Award-winning animation studio, Atomic Cartoons, developing and planning to produce ‘Surf’s Up: The Series’ based on popular Surf’s Up movie from Sony Pictures Animation

Animated series will feature the return of famous Surf’s Up characters, including Cody Maverick, Big Z, and Chicken Joe

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 25, 2025-- Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. (TSXV: TBRD, OTCQX: THBRF) (“Thunderbird” or the “Company”) is pleased that its animation studio, Atomic Cartoons (“Atomic”), will be developing and intends to produce Surf’s Up: The Series, a new animated series based on the hit film Surf’s Up from Sony Pictures Animation.

The animated series will be written by Lienne Sawatsky, Dan Williams, and John Hazlett, who are also the trio behind popular animated children’s series’ The Guava Juice Show and have written on many other beloved children’s series. All three writers will also serve as the series’ showrunners. Jennifer Twiner McCarron, CEO and Chair of Thunderbird Entertainment, Joel Bradley, President of Atomic Cartoons, and Aaron Behl, Senior Vice President of Originals at Atomic Cartoons, will serve as Executive Producers on the series, with Kitty Walsh, Executive Director of Development at Atomic Cartoons, as a Co-Executive Producer. Rick Mischel serves as Executive Producer for Sony.

“Our team at Atomic is thrilled to be working on Surf’s Up: The Series and for the opportunity to introduce these adored characters to the small screen, reaching new and existing fans of the iconic animated film,” says Ms. Twiner McCarron, who is also the CEO of Atomic in addition to Thunderbird.

“Lienne, Dan and John are passionate about only two things in life – penguins and surfing,” adds Behl. “It was undeniable that they were the write team (pun intended) to adapt Surf’s Up as a hilarious animated series.”

Based on Sony Pictures Animation’s beloved 2007 film Surf’s Up, which was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature, Surf’s Up: The Series is being developed as an 11-minute animated comedy for kids ages six to nine. The show follows an over-confident teen penguin named Flip who teams up with a group of zany young surfers on his quest to become a surf legend. Things, of course, go spectacularly wrong and the wipeouts are epically embarrassing but together, Flip and his friends will build their own surf community on Pen Gu Island. The series will also feature the return of popular characters from the original Surf’s Up film including Cody Maverick, Big Z, and Chicken Joe, which will make the series appealing to fans of the movie as well.

“We're excited to be partnering with Atomic and their long history of bringing great intellectual property to series animation. Surf’s Up is iconic and we look forward to a whole new audience getting to know these characters," says Executive Producer Rick Mischel.

The series will be marketed internationally to secure additional distribution partners and consumer products. This series would be the latest addition to the Thunderbird library, joining other owned IP series including Super Team Canada, Mermicorno: Starfall, and The Last Kids On Earth, among others. To stay up to date on developments for this series and others produced by Atomic, visit https://www.atomiccartoons.com.

About Thunderbird Entertainment
Thunderbird Entertainment (TSXV:TBRD, OTC – THBRF) is a global award-winning, full-service multiplatform production, distribution and rights management company, headquartered in Vancouver, with teams based in Los Angeles and Ottawa. Thunderbird creates award-winning scripted, unscripted, and animated programming for the world’s leading digital platforms, as well as Canadian and international broadcasters. The Company develops, produces, and distributes animated, factual, and scripted content through its various content arms, including Thunderbird Kids and Family (Atomic Cartoons), Thunderbird Unscripted (Great Pacific Media) and Thunderbird Scripted. Productions under the Thunderbird umbrella include Mermicorno: Starfall, Super Team Canada, Molly of Denali, Highway Thru Hell, Kim’s Convenience, Boot Camp and Sidelined: The QB and Me. Thunderbird Distribution and Thunderbird Brands manage global media and consumer products rights, respectively, for the Company and select third parties. Thunderbird is on Facebook, X, and Instagram at @tbirdent. For more information, visit: www.thunderbird.tv.

About Atomic Cartoons
Atomic Cartoons is an internationally renowned, award-winning animation studio with teams located in Vancouver, Ottawa and Los Angeles. We are known for our artist-driven culture that attracts, retains and promotes the best talent in the business. Atomic develops and produces high-end animated content that spans preschool, comedy, action-adventure, adult and commercial genres, and everything in between. And we have developed a stellar global reputation for our ability to translate big brands like LEGO, Star Wars, My Little Pony, Cocomelon and many more into top-notch animation, while also developing high-quality original Atomic productions including The Last Kids on Earth, Rocket Saves the Day and Mermicorno: Starfall, which is currently in production. Atomic is B Corp certified and a BC Benefit Company. For more information, visit www.atomiccartoons.com.

About Sony Pictures Animation
Sony Pictures Animation produces a variety of animated entertainment for audiences around the world. The studio is currently in production on the 2027 release "Spider-Man™: Beyond the Spider-Verse," the highly-anticipated conclusion to the Spider-Verse trilogy, which includes 2023’s Academy Award nominated “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse” and 2018's Academy Award®-winning "Spider-Man™: Into the Spider-Verse."

The studio's additional upcoming feature films include "GOAT," an original animated sports comedy from producer Stephen Curry's Unanimous Media coming to theaters in 2026, and “Buds,” an original animated comedy slated for theatrical release in 2027.

The division also produced the global breakout hit "KPop Demon Hunters," the visually-groundbreaking and critically-acclaimed "The Mitchells vs. The Machines," and the beloved monster franchise "Hotel Transylvania," which will continue its story with the studio's upcoming "Motel Transylvania" series.

Sony Pictures Animation, which was founded in 2002, is a division of the Sony Pictures Motion Pictures Group for Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSXV) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release, which has been prepared by management.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
Certain statements contained in this news release may contain forward-looking information or may be forward-looking statements (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable securities laws.

Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “anticipate”, “continue”, “estimate”, “expect”, “forecast”, “may”, “will”, “plan”, “project”, “should”, “believe”, “intend”, or similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding a potential greenlight of Surf’s Up and Atomic’s ability to move Surf’s Up into production, the length and episode order for the series, and the ability to market it internationally and secure distribution partners and consumer products, as well as the performance, results and outcomes related to this title. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic and social uncertainties; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; product capability and acceptance; international risk and currency exchange rates; and technology changes.

The forward-looking statements or information contained in this document represent our views as of the date hereof and as such information should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this document. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

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For further information, please contact:

Investor Relations:
Three Part Advisors, LLC
Sandy Martin: smartin@threepa.com, 214-616-2207
Steven Hooser: shooser@threepa.com, 214-872-2710

Media Relations & Corporate Communications:
Julia Smith, Finch Media
Email: Julia@finchmedia.net

Source: Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc.