by FIlmInk Staff
A STUDIOCANAL, HEYDAY FILMS & SUBMARINE (a Mediawan Company) PRODUCTION
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ASTRID LINDGREN COMPANY
WRITTEN FOR TELEVISION BY SARA DADDY
STUDIOCANAL IS HANDLING WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION FOR THE ANIMATED SERIES
STUDIOCANAL KIDS & FAMILY WILL HANDLE MERCHANDISING AND LICENSING IN FRANCE AND THE UK
PRODUCTION SET FOR OCTOBER 2026
STUDIOCANAL announces the TV development of PIPPI LONGSTOCKING in partnership with The Astrid Lindgren Company. The STUDIOCANAL, Heyday Films and Submarine production is written for television by multi-award-winning head writer and screenwriter Sara Daddy (THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN WONDERLAND, OLGA DA POLGA, TULIPOP TALES).
STUDIOCANAL is handling worldwide distribution for the 52×11 3D CGI animation with production set for October 2026. STUDIOCANAL KIDS & FAMILY will handle merchandising and licensing in France and the UK.
In partnership with The Astrid Lindgren Company STUDIOCANAL, Heyday Films and Submarine are developing a fresh, modern reboot bringing Astrid Lindgren’s fearless, funny and free-spirited hero
in all her red-headed glory to television.
Produced by David Heyman, Rosie Alison and Rob Silva of Heyday Films (Three series of the Emmy & Annie award winning THE ADVENTURES OF PADDINGTON, feature films PADDINGTON 1, PADDINGTON 2 and PADDINGTON IN PERU with PADDINGTON 4 currently in development), Simon Quinn and Karen Davidsen (Three series of the Emmy & Annie award winning THE ADVENTURES OF PADDINGTON). Ron Halpern is overseeing for STUDIOCANAL.
Testament to Pippi Longstocking’s enduring and timeless global appeal, Lindgren’s iconic books have sold over 90 million copies translated into 80 languages worldwide and continue to sell 1.5 million annually. Pippi Longstocking celebrated her 80th anniversary in 2025.
Red haired Pippi Longstocking is the main character in the eponymous series of children’s books by celebrated Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. She originated from bedtime stories told to her daughter Karin about an anything but pious freckled little girl with boundless energy, strength and bravery.
Head Writer Sara Daddy comments “To be entrusted by the Lindgren family and the brilliant Heyday and STUDIOCANAL teams with the keys to Villa Villekulla is such a privilege. As the daughter of a seaman who overturned convention and took me out of school to sail around the world, I have always felt a connection with Pippi. I am having so much fun honouring her fiercely independent spirit, free-thinking ways and of course, superhuman strength. With the brilliant wit and warmth of Astrid Lindgren’s voice as our guide, our aim is to ensure Pippi remains a joyful, empowering icon for today’s children. It is a dream project.”
The Astrid Lindgren Company, Max Hallén, CEO: “Astrid Lindgren’s stories continue to grow their audience around the world, reaching new generations of children across markets, platforms and formats. Pippi Longstocking remains at the heart of that journey. Her courage, independence and playful way of challenging the world around her have inspired children around the world for over eighty years and continue to do so today. This series represents an important milestone in our ambition to expand the reach of Astrid Lindgren’s stories and create new opportunities for children everywhere to discover Pippi.”
Heyday Films (David Heyman, Rosie Alison, Rob Silva) add: “Pippi Longstocking is a beloved icon, with her uniquely unpredictable way of seeing the world. Joyful, free-spirited, playful, contrary, kind, fiercely resilient, she questions all the rules of the game, and her originality remains as fresh as ever. We could not be more excited about unleashing Pippi once again in her own new animated series, collaborating with a kindred spirit writer Sara Daddy, the brilliantly inventive animating team at Submarine, the Astrid Lindgren Company, and StudioCanal.”
Anna Marsh CEO of STUDIOCANAL, Chief Content Officer of CANAL+ expands “We are thrilled to collaborate with The Astrid Lingren Company, Heyday Films and Submarine on the brilliant, timeless, fearless and unmistakable Pippi Longstocking. Sara Daddy truly encompasses Pippi’s irrepressible life force, iconic strength of character, boundless imagination and joie de vivre. An inspiration to so many people around the world Pippi is a beloved literary icon and we are determined to honour Astrid Lindgren’s legacy – and Pippi herself – with our ambitious new animated series.”
