First Event Scheduled for São Paulo, Brazil, February 12, 2023 

Marathon Champion Marilson Dos Santos will Run in the Brazil Races

Santa Monica, CA  – Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG has signed with BTS Eventos to develop and promote a series of branded family racing events across Brazil, Chile, Argentina, and Peru, based on the globally loved animated TV series Miraculous™ – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir. The announcement was made today by Jeremy Zag, Founder and CEO, ZAG.

The first races will take place in Brazil where Marilson Dos Santos—a two-time champion of the New York Marathon and the first South American to win the race, three-time champion of the Corrida de San Silvestre and Finalist in London 2011—is confirmed to participate in the events. The inaugural event is a walk and run at the Villa-Lobos Park in São Paulo on February 12, 2023, expected to attract over 5,000 fans of the beloved show who will have access to superhero characters Ladybug and Cat Noir as well as themed activities. Each participant will receive a kit with a t-shirt, chest number, and participation medal, with premium kits also to include items such as yo-yos, caps, visors, squeezes, masks and eco-bags. Fans can also choose to participate in shorter or longer races depending on age and ability. Miraculous races are also currently in the works in Brazil in Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, and Rio de Janeiro, with the latter also having a roller-blading option.

The runs in Chile and Argentina will take place in Q2, 2023, and 2024

“We are so excited to have partnered with BTS Eventos to create these high-value live experiences for our Miraculous fans that combine healthy sporting activities and entertainment,” explains Angela Cortez, VP, Licensing, Latin America and Canada. “Miraculous has captured the hearts of kids and families across the region, with aspirational themes that help kids to believe in themselves. We can’t wait to kick-off this fun family event in Brazil where brand awareness for Miraculous is high, at 88% according to a recent report by Brand Trends International.”

The new events follow ZAG’s successful promotion at Emoción Deportiva on July 17, 2022, in Mexico, featuring Miraculous branded merchandise. Parents and children ran in pairs, and runners received an exclusive Miraculous bag, medal, face mask and t-shirt with options of 1, 2, 3, and 5-kilometer runs.

About Miraculous™ – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir

Miraculous™ – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir continues to be everyone’s favorite superhero story and is ranked by IMDB amongst the Top 10 Best Animated Shows in the last 20 years. Available in over 120 countries, season five of the series started to roll-out this fall, to be followed by the highly anticipated $US100M+ animated feature supported by several yet unannounced cobranded partnerships with some of the most influential companies across the globe.  With a core audience of 52% girls and 48% boys ages 6-12, and a massive fan base of young adult “Miraculers,” (ages 15-25), Miraculous has become a digital planetary craze with over 32 billion views on YouTube (authorized and user-generated content); over 200 million downloads of the official app; and over 450 million+ plays on Roblox. Over 280 million products have been sold and retail sales have surpassed US$1B worldwide to date. Miraculous is the winner of 29 awards and was a finalist for Best Licensed Brand among perennial classics in the Licensing International Excellence Awards, 2022.

The 3D-CGI-animated superhero aspirational action-comedy series Miraculous™ – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, created by ZAG and co-produced with Method Animation (Mediawan Kids & Family), follows the adventures of two seemingly typical teens with secret identities, Marinette, and Adrien, who magically transform into superheroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir. As secret superheroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir are partners in the action. But in the daytime, Marinette is just a normal girl, living a normal life. Cat Noir will do anything to support and impress Ladybug but does not know this is Marinette from his class. Marinette, the regular girl, in turn dreams of Adrien and simply gets little response. When evil threatens Paris, their beloved City of Lights, can they beat the unexpected villains?

About ZAG 

ZAG is a global independent entertainment studio specializing in world-class storytelling across TV, film, and digital platforms. ZAG’s foundation is rooted in compelling characters, limitless imagination, and masterful storytelling infused with original musical scores. The company is home to world-class entertainment properties under the ZAG HEROEZ label, including Miraculous™ – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir as well as new titles Power Players (2019) and Ghostforce (2021). ZAG is also currently in production on Melody, an animated feature to star Katy Perry; and recently signed a 10-movie deal with Cross Creek Pictures. Visionary director and composer Jeremy Zag founded the ZAG Kids and Family Entertainment Group in France in 2009, further expanding the company to the USA in 2012 with the Global Brand Franchise office in Santa Monica, California. ZAG now has offices in Paris, London, Montreal, Santa Monica, Miami, Mexico, Frankfurt, Tel Aviv, Frankfurt, Dubai, and Shenzhen. The company’s ZAG Play division focuses on developing engaging stories beyond the screen into brands that inspire the new generation to discover their true character.