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By Kayla DeKraker
Classic children’s literature character Pippi Longstocking will make her comeback in an animated series currently in development through a partnership between StudioCanal, Heyday Films, Submarine and the The Astrid Lindgren Company
The project, based on the work of Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, aims to re-introduce the fearless red-haired adventurer to a new generation of viewers.
“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,” said Heyday’s David Heyman, Rosie Alison and Rob Silva.
They added, “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.”
Sara Daddy, who also worked on THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN WONDERLAND, OLGA DA POLGA and TULIPOP TALES, will pen the screenplay for the new Pippi Longstocking series.
“To be entrusted by the Lindgren family and the brilliant Heyday and Studiocanal teams with the keys to Villa Villekulla is such a privilege,” Daddy said. “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 honoring 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 3D CGI animated series will consist of 52 episodes, each running approximately 11 minutes. Production is scheduled to begin in October 2026, with StudioCanal handling worldwide distribution. The company’s Kids & Family division will also oversee merchandising and licensing activities in the United Kingdom and France.
Pippi Longstocking’s popularity has endured since Lindgren first published the books in 1945. Over 90 million copies have sold.
This new series is the latest of many in on-screen adaptations. One came out in 1969 and starred Inger Nilsson, Maria Persson and Pär Sundberg.
An animated adaptation arrived in 1997, featuring Melissa Altro, Catherine O’Hara and Gordon Pinsent.
Movieguide®’s review reads, “With a delightful musical score and imaginative story, PIPPI LONGSTOCKING is an amusing diversion for younger children, but it may dismay parents who may object to seeing a wild girl rebuff all attempts at moral correction, as she celebrates carefree childhood as an end in itself. Her father, the Captain, returns at a crucial moment in the movie version, but then inexplicably leaves his 9-year old daughter to fend for herself in town while he departs on yet another sea going voyage.”
Movieguide® noted, “PIPPI LONGSTOCKING is a fun way to spend an afternoon matinee with the children, but beware of the story’s blatant undercutting of parental authority. In Ephesians 6:1-2, the Bible teaches children to obey their parents and parents to raise their children properly.”
A release date for the new series hasn’t been announced yet.
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