Production, international dubbing of pre-existing projects and distribution
The group's activities initially focused on the distribution of Japanese animated TV series in Italy. This involved dubbing, but not producing these projects. These projects would have already been finished and Mondo would have acquired an Italian distribution license to air Italian dubs of these series.
In 1989, the company expanded from distribution to distribution and production, and Doro TV Merchandising created its first television series, Jungle Book Shōnen Mowgli, a 52-episode series based on the 1894 collection of stories written by Rudyard Kipling, and Christopher Columbus, a 26-episode animated series based on the life of the Italian explorer and navigator. Nippon Animation produced these shows, while Mondo TV handled international distribution. Other such projects included Robin Hood, based on the outlaw in English folklore and released in 1990 and The Legend of Snow White, based on the Brothers Grimm's version of the classic fairy tale released in 1994, both being animated (and created before Mondo's entry into distribution) by Tatsunoko Productions.
In 1996, the studio released 'The Legend of Zorro', 52 episodes of about 26 minutes each based on the famous character created in 1919 by New York-based pulp writer Johnston McCulley. The series was produced by the animation department of the Japanese film, theater production, and distribution company Toho. Again, Mondo TV produced and distributed an Italian dub, the same as they did with another Tatsunoko series; Cinderella.
In the following years, Mondo TV released several animated series such as "Simba the Lion King" a 52-episode animated series, and the sequels "Simba Jr. goes to the World Cup" a 26-episode animated series and "Winner and the Golden Child" a 26-episode animated series, Jesus: A Kingdom Without Frontiers, co-produced with Institute of Antoniano, Pocahontas, a 26-episode animated series based on the Pamunkey Algonquian princess and Chief Powhatan's daughter from early American history, Sandokan: The Tiger of Malaysia, a 26-episode animated series co-produced with SEK Studio (a North Korean-based animation company), RAI, TF1 and Taurus Film based on the fictional pirate of the late 19th century created by Italian author Emilio Salgari, Albert the Wolf, a 52-episode animated series co-produced with Rai Trade based on the comic book series created by Guido Silvestri under the pseudonym of John Silver in 1974, and The Black Corsair, a 26-episode animated series based on the book by Emilio Salgari.
In 1999, Mondo TV participated to the International Animation Consortium for Child Rights, "Cartoons for Children's Rights", a collection of 30-second non-verbal animated public service announcements promoted by UNICEF, which illustrates the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Mondo TV contributed with "Children Have the Right to Survive", based on the Article 6 of the Child Rights Convention.
At the turn of the 21st century, Mondo TV released its first feature film, The Legend of the Titanic, a 90-minute animation that was then followed by its sequel, In Search of the Titanic in 2004, and by many other feature films. Around this time, its catalogue of TV series was sold to Indian channel Sahara TV, to air on its Just Kids! programming block, dubbed into Hindi.[6]
In 2001, Mondo TV, in association with MIM AG and in co-production with NDF and Caligari Film, launched a 26-episode series, Letters from Felix, based on the Children's books by Annette Langen and Costanza Droop. It was followed by two 81-minute each featured films: Felix: All Around the World, released in 2005, and Felix: The Toy Rabbit and the Time Machine, released in 2006. In 2004, Mondo TV in co-production with RAI launched The Last of the Mohicans, a 26-episode animated series based on the historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper.
The same year, Mondo TV released three feature films: Turandot, released in association with Hahn Shin Corporation, based on the 1926 opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, Mother Theresa, based on and inspired by the life of Mother Teresa, and Genghis Khan, based on Genghis Khan, the founder and Great Khan (emperor) of the Mongol Empire.
Mondo TV, to strengthen its commitment to children's education, has produced a series of feature films of particular significance. Among these there are Padre Pio, co-produced with North Korean SEK Studio, depicting the life of Pio of Pietrelcina (1887–1968), an Italian Capuchin priest who was venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church;[7] Saint Catherine, depicting the life of Saint Catherine of Siena (1347–1380), a tertiary of the Dominican Order, and a scholastic philosopher and theologian, co-produced by Orlando Corradi, the Rome's LUMSA University and its students attending the "Cartoons: Animation and Managagement" master's degree; and Alexander the Great, co-produced with DIFARM and based on Alexander the Great, the king of Macedonia. They were all released in 2006.
These feature films were followed by Karol, a 3-D animated feature film with music composed by Luis Bacalov that depicts the life of Pope John Paul II (1920–2005), Welcome Back Pinocchio, an animated feature film based on the fictional character that first appeared in print in 1883, in The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi,[8] which were both released in 2007, and Saint Anthony, a 90-minute 3-D theatrical feature film released in 2008 and co-produced with DIFARM, based on the life of Anthony of Padua (1195–1231), the Portuguese Catholic priest and friar of the Franciscan Order. The Journey of J.M. Escrivá, an animated feature film that deals with the life of Josemaría Escrivá, the founder of Opus Dei, was released on the following year.
Gawayn, first aired on Rai 2 in 2008, is a French and Italian animated television series co-produced with Alphanim. The series has been translated into several languages, and its title refers to King Arthur's nephew.
In 2008, Mondo TV also presented its new cartoons at MIPTV Media Market:
Two titles that Mondo TV launched at Mipcom 2011 were Power Buggz, a 30-minute children's comedy directed by Orlando Corradi and co-produced with MEG Toys and Playtime Buddies with music by John Sposito, a 52-episode preschool series that encourages the development of positive social interaction and cognitive skills. According to MEG Toys, this is unlike any other product on the preschool market and was released in North America in 2012 and even earlier in other parts of the world. It was co-produced with Visual Picnic, which holds the rights to the property created by Erik DePrince, and Licensing Works. Both series were filmed in full HD.
After the death of Orlando Corradi in November 2018, the stock shares passed to Monica Corradi and Matteo Corradi, who already was the President and C.E.O. of the company.[11]
Mondo TV announced the imminent arrival on a number of new channels of its innovative animated action-comedy Invention Story co-produced with Genius Brands International. It has also announced that Spanish broadcaster RTVE will participate in Annie & Carola, co-produced with MB Producciones, and that German broadcaster Super RTL has joined as commissioning broadcaster on the new animated series Agent 203 co-produced with Toon2Tango.
- Monsters & Pirates – An 11-minute episode animated series co-produced with MPG, an associate of the confectionery giant Ferrero. It tells the story of two different pirate crews hunting for the same treasure. DVDs of the first two episodes of the cartoon were found inside packets of Ferrero snacks, along with figurines of characters from the series, which were also available inside Kinder Eggs.
- Kim – A twenty-six-episode series co-produced with Rai Fiction based on the picaresque novel Kim by Rudyard Kipling. This was the first time that this story was adapted into an animated series.
- Angel's Friends – A 52-episode comedy-adventure animated series co-produced by Mondo Home Entertainment, Play Entertainment, and Mediaset, based on the comic strip created by Simona Ferri.[9] This series was launched at Mipcom in 2004, together with Sandokan III: The Two Tigers, the third season of the successful series about Salgari's hero co-produced with Rai Fiction.
- Puppy in My Pocket: Adventures in Pocketville – A co-production with Giochi Preziosi and MEG Toys, based on the successful toy line of the same name.[10]
