Simon Philips—who guided Marvel Entertainment International through its Golden Age and helped to successfully navigate Disney's acquisition of the brand—is bringing his unparalleled entertainment experience to robotics firm Digital Dream Labs. Together, they're planning an animated series based around their beloved robots Cozmo and Overdrive.

Most recently, London based Simon served as the Executive Vice-President & General Manager, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive for Europe, the Middle East & Africa, where he brought to life the characters and stories of four iconic brands—Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel.

"As a personal Marvel fan, I'm excited with what he did with the brand, and can't wait to see what he'll do with us," says Jacob Hanchar, founder of Pittsburgh-based ed-tech firm Digital Dream Labs.

An animated series will build backstories for Cozmo and Overdrive. It's the perfect fit for on-demand streaming services.

"I look for companies that foster the innate curiosity in a young, global audience, those that combine fun and cool play with technology to create empowering products," said Simon. "Cozmo and Overdrive prove that tech can add to the overall play experience. It is truly an honour to be helping Jacob and his team bring these amazing products to life."

Cozmo and Overdrive represent some of the most advanced robotics capabilities in the world.

"I saw this opportunity to get the beloved robot Cozmo, which has sold more than a million and a half units," says Hanchar. "The products themselves reach people's emotions, and communicate on such a peer-level, in ways that no other robot to date has been able to do."

Cozmo is a little wheeled robot with millions of users worldwide.

"What makes him cute is that he has these expressive eyes, and you're able to communicate with him through expression," says Hanchar.

For many of its users, it goes beyond being just a toy, to becoming a true companion robot.

Overdrive—a racing, battling AI-powered "Supercar" that lets you battle AI opponents and friends—also has millions more users.

ABOUT DIGITAL DREAM LABS

A pioneer in STEAM technology, Digital Dream Labs develops entertaining games that just 'happen' to teach core pillars of education. The company currently has games that teach: Coding, Math, Art, and Chemistry launching this quarter. Their games are in over 3,500 school districts. Digital Dream Labs recently announced their partnership on numerous projects, including a game for youth integrating Robotics and A.I with the music industry. For more info, see digitaldreamlabs.com.