Sunlight Entertainment and Toei Animation Announce the Debut of The Brand-New Series 'Elemon' Featuring YouTube Phenom Ryan Kaji of Ryan's World

– The ELEMON YouTube Channel by Ryan's World Launches Episode
1 Today, With New Episodes Continuing to Drop
– The Roku Channel Kids & Family to Unveil a 20-Minute “ELEMON” Special on October 1
– Kidoodle.TV® to Release the Entire Series on October 19

JAPAN – September 28, 2023 – Sunlight Entertainment, the production studio owned by the Kaji family of the international phenom Ryan's World, and Toei Animation, the globally acclaimed and industry leading animation studio, today announced the debut of the brand-new animated series, “ELEMON.” The stunning anime-style adventure show treats kids and families to “edutainment,” a genre of work that combines education and entertainment. All casting and recording for “ELEMON” were contracted and completed before the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes and are compliant with SAG-AFTRA rules and conditions.

Viewers can enjoy “ELEMON” on the following leading kids & family entertainment platforms:

● ELEMON YouTube Channel by Ryan's World – episode 1 is available now, with new episodes continuing to drop weekly; also tune-in to the channel on October 1 for a livestream viewing party for the show's debut
● The Roku Channel Kids & Family – a 20-minute special will stream for free on October 1
● Kidoodle.TV® – the entire season will drop on the SAFE STREAMING™, global AVOD channel on October 19

In “ELEMON,” viewers will see the futuristic city of New Olympia Polis where an amazing new scientific advance has arrived, Elemon – fantastical creatures made from chemical elements. In this city lives Leo Woods, a brilliant ten-year-old inventor who dreams of one day becoming an Elemon creator, just like his hero, Professor World. One fateful morning, he achieves his dream and sets out to create a team of all-new Elemon! But with these awesome creatures also comes great danger. A mysterious group known as Team Ninja is intent on kidnapping Leo's Elemon, to steal his technology and use it for their own nefarious purposes.​ Over the course of the series, Leo, Ela, and Ryan bond with their Elemon, learn about chemistry, and battle it out with Team Ninja!

Each 11-minute episode is filled with comedic antics, pulse-pounding action, and heartfelt drama. “ELEMON” is a family-friendly adventure that activates the heart and the mind, teaching children the basics of chemistry while engaging them in a thrilling, anime-like fantasy saga.

The original story of “ELEMON” was created by Shion Kaji, Ryan Kaji's father and CEO of Sunlight Entertainment. The original work is from Toei Animation and co-produced by RYMATION and Analyze Log Co., Ltd. Serving as the director is Poeyama, one of Japan's leading flash animation craftsmen. The English voice actors include Caitlyn Elizabeth (Leo), Cristina Vee (Ella), Marlin Chan (Professor World), Frank Todaro (Joshua), Laura Post (Amanda), Ryan Kaji (Ryan), Brent Mukai (Shion), Keith Silverstein (Jones / Com), Deva Marie Gregory (Alyssa Jones), Cedric Williams (Joseph), Tyler Shamy (Thomas), Griffin Puatu (Mateo) and Patrick Seitz (Madox).

Quotes:

● Ryan Kaji, YouTube superstar and voice actor for Ryan: “It was a lot of fun dubbing the show and getting to see myself on screen as an anime character. My Elemon has a very cool design that I'm super proud of, and I can't wait for my family, friends and fans to see that and so much more fun stories from the show!”
● Shion Kaji, CEO of Sunlight Entertainment: “I think ‘ELEMON’ is such a unique project because it helps spark children's interest in chemistry. Inspiring kids to learn about a subject that's typically difficult for them to grasp at such an early age is special to me. We've really designed each Elemon character based on true elements in the periodic table, and translating those through cute characters and compelling storylines sets young ones up for success in learning about science in a fun and age-appropriate way. With Poeyama offering his innovative approach to flash animation and Toei Animation delivering the Japanese anime style fans know and love, ‘ELEMON’ is poised to be a one-of-a-kind “Edutainment” show, and I can't wait for families to watch.”
● Yoshihide Moriyama, Producer at Toei Animation: “This is the first children's animated project for Toei Animation in a long time to start from the seed of an original story. I've often heard that original works come with “growing pains,” but this project made me realize just how fun it is to create an entire world from scratch. I believe this is the result of Shion Kaji's ideas, cultivated through Ryan's World, and Poeyama's boundless creativity that pushes the very limits of flash animation. This show is full of entertainment for children around the world to enjoy and learn from, so please, I invite you to come and meet your favorite Elemon!”
● Poeyama, Director, Character Design and Chief Animation Director of “ELEMON”: “I was thrilled when I got the chance to be involved in this project of launching a brand-new animated series for children, and seeing it take shape proved far more challenging and rewarding than I had originally anticipated. Interest in the physical world around us is universal. In this show, we wanted to create a fantastical world, where the audience can meet new friends, using the very building blocks of life as our starting point. I also wanted to depict a story about the bonds that lead to lasting friendships and irreplaceable partners. I hope you'll soon meet your favorite Elemon and learn more about the “elements” that make them who they are!”
● Brenda Bisner, CCO at Kidoodle.TV: “We have celebrated the Ryan's World Family for years and look forward to bringing this incredible new show, Elemon, to our audience. The value of our alignment is a true testament to the importance of the Safe Streaming™ work we do here at Kidoodle.TV.”

Keep up with “ELEMON” on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. For more information, visit the website: www.toei-anim.co.jp/tv/elemon.

About Sunlight Entertainment

Sunlight Entertainment is Ryan Kaji's family-owned and operated production company that develops family-friendly content that is driven to help kids learn. Founded in 2017, Sunlight Entertainment was created by Ryan and his family to help streamline the workflow of one of YouTube's largest kids' channels, Ryan's World. The company continues to grow and currently manages eleven YouTube channels: Elemon, Ryan's World, Ryan's World Español, Ryan's World in Japanese, EK Doodles, Ryan's Family Review, Vtubers, Combo Panda, Gus the Gummy Gator, The Studio Space and the Stick with Kaji - Podcast. Sunlight Entertainment employs a 30-person team of videographers, editors, animators, writers and voice actors to help produce live action and animated content -- releasing about 25 videos a week. Currently, Ryan's World has rapidly evolved from a toy review YouTube channel to a global kids play and entertainment brand through digital and broadcast entertainment, toys, and consumer products.

About Toei Animation

Based in Japan, Toei Animation Inc. manages the distribution of Toei Animation's top properties, including franchise series Dragon Ball, Sailor Moon, One Piece, Digimon, Saint Seiya and many others, worldwide. Toei Animation's Los Angeles office further handles all categories of consumer product licensing based on its film and television brands within these territories. For more information, please visit toei-animation-usa.com.