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Nickelodeon today announced the acquisition of Mr. Crocodile, a brand-new animated kids’ series, based on the beloved French children’s book Monsieur Crocodile a Beaucoup Faim (“Mister Crocodile is Very Hungry”) by best-selling author Joann Sfar, published by Gallimard.

Produced by Joann Sfar’s Magical Society and distributed by Mediawan Kids & Family, with the participation of Nickelodeon and France Télévisions, the series will air globally on Nick Jr. channels and on France Télévisions in France.

Mr. Crocodile follows the toothy, loveable Mr. Crocodile, alongside his best friend Daisy, as he cheerfully navigates life with boundless enthusiasm and comical misunderstandings due to his instinctive crocodile logic.

New to a diverse and lively mobile home community, Mr. Crocodile lives with Daisy, and they split their time between her mom’s and her dad’s homes. Together, they turn everyday activities into zany adventures, sharing an unconditional acceptance of each other’s approach to life.

Nickelodeon has acquired kids’ Series Mr. Crocodile about the friendship between an eight-year-old girl and a talking crocodile.

It is adapted from French author and director Joann Sfar’s best-selling book Mister Crocodile is Very Hungry (Monsieur Crocodile a Beaucoup Faim), published by Gallimard in France.

The series is produced by Sfar’s Magical Society and distributed by Mediawan Kids & Family, with the participation of Nickelodeon and France Télévisions.

The series will air globally on Nick Jr. channels, and on France Télévisions in France.

Mr. Crocodile is the first animated series from Magical Society, the Paris-based company co-founded by Sfar with Aton Soumache, and backed by Mediawan. The company’s previous credits include animated features such as The Rabbi’s Cat and Little Vampire, which were also adapted from Sfar’s best-selling illustrated books.

The 52×11 show follows the adventures of its toothy, loveable protagonist reptile and best friend Daisy,...

Paramount Global’s Nickelodeon has acquired Mr. Crocodile, a new animated kids series based on the beloved French children’s book Monsieur Crocodile a Beaucoup Faim (Mister Crocodile Is Very Hungry) by author Joann Sfar and published by Gallimard.

The series, produced by Sfar’s Magical Society and distributed by Mediawan Kids & Family, with the participation of Nickelodeon and France Télévisions, will air globally on Nick Jr. channels, as well as on France Télévisions in France.

Mr. Crocodile follows “the toothy, loveable Mr. Crocodile” and his best friend, the human girl Daisy, “as he cheerfully navigates life with boundless enthusiasm and comical misunderstandings due to his instinctive crocodile logic,” according to a show description. “New to a diverse and lively mobile home community, Mr. Crocodile lives with Daisy, and they split their time between her Mom and her Dad’s homes. Together, they turn everyday activities into zany adventures...

Montreal’s On Animation Studios, known for working on films like “Playmobil: The Movie,” “The Little Prince,” and “Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie,” has shut down. The announcement came through a LinkedIn post, with the company citing industry changes as the reason for ceasing operations.

“Amid the changes in our industry, On Animation Studios is ceasing its activities,” the company stated. “It is sad to say goodbye to a team as incredible, talented, and skilled as ours. We will deeply miss the joy and excitement of creating outstanding films alongside such remarkable people and partners.”

The closure was not entirely unexpected. The animation and VFX industry in Quebec has been struggling, with significant job losses in the past year. In September, the Quebec Film and Television Council reported that more than half of the province’s 8,000 animation and VFX workers had lost their jobs.

One of the key factors...

Mediawan-owned On Animation Studios, the Montreal-based banner whose credits include “Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie,” “The Little Prince” and “Playmobil the Movie,” has shut down, Variety has confirmed.

On Animation Studios, which was launched by French producers Aton Soumache (“Little Nicholas”) and Dimitri Rassam (“The Count of Monte Cristo”) in 2012, was acquired by Mediawan five years later. The company quickly became a key animation studio in Montreal and attracted talented animators from overseas, boosted by a pipeline of projects based on famed IP’s such as the blockbuster “Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie” which ranks as one of the most-watched French animated films worldwide; and “The Little Prince,” which played at the Cannes Film Festival and won a Cesar Award, as well as nod from the British Academy Children’s Awards.

On Animation Studios was also one of the several companies that was able to tap into...

On Animation Studios, the Mediawan-owned, Montreal-based facility which worked on hits such as Mune: Guardian of the Moon, The Little Prince, Playmobil: The Movie, and Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, is shutting down.

The company announced the news on its LinkedIn page on Monday, saying the closure was due to changes across the animation industry.

“It is sad to say goodbye to a team as incredible, talented, and skilled as ours. We will deeply miss the joy and excitement of creating outstanding films alongside such remarkable people and partners,” read the On Animation statement.

The closure, has been greeted with dismay by the Quebec animation scene and past collaborators, but is not wholly unexpected.

Both the animation and VFX sectors in Canada’s province of Quebec have gone from boom to bust in recent months following the provincial government’s decision to set a 65% cap on tax...

French filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski, who’s just wrapped filming of “Vie Privée” starring Jodie Foster in Paris, received the French Cinema Award at a jam-packed ceremony held in an ornate room of the Ministry of Culture on Jan. 16.

The tribute, which is given by the film promotion body Unifrance, was introduced by Gaëtan Bruel, chief of staff of Rachida Dati, the minister of culture, as well as Unifrance president Gilles Pelisson and managing director Daniela Elstner.

Created in 2016, the French Cinema Award honors actors, filmmakers and producers who have contributed to making French cinema shine abroad. Past recipients include actors Juliette Binoche, Virginie Efira and Melvil Poupaud, director Olivier Assayas and producers Aton Soumache and Dimitri Rassam, among others.

Zlotowski, who is perfectly bilingual and has worked with a number of international talent, from Natalie Portman to Lily Rose-Depp and more recently Foster, has been actively promoting each movie she...

“The Big War,” one of Europe’s most ambitious feature projects brought to market at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, is heading the AFM with some incredible new graphics for its CG animal cast.

Inspired by the iconic two-part graphic novel “La Bête Est Morte,” written by Edmond-François Calvo during the Nazi occupation of France during World War II and published just after the liberation of Paris, “The Big War” is helmed by “La Haine” director Mathieu Kassovitz and produced by leading French producer Aton Soumache, whose recent credits include Annecy winner “Little Nicholas – Happy as Can Be” and Netflix’s mega-hit “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, the Movie.”

Given that the original book has very little by way of narrative, longtime Tim Burton collaborator Caroline Thompson, the award-winning screenwriter of “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” was recruited to adapt the screenplay. Former Cannes Film Festival...

“Journey to the End of the Night,” a literary masterpiece penned by controversial French author Louis-Ferdinand Céline, is being adapted for the big screen by Joann Sfar and Thomas Bidegain.

Well-established producers Aton Soumache (“The Little Prince”) and Alain Attal (“Beating Hearts”) are developing the project through their respective banners, Magical Society (jointly led with Sfar) and Tresor Films.

The adaptation endeavor was initiated by Sfar, a Jewish comicbook artist, illustrator, thinker and filmmaker whose body of work has promoted tolerance and combatted all forms of racism through words and images.

Published in 1932, “Journey to the End of the Night” was the first novel written by Céline, whose real name was Louis Ferdinand Auguste Destouches. Céline, who fled to Germany in 1944 and died in 1961 after living for many years in self-imposed exile in Denmark, remains a polarizing figure due to his antisemitic views and pamphlets that promoted the Nazi ideology during the Second World War.

Picturehouse Entertainment has made its first animation pickup, acquiring UK-Ireland distribution rights to Sylvain Chomet’s The Magnificent Life Of Marcel Pagnol.

The Magnificent Life Of Marcel Pagnol follows the life of Pagnol, a playwright, novelist and filmmaker who became one of the world’s most inventive and prolific artists in the mid-20th century.

The film is currently in production ahead of completion in 2025. It is produced by Ashargin Poire and Valerie Puech for What the Prod. Co-producers are Lilian Eche’s Bidibul Productions, Adrian Politowski’s Align and Aton Soumache for On Classics (Mediawan Kids & Family), in...

Kinology has boarded international sales to “The Big War,” an epic €30-million live action-cgi characters hybrid movie which will mark the directorial comeback of “La Haine” filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz.

The ambitious feature is adapted from “La Bête Est Morte,” an iconic two-part graphic novel illustrated by Edmond Calvo during War World 2 in Nazi-Occupied France and published after the country was liberated.

Pitched as a “”Paddington” meets ‘Saving Private Ryan,'” “The Big War” is a true passion project for Kassovitz who bought rights to “La Bête est Morte” nearly two decades ago and has now joined forces with well-respected animation producer Aton Soumache, whose credits range from literary adaptations such as the Cesar-winning “The Little Prince” to the global smash-hit “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, the Movie.”

Kassovitz and Soumache have assembled a dream team for “The Big War,” including Caroline Thompson, the award-winning screenwriter of “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare before Christmas,...

Exclusive: La Haine filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz is returning to the director’s chair to make English-language passion project The Big War, which will mark the first movie he has helmed in 13 years.

“This is a project I’ve been working on for twenty years,” Kassovitz explained about the live action-animation hybrid project, which he has scripted with The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride and Edward Scissorhands scribe Caroline Thompson.

“It is inspired by cult French graphic novel La Bete Est Morte, which was written during the Second World War,” says the Frenchman, also known for starring in movies including Amélie and Munich and hit TV series Le Bureau Des Legendes. “It reimagines that war as enacted by animals. The Nazis are the wolves who go after the ‘vermin’ — the rabbits — who represent the war’s victims. The story focuses on two rabbits who go after their family who have been...

A week after being appointed culture minister and slammed by an avalanche of criticism, famed politician Rachida Dati has officially entered the ring.

Dati went off-script and delivered an unfiltered speech — starting with “I’m not asking you to love me, what I want is to convince you” — to a room full of film and TV players on Thursday evening during a ceremony honoring actor Melