by FilmInk Staff
Like A Photon Creative and Sola Media Announce Seven-Film Feature Slate, Including Shortform Social and Direct-to-Consumer Content
Australia’s leading independent feature animation studio Like A Photon Creative has today announced seven new animated features, with Sola Media acquiring international distribution rights to the full slate. The news comes ahead of the American Film Market (AFM), which Like a Photon Creative’s CEO, Kristen Souvlis, will attend.
The lineup of animated features is expected to create up to 1,000 jobs across Ireland and Australia, delivering a significant boost to the screen industry in both countries.
The slate is supported by global production finance company Elevate Production Finance and Alceon Entertainment Partners. Distribution for the ANZ Territory for the features has been acquired by Maslow Entertainment.
The first title in the slate is Familiar, an original feature developed in-house by Like a Photon Creative, with further projects to be announced. It will be a treaty co-production with Ireland’s Elephant Goldfish. Production is expected to begin in March 2027.
Familiar takes audiences inside Ironclaw Academy, where magic’s most loyal sidekicks come to train. In a world of magic, every great sorcerer has a trusty companion known as a “familiar”, and these animal sidekicks are forged through rigorous, fluffy and often chaotic training. For spunky young cat Josie, her time is meow.
To extend these worlds beyond the big screen, Like a Photon Creative will create shortform direct-to-consumer content for each of the seven films. The content, which will feature footage not included in the films, will be packaged alongside the features and placed on a variety of online and social media platforms.
The announcement builds on Like a Photon Creative’s recent success with The Pout-Pout Fish, which Sola Media distributed internationally and is currently the No. 4 highest-grossing Australian film of 2026. Based on the bestselling picture book series, the film debuted at No. 9 at the US box office on its opening weekend. It also took the No. 1 spot on Amazon Prime Kids and No. 6 across all Prime viewers. It was distributed in Australia by Maslow Entertainment, landing in cinemas on 1 January 2026 and in the US by Viva Kids on 20 March 2026.
Sola Media will also manage international distribution for Like a Photon Creative’s next release, The Neverending Pillow Fort, which is Crayola Studio’s first feature film, produced with MIMO Studios. Scheduled for release in early 2027 it is directed by Allison Brownmoore, and features the voices of Elizabeth Cullen and Sofia Rose as best friends Maggie and Abby, alongside Guy Pearce, David Tennant, Teresa Palmer and Marsai Martin.
Like a Photon Creative’s CEO, Kristen Souvlis, said: “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.”
Sola Media’s Managing Director, Solveig Langeland, said: “Combining humour and heart has always been at the core of Like a Photon Creative’s storytelling, complemented by their exceptional ability to bring characters to life through outstanding voice talent. 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.”
Like a Photon Creative is also working with Screen Queensland on the Escalate: Feature Focus Writers Initiative, through which six Queensland-based screenwriters will each develop a script for a potential 3D animated feature from concepts provided by Like a Photon Creative, with writers’ rooms beginning in February 2027.
