French Animation Company Marathon to be sold off.

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tjcoker01

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Well it's no surpise here, because when you're successful, you get noticed, and when you are successful in Animation, you usually get bought out, (Just ask Pixar who is now owned by Disney).

But I found this in this morning's Cynthia Turner's Cynopsis Kids! and apparently the French Animation Studio, Marathon Animation, is being looked at by a number of potential buyers and the offer for the bottom dollar won't be cheap.. Somewhere on the Order of 400 Million USD..

Now Marathon, is no slouch when it comes to French Animation that Looks like Japanime, and with hits like Totally Spies! Martin Mystery! and Galaxy High, it's no surprise that someone would buy them out.

According to the article:



I did a bit further research through Reuters and I found out this about Marathon as well.



So just like Pixar it seems that Marathon is going to be the next Animation Company to be bought out by someone.

But what are your thoughts about this?

:coyote:
 
Thats too bad.
(still gigling on Nicktoons Network's "Martin Advacado" joke)
What?
Anyways, Good Luck, As Long As You Are Not S.I.P., I Dont Care!
 
I think Montreal, Canada animation studios Cookie Jar/Colliseum or CineGroupe could buy Marathon since Montreal is a Canadian French leaning city.
 
I think this could work out, IMO. I happen to be a fan of all three shows.:)

Although, Totally Spies is my true fave!:D I just hope this will bring the show back to us American fans.
 
I know Cynopsis said that the buyers might be either Endemol or de Agostini, but do you know who would be the best suitor for Marathon?

Disney.

Why? Well, let's see:

- Disney, via its Jetix unit, is a co-producer of a number of Marathon's current projects as well as airs most of them on their Jetix networks throughout the world. They'd probably rebrand the studio Jetix Animation as a result. The studio could serve as an international production facility, which Disney kind of lacks.

- Disney has the capital, distribution, and marketability that a company like Marathon needs to thrive in a big entertainment world like ours.

- Disney will do their damnedest to make familiar Marathon properties like Totally Spies household names worldwide, including the US. Afterall, Totally Spies would be a good complimentary brand with another acquired property, Power Rangers.

- Disney could combine the Marsupilami series they produced with the Marsupilami series Marathon produced into one syndicated package that could be distributed worldwide.

I think Marathon would be a good addition to the Disney family
 
A bit ironic was when ABC aquired Fox Family who became ABC Family it was the 1st network who aired Totally Spies and dropped it later (then CN picked up Totally Spies), also imagine the "internal rivalry" between Totally Spies and Kim Possible.

Now who could be the 2nd best choice between TimeWarner and Viacom if they check an eye on Marathon studios?
 
I don't think it would be that much ironic if Disney actually purchased Marathon's properties, because Michael Eisner was running Disney at the time they've scrapped Totally Spies in favor of Kim Possible, but it's now run by another CEO named Bob Iger, so he might have some interest in some of Marathon's properties, but I don't want Disney(or Toei, for the reason they both share a healthy relationship) to purchase any of Marathon's properties, esp. Totally Spies, for these following reasons:

1. Toon Disney/Jetix would be overrun by them, as it is now by Digimon and Power Rangers.

2. Disney has enough girl-oriented properties as it is.

3. I want Disney to give their classic properties some decent airtime.

4. Disney doesn't release most of their foreign properties on DVD at all. Fans of Totally Spies, Team Galaxy and Martin Mystery might be pissed off if Disney actually bought out Marathon, for that reason alone, even though I don't like any of Marathon's properties what so ever.

I believe Viacom is the company that's the most fit to purchase Marathon, because Nick kind of treats their properties decently, while CN just sits on them nowadays. Just look at the constant airings of Martin Mystery on the Nicktoons Network and LazyTown on Nick Jr.
 
For all the reasons you mention, I would be quite willing to concede that Marathon could be an excellent addition to the Disney family. Unfortunately, Disney has a very poor track record in these kinds of things (just ask Gladstone, DiC, Miramax, a whole host of old Saban/Fox Kids shows in limbo, Pixar--the last is as ideal and financially-rewarding a partnership as Disney has had, and they've still been squabbling the past couple years).



Yeah, rather than donate a hot hit to rival CN, an executive with vision could have seen the rich potential for publicity and profit for both Disney and Marathon if they had orchestrated a very public and very heated feud between Kim & Co. and Clover & Co. (ala Jack Benny and Fred Allen).



I've said this before, but I'll say it again. If Disney had a speck of sense, it would strictly program the Disney Channel and Toon Disney with its own brand, basically both "Vault Disney" material and new family shows and in-house animation in keeping with its historic image. It should use Jetix as its international brand; packaging the shows it makes more along the tradition of "Gargoyles" together with the old Saban/Fox Kids (all of it, not just cherrypicking a few odd series here and there) with all of Disney's acquisitions and coproductions from Japan, France, Canada, etc.; and air it on ABC and ABC Family. Besides making the Disney and Jetix brands healthier, maintaining two distinct major brands would be a canny way for Disney to hedge against the future--one brand could be red hot while the other might be seen as passe, and a few years later the reverse could be true.
 
To be fair, not many European properties have gotten the DVD treatment in America. 'Spies' is the only one of those three Marathon shows to get a release, and it was only three volumes. They were distributed through a small company called Good Times.

The only other three European shows to get American DVD penetration have been successful enough to still be doing releases, and that's because they're being distributed through anime companies. 'Winx Club' and 'Code: Lyoko' through FUNimation; 'Dragon Hunters' through Geneon.

So it's not like Marathon's ability to release their shows on DVD will be impacted to be worse if Disney buys them out.
 
The Disney Marsupilami serie was a FARCE! A total mockery of the great creature invented by Franquin! It was like...a travesty! It wasn't even set in South-American for gawd sake! It has nothing to do on the air next to the more true-to-form version by Marathon.



My favorite of the three is Team Galaxy personally.

About DVS let's not forget that all three big shows, Totally Spies, Martin Mystery and Team Galaxy, are co-produced by Canadian interests who WOULD eventually release them on DVD (at least in Canada) like the Martin Mystery season 1 box set that is presently out.



huh...you do know that France 3 is a TV channel in France? I doubt they would sell off their studio to an American company.
 
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