First partners signed include Centum Books who will build the publishing category with a line of sticker, joke and novelty books, Smith & Brooks is on board for kids’ apparel and TDP/Aykroyds will produce kids’ nightwear and underwear. Joining the line-up, Rocket has also signed Pyramid International for posters and stationery, Dreamtex for a range of bedding and Whitehouse Leisure will develop plush for the leisure sector. Set for release in August 2017, The Emoji Movie film will be directed by Anthony Leondis, written by Leondis and Eric Siegel and produced by Michelle Raimo Kouyate. The Emoji Movie unlocks the never-before-seen secret world inside your smartphone. Hidden within the messaging app is Textopolis, a bustling city where all your favorite emojis live, hoping to be selected by the phone’s user. In this world, each emoji has only one facial expression – except for Gene an exuberant emoji who was born without a filter and is bursting with multiple expressions. Determined to become “normal” like the other emojis, Gene enlists the help of his handy best friend Hi-5 and the notorious code breaker emoji Jailbreak. Together, they embark on an epic “app-venture” through the apps on the phone, each its own wild and fun world, to find the Code that will fix Gene. But when a greater danger threatens the phone, the fate of all emojis depends on these three unlikely friends who must save their world before it’s deleted forever. Charlie Donaldson, Joint Managing Director at Rocket Licensing said, “Sony Pictures Animation’s upcoming release The Emoji Movie presents a compelling licensing opportunity for UK licensees and retailers keen to capitalise on the emoji phenomenon that has been embraced by younger generations. Consumers have an instant emotional connection to the icons and the movie offers a narrative depth and humour that will bring them to life. This provides huge potential for product development and we’re incredibly excited to now be unveiling our first partners and to be bringing the movie merchandise to the UK market.” This recent appointment builds on Rocket’s successful partnership with Sony Pictures and Sony TV which has seen the agent develop comprehensive and engaging UK consumer products programmes for a number of its properties including Ghostbusters, The Smurfs, Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. Rocket’s line-up of consumer products for the new Ghostbusters movie boasted 29 partners which resulted in 600 SKUS being developed of which 217 are currently going to market through a wide array of retailers including grocers Sainsbury’s, Asda and Tesco in addition to Primark, Next, Forbidden Planet and Harrods. Rocket is also currently representing UK licensing rights for Sony Pictures’ other significant 2016/17 movie releases including Dark Tower, Jumanji, The Star, The Smurfs: The Lost Village and the Seth Rogan comedy Sausage Party. |
Rocket Licensing is managing the UK and Eire licensing programme for The Emoji Movie on behalf of Sony Pictures Consumer Products (SPCP). The agent is currently assembling a strong line up of partners for the UK licensing programme which will target children aged 6-12 years across key categories including publishing, toys, games, apparel and accessories, mobile games, homewares, personal care and back-to-school. Products are set to debut at UK retail from spring/summer 2017.