Spin Master conjures magical franchise to launch on Netflix

Unicorn Academy joins the company’s entertainment brand portfolio, with a major multi-phase rollout of toys, digital games and licensed products planned through 2025.

Toronto-based Spin Master’s Unicorn Academy is gearing up to graduate to the franchise big leagues.

Netflix has greenlit an original film and series from Spin Master Entertainment based on the IP for audiences ages six to nine, kicking off a multi-year rollout that spans all of Spin Master’s divisions, including games and toys.

Unicorn Academy is a boarding school where kids bond with unicorns in order to tap into magical powers and become protectors of their island. The upcoming Netflix film (1 x 72 minutes) and series (8 x 22 minutes) are based on Julie Sykes’ same-name book series, which spans 20 titles published by Penguin Random House in North America.

Netflix will launch both projects globally this fall. Spin Master also plans to roll out original shorts and music videos through 2025.

On the merch front, Spin Master will launch toys and a digital game in 2024, while a licensing program will support with more product launches throughout the year. London-based publisher Nosy Crow, which released the first book in 2018, will also create an official companion tie-in novelization to the new animated content.

Spin Master’s portfolio of existing brands includes Bakugan, Rubik’s Cube and, of course, the franchise for popular preschool series PAW Patrol. Other new projects it has in development include new BBC/Treehouse series Vida the Vet and Sago Mini Friends for Apple TV+.

This story originally appeared in Kidscreen