premiere Sundays at 8:00pm on Disney Channel.

"Our consumer products strategy aligns perfectly with our content strategy, which is to bring the Hotel Transylvania world to life 365 days a year," said Jamie Stevens, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Consumer Products and Licensing. "We look forward to working with Jazwares, Simon & Schuster, Papercutz Comics, and Bendon Publishing to create innovative products that kids and families will love year-round."

"Hotel Transylvania continues to define family fun in a fresh, diverse and hilarious way," states Laura Zebersky, Chief Commercial Officer, Jazwares. "We couldn't ask for a better fit with the creative thinking at Jazwares and we are extremely excited to introduce, in 2018, the first ever toy line for Hotel Transylvania fans."

About Sony Pictures Entertainment:
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition and distribution; television production, acquisition and distribution; television networks; digital content creation and distribution; operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment products, services and technologies. For additional information, go to http://www.sonypictures.com.

About Sony Pictures Animation:
Sony Pictures Animation produces a variety of animated and family entertainment for audiences around the world.  The studio is following its worldwide comedy hits—the record-breaking monster comedies Hotel Transylvania and Hotel Transylvania 2; a surprising and comic take at the secret world inside our phones with The Emoji Movie in July 2017; the inspirational The Star in November 2017; Hotel Transylvania 3 in July 2018.  Sony Pictures Animation is a division of the Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group.

Website:http://www.sonypicturesanimation.com/
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/SONYPicturesAnimation
Twitter:http://twitter.com/sonyanimation
Tumblr:http://sonyanimation.tumblr.com/
YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/user/SonyAnimation

About Nelvana
Nelvana is Canada's premier animation company and a world-leading producer and distributor of children's content. Nelvana has delighted audiences around the globe for more than 40 years with a vast library of more than 4,000 episodes from original, award-winning series like Babar and Franklin. Nelvana's content is distributed in more than 160 countries worldwide and broadcast across Corus Entertainment's suite of leading kids networks. Nelvana Enterprises, the global licensing and merchandising arm of Nelvana, manages the organization's portfolio of in-house and third party brands with offices in Toronto and Paris. Nelvana Studio, with offices in Toronto and Montreal, employs more than 300 Canadian artists working with local and international producers to create premium children's content for a global stage.  For more information, visit www.nelvana.com.

About Jazwares LLC
With its focus on creativity, innovation and quality, Jazwares is a well-respected leader in the licensed products industry. Delivering diverse lines of toys and consumer electronics, the company's products feature some of the best entertainment properties in the world. Today, through the expertise of its product development team, Jazwares continues to offer a wide array of merchandise at major retailers globally. Jazwares' portfolio includes: Peppa Pig™, Ben & Holly™, Chuck & Friends™, Hey Duggee™, Minecraft™, Roblox™, Animal Jam™, Molang™ and First Act™, among others. Jazwares' goal is to invent toys and related products that are new to the marketplace, featuring the brands kids want at affordable prices. For more information about Jazwares, please visit www.jazwares.com.

About Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, one of the leading children's book publishers in the world, is comprised of the following imprints: Aladdin, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Beach Lane Books, Libros para niños, Little Simon^®, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Paula Wiseman Books, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Simon Pulse, and Simon Spotlight^®.  While maintaining an extensive award-winning backlist, the division continues to publish acclaimed and bestselling books for children of all ages.  In addition to numerous Caldecott, Newbery, and National Book Award winners, Simon & Schuster publishes such high-profile properties and series as Eloise, Olivia, Raggedy Ann & Andy™, Henry & Mudge^®, The Hardy Boys^®, Nancy Drew^®, the Dork Diaries series, the Mortal Instruments series, Mike the Knight, and the original Cupcake Diaries and Creepover series. For more information about Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.

About Papercutz
Papercutz graphic novels for kids, tweens, and teens include a wide range of genres from humor, action adventure, mystery, and horror to favorite licensed characters. It is proud to be the only publisher exclusively dedicated to children's graphic novels, working every day to introduce young readers to the imaginative wonders waiting to be discovered in comics. To find out more visit www.papercutz.com.

About Bendon, Inc.
Founded in 2001, Bendon Inc. has grown from a children's publishing company focused on coloring and activity titles to a consumer products company spanning multiple categories in children's play and education.  Through innovative design and strategic partnerships with powerhouse licensors including Disney, Hasbro, Mattel, Crayola, Sony and Nickelodeon, Bendon has developed into an industry leader – supplying product to more than 81,000 retail outlets worldwide and rapidly expanding their offerings in the toy and craft arena.   For more information, visit www.bendoninc.com.

CONTACT: Dawn Rosenquist, [email protected]

SOURCE Sony Pictures Consumer Products