Like a Photon Creative hands seven-film slate to Sola Media
Like a Photon Creative has lined up seven new animated features and handed international distribution rights for the slate to Sola Media, variety.com reported.
Production Finance and Regional Distribution Partners
Production finance for the slate comes from Elevate Production Finance and Alceon Entertainment Partners. Maslow Entertainment secured distribution rights for Australia and New Zealand across the features. The companies project the lineup could generate up to 1,000 jobs across Australia and Ireland. Like a Photon Creative CEO Kristen Souvlis will attend the upcoming American Film Market (AFM).
The first feature in the pipeline is an in-house original titled “Familiar,” which will be structured as a treaty co-production alongside Irish outfit Elephant Goldfish. Production on “Familiar” is scheduled to begin in March 2027, with additional titles to be announced at a later date. The story takes place at Ironclaw Academy, a training ground for the animal companions of sorcerers, and follows a feisty young cat named Josie.
“Families keep coming back to our films, and we’re focused on making projects that deserve that trust, with strong stories and broad appeal,” Souvlis said. “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.”
Direct-to-Consumer Content and Prior Successes
Alongside each of the seven features, the studio plans to produce short-form, direct-to-consumer material using unused footage. This supplementary content will be bundled with the movies and distributed across digital and social platforms.
The new slate follows the studio’s adaptation of “The Pout-Pout Fish,” which opened at No. 9 at the U.S. box office. The film stands as the fourth highest-grossing Australian release of 2026, reaching No. 1 on Amazon Prime Kids and No. 6 among all Prime viewers. Maslow released that film in Australian cinemas on Jan. 1, followed by Viva Kids in the U.S. on March 20.
Sola Media will also manage international distribution for “The Neverending Pillow Fort,” representing the first feature from Crayola Studios, produced alongside MIMO Studios. Directed by Allison Brownmoore, the movie features voice work from Elizabeth Cullen, Sofia Rose, Guy Pearce, David Tennant, Teresa Palmer, and Marsai Martin, with a scheduled release in early 2027.
“We are proud of the successes we have achieved together and excited to embark on the next chapter of our partnership,” Sola Media managing director Solveig Langeland said.
Studio Partners with Screen Queensland for Writers Initiative
In addition to the slate agreements, Like a Photon Creative partnered with Screen Queensland for the Escalate: Feature Focus Writers Initiative. Six Queensland-based screenwriters will each draft a script for a potential 3D animated feature based on concepts provided by the studio. Writers’ rooms for the initiative are set to begin in February 2027.
Since 2017, the studio has produced 10 animated 3D features for worldwide theatrical release. Past projects include “The Wishmas Tree,” “Combat Wombat,” its 2023 sequel “Daisy Quokka: World’s Scariest Animal,” “The Sloth Lane,” and “The Lost Tiger,” as well as the Sanctuary City multiverse for Universal Content Group. Sola Media, founded by Langeland in 2004 with offices in Stuttgart and Munich, was acquired by Embracer Group’s Plaion in 2020 but continues independent operations under Langeland and Moritz Peters.
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