Bruno Felix, Managing Director of Submarine, concludes “We are honoured and delighted to be working with Heyday Films, the Lindgren family and STUDIOCANAL on a fresh new incarnation of Pippi Longstocking – one that remains true to Astrid Lindgren’s beloved books while speaking to a new generation. To be entrusted with bringing Pippi to life in animation is both a privilege and a responsibility, and one we are incredibly excited to take on. Pippi has long held a special place in my heart: I watched her on television every weekend as a child, and later shared Astrid Lindgren’s stories with my own children. That enduring connection makes the opportunity to be part of this new chapter especially meaningful.”
When a young girl with mismatched stockings, carrot coloured hair and freckles arrives in a small town, with a monkey on her shoulder, a huge travel bag full of gold coins and carrying a horse, life for Tommy and Annika, and the residents, will never be the same again.
Meet Pippi Longstocking.
For the past 80 years, Pippi Longstocking has delighted children all over the world, as well as being the subject of debate. Funny, brave, a superhero to some, a rebellious rule breaker to others, Pippi wouldn’t call herself any of those things. She is just Pippilotta Victoriaria Tea-Cosy Appleminta Ephraim’s-daughter Longstocking, or Pippi for short. A character that encourages children to look at their world with a more questioning eye. A character that empowers them to be strong and playful, free-thinking and kind with an appetite for adventure and the courage to be themselves. A character that shows them that there are many alternative ways to do things, not just the conventional ways, and the world can be a better, and much more fun, place because of it. And a character that makes them laugh! We could all do with having a friend like Pippi or having a bit of Pippi inside ourselves.
In an interview with TODAY, Michelle Obama recalled how the character was the first book love of her life: “I was really fascinated with this strong little girl that was the centre of everything. And she was almost magical in a way. I mean, she was stronger and tougher than anyone. She had superhuman strength.”
By bringing together world-class creative talent and iconic IP, STUDIOCANAL is committed to delivering series that travel, inspire, and captivate audiences everywhere. Creating
stories that resonate across generations and geographies, and to grow them into enduring brands.
STUDIOCANAL, Heyday Films and the Astrid Lindgren Company are in development on a PIPPI LONGSTOCKING movie based on the classic Pippi Longstocking story. David Heyman, Jeffrey Clifford and Rosie Alison will produce the feature film for Heyday.
STUDIOCANAL is incredibly active in the family franchise IP space. The Paddington films are the highest-grossing independent family franchise of all time, with over $800 million in box office worldwide, including the most recent outing, PADDINGTON IN PERU, released through Sony Pictures in the US.
Over the past 12 years, STUDIOCANAL has grown Paddington into a globally recognized brand with a hit West End stage musical, an immersive experience on London’s Southbank, an award-winning animated series, a new animated film in development, merchandising, and more – all designed to expand the fanbase.
The success of Paddington reflects STUDIOCANAL’s ambition in turning beloved stories into global brands. Books are a rich source of IP, and STUDIOCANAL is focused on literary adaptations across all formats, collaborating with leading publishers to bring timeless stories such as PIPPI LONGSTOCKING to the screen.
STUDIOCANAL is currently developing a feature film based on the iconic MR. MEN. LITTLE MISS books, with David Heyman and Mister Men Limited. With over 250 million books sold worldwide, this beloved brand is ready for its first cinematic adventure, reimagined for today’s audiences.
This year STUDIOCANAL is bringing another beloved character back to the big screen with Shaun the Sheep and in partnership with Aardman Animation, the multi-Oscar winning creators of Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run. The first Shaun movie was nominated for Best Animated feature at the Oscars and grossed over $100m worldwide, and he returns this September in a new adventure: SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM. Releasing in the U.S. via GKIDS on September 18, and via STUDIOCANAL handling global distribution just in time for Halloween 2026.
In MIFFY’S 70th anniversary year of 2025, STUDIOCANAL., Mercis and SUPERPROD animation announced a new CGI animated series based on Dick Bruna’s world-famous character MIFFY. The series is now available spanning 78 episodes of 7 minutes targeting 3-5 year olds.
Ahead of Annecy this year STUDIOCANAL announced the TV development of Dermot O’Leary’s bestselling book series illustrated by Nick East TOTO THE NINJA CAT. The animated action-comedy episodic series is written for television by Emmy Award winning head writers Nick Ostler and Mark Huckerby (DANGER MOUSE). Dermot O’Leary and Dee Koppang O’Leary are co-executive producers. STUDIOCANAL and Superights are handling worldwide sales with STUDIOCANAL KIDS & FAMILY handles worldwide TV merchandising and licensing. Dermot O’Leary’s books are published by Hachette Children’s Group.
Image courtesy of ASTRID LINDGREN COMPANY
