EXCLUSIVE: Sola Media has unveiled the international trailer for animated feature Monster Mia, and announced a fresh set of deals as it continues the sales campaign for the CGI picture at the EFM.
Set in the picture-perfect town of Primrose, Monster Mia follows a rebellious young girl, who is expelled from her local school and sent to the mysterious Rotwood Academy, where her classmates are monsters. With only her scruffy pet rat Quentin for support, she must find a way to survive, fit in, and ultimately embrace what makes her different.
Adapted from the ‘Monstrous Maud’ book series by UK writer A. B. Saddlewick, published under the title of ‘Monster Mia’ in Germany, the upcoming film has been drawing strong buyer interest ever since its sales launch by Sola Media at the AFM, which is being bolstered by a scheduled delivery in time for Halloween 2026.
As the EFM gets underway, the company has unveiled a slew of sales out of the AFM including the Baltics (ACME Film), CIS (Exponenta), Hungary and Romania (ADS Service), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Bontonfilm), Israel (Filmhouse), Middle East (Gulf Film), Scandinavia (ManyMore Films), Italy (Notorious Pictures), Ukraine (Svoe Kino) and Vietnam (Skyline Media Company).
They join previously announced sales to Poland (New Horizons), Greece (Tanweer), Bulgaria (Pro Films), Mongolia (Filmbridge) and former Yugoslavia (Karantanija Cinemas). In Germany, Plaion Pictures is planning a theatrical release timed for the Halloween season in October 2026.
The film is produced by Austria-based animation studio Arx Anima, in collaboration with Peng! Boom! Tschak! – Films and Spain’s Arxlight Pictures.
We’ve been absolutely thrilled by the response to Monster Mia from distributors around the world,” said Dunja Bernatzky, Managing Director of Arx Anima. “Seeing the film resonate with partners everywhere from Italy to Vietnam truly speaks to its universal themes. At its heart, this is a story about belonging, friendship, and embracing who you are – and those are ideas that connect with children and families no matter where they live.”
Solveig Langeland, Managing Director of Sola Media, said the deals indicated how the film’s themes resonated worldwide.
“Monster Mia is a Halloween adventure that speaks to children and families across cultures and its seasonal appeal allows distributors to align releases across multiple markets,” she said.
Sola Media Sales and Market Manager Isabel Schneider said she expected the planned Halloween 2026 rollout to galvanise a coordinated international release.
“That strong Halloween positioning also makes the film perfectly suited for coordinated international releases, and a natural fit for our Films on the Move application to Creative Europe MEDIA this March. With the support of the MEDIA scheme, we recently coordinated a synchronized international holiday release for A Mouse Hunt for Christmas, which went on to become a global box office hit with more than 2.2 million admissions worldwide.”
