Universal Products and Experiences (UP&E) returns to Brand Licensing Europe 2024 (BLE) on a high after a record-breaking year that saw Universal Pictures crowned the No. 1 highest-grossing studio at the global box office along with winning the Academy Award® for Best Picture (Oppenheimer). Robust plans are in place to continually evolve the licensor’s core franchises as well as introducing new IP from NBCUniversal and all its world-class production partners including Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation, and Peacock.

Leading the line-up is the highly anticipated cinematic event of the year, Wicked. A double licensing opportunity, the movie will be released in two parts with the first premiering on 22nd November 2024, with part 2 planned for Autumn 2025. Retailers and licensees across multiple categories around the world are planning a pink and green fall/holiday season that will surely be ‘popular’ with fans of all ages.

DreamWorks Animation’s Gabby’s Dollhouse continues to build upon its success as one of the fastest-growing preschool brands of the streaming era. Multiple consumer touch points will underpin the strong foundations of the franchise and ensure its position as prime licensing real estate. Highlights include a new feature film, Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie, coming to theatres in September 2025.

Also from the DreamWorks Animation portfolio, Shrek 5, the first new movie in the series since 2010, continues the ogre’s adventures in the not so Far Far Away future of summer 2026.

From Universal Pictures, the beloved How to Train Your Dragon franchise is set to soar once again with the first live-action adaptation of the property in June 2025.

Jurassic World continues its dinosaur domination with an all new event film set to release in July 2025. Additionally, fans continue to experience the thrills and wonder of the franchise through the new DreamWorks Animation series – Jurassic World: Chaos Theory – currently streaming on Netflix with a second season planned for this fall.

After a summer of fun and becoming the first animated franchise to cross $5B in the worldwide box-office,fans can look forward to more Minions mischief on shelves as UP&E looks to expand further into the food and beauty care categories as they further explore the character’s potential as a family shopping staple.

The incredible Universal Vault archive of classic favourites spans over 100 years of film and television, including anniversaries of iconic IP, like the 50th anniversary of JAWS in 2025. Universal is also the home to Horror – creating scares on-screen with the visionary teams at Monkey Paw and Blumhouse, making Chucky a year-round nightmare, the classic Universal Monsters taking it back to where it all began, and the annual Halloween Horror Nights experiences at Universal theme parks around the world.

Come and visit Universal Products and Experiences who will be exhibiting at Stand A171

About UNIVERSAL PRODUCTS & EXPERIENCES
Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E) globally drives the expansion and elevation of NBCUniversal’s iconic collection of brands, intellectual properties, characters, and stories based on the company’s extensive portfolio of properties created by Universal Pictures, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation and NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. The division executes this through innovative physical and digital products, engaging retail and product experiences across our expansive global theme park destinations (for both owned and 3rd party IP), location-based venues, e-commerce product platforms, and retailers around the world. Along with global brand strategy and creative, UP&E’s three lines of business include Consumer Products, Games and Digital Platforms, as well as Theme Parks Products & Retail. UP&E is a division of Universal Destinations & Experiences, part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation. More information is available at universalproductsexperiences.com.