First feature film animated by Blenda Labs since joining Epidemic Group brings one of Sweden's most-loved children's characters back to cinemas.
Stockholm, Sweden, October 14, 2026 – Blenda Labs, the Stockholm-based production company acquired by Epidemic Group in July 2026, today announced that it has animated and directed Laban The Little Ghost (Lilla spöket Laban busar vidare), a CoStudios production in co-production with SF Studios. The film opened in Swedish cinemas on October 9th and was the third most-watched Swedish film at the national box office over its opening weekend, and the most-watched in the children segment.
Created by Inger and Lasse Sandberg, Laban is one of Sweden's best-known children's characters. CoStudios acquired the rights at the turn of 2024/2025 and has since built a slate strategy around new films, adventures and stories for the character. Laban The Little Ghost is the first feature to come out of that strategy, and marks the first time the character celebrates Halloween on screen.
Maria Lundqvist returns as narrator, performing every character voice in the film – a role she first took on twenty years ago.
Made in Stockholm
CoStudios, rightsholder of the character, produced the film and Blenda Labs was responsible for the animation and direction, created at its studio in Stockholm. It is the first feature to come out of Blenda Labs' animation model, which brings the animation pipeline together in one place so that teams can work faster without handing off between disciplines or losing creative control along the way.
"Laban is exactly the kind of story our team was built to animate," said Erik Wahlberg, Epidemic CEO and founder of Blenda Labs. "Generations of children have grown up with these characters, and the warmth in them is the whole point – it has to carry into every new story intact. What we've built lets an animation team move at a completely different pace while keeping every creative decision in their hands. The animation on this film is the proof – and all of it was made here in Stockholm."
"Animation has traditionally required trade-offs between quality and speed," said Viktor Linnell, CEO of CoStudios. "Blenda excels at both. That matters when you are the custodian of a character like Laban – it means we can keep telling these stories, and keep introducing them to new generations, at a pace that simply wasn't possible before."
About Blenda Labs
Blenda Labs is a next-generation animation company based in Stockholm. Its platform brings the animation pipeline together in one place, producing animation and video content for premium IP owners across theatrical features and digital-first series. Blenda Labs is part of Epidemic Group. www.blendalabs.com
About CoStudios
CoStudios is a next-generation media house built to work 360° - from acquiring and managing IP to bringing stories and characters to life. With a versatile portfolio of tv, film and audio production companies - including Art & Bob, Breakable Films and Dokland - alongside established partnerships, including with publishing house Bookmark, we streamline every step of production and rights management. This unique setup empowers us to expand character universes far beyond the screen - into live experiences, products, and brand collaborations that connect directly with audiences.
Epidemic Group
The Epidemic Group is on a mission to reimagine storytelling through music, sound, and AI. The Group comprises Epidemic Sound, the world's leading soundtracking platform; Soundly, the world’s premier sound effects platform; Blenda Labs, a next-generation production company; Overtone Studios, the Group's wellness music label, and Plenty Labs, an AI-native marketing operating system.
Epidemic Sound is the Group's primary brand. Its 100% IP-owned catalog of more than 55,000 tracks and 250,000 Hollywood-grade sound effects soundtracks more than 3.5 billion daily views on YouTube and TikTok, with over 70% of the top 300 US YouTube channels using its music. Epidemic Sound partners with artists through a 50/50 revenue share, upfront payments, and bonuses, a model that has defined the company since 2009.
The Group is backed by EQT, Blackstone, Creandum, Atwater Capital, Alecta, AMF, and IMAS Foundation.
