Mattel Set to Drive Into Premium Non-Pre School Series, Announce Dates for ‘Thomas & Friends’ Netflix Christmas Special
John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent As it rolls out new animated series “Barney’s World” on Max and Cartoon Network and prepares a live-action “Barney” movie with Daniel Kaluuya, Mattel will be driving into live action non-pre school premium TV series to grow its brands and properties, Josh Silverman, Mattel’s chief franchise officer, announced on Sunday at his MipJunior leadership keynote at Cannes, entitled Beyond the Toybox: Shaping the Future of Play. Silverman also confirmed the Netflix release date of “Thomas & Friends: The Christmas Letter Express” one-hour holiday special as Nov. 21 in the U.S.