Canadian Media Giant Corus Entertainment Buys ‘The Breadwinner’ Producer Aircraft Pictures (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comManori Ravindran International EditorCanadian media giant Corus Entertainment has made a rare production investment, buying a majority stake in “The Breadwinner” and “Raising Expectations” producer Aircraft Pictures.Founded in 2005 by Canadian producers Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen, Aircraft was Oscar-nominated for 2017 animated feature “The Breadwinner,” about an 11-year-old girl living under Taliban rule in Afghanistan in 2001.
However, it seems to be the company’s live-action capabilities that have been the primary draw for Corus, which has a well-established kids’ content portfolio of its own.Aircraft is known for both animated and live-action scripted TV shows and movies for kids, families and young adults.
Its slate includes Hulu original “Holly Hobbie”; the “Bruno & Boots” movie adaptations; and the comedy “Raising Expectations,” starring Jason Priestley and Molly Ringwald.
Leo describes the deal as “two puzzle pieces coming together perfectly” for both companies. Colin Bohm, executive VP of content and corporate strategy at Corus Entertainment, tells Variety that Aircraft will remain independent in its operations. “We want to let them continue to do what they’re doing,” says Bohm. “This investment helps them build more capital in their business and allows them to invest more and develop other things.”Leo adds: “Our sweet spot right now is half-hour scripted live-action or animated kids’ content, and we started to branch out to animated features with things like ‘The Breadwinner.’ But we also want to expand our mandate to include four-quadrant family one-hours as well.”Corus and Aircraft previously partnered on the “Bruno & Boots” movies.
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