Simon Cowell's company to make children's movies

Music mogul Simon Cowell is expanding his business empire by producing animated children's films.

His company, Syco Entertainment, oversees music and reality TV shows such as The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent.

The film division began two years ago (12) and has produced spin-off movies including One Chance, based on Britain's Got Talent contestant Paul Potts, and One Direction: This Is Us, a documentary about the most successful boyband to come from The X Factor.

Cowell's company is now moving away from the reality TV route by partnering up with Australian animation and special effects company Animal Logic Entertainment to make music-based movies, or films which combine live-action with animation.

The first project is due for release in 2016 and three more movies are in development, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Cowell revealed the news on Twitter.com, writing, "Very excited to announce Syco's new deal with Animal Logic. It is a dream come true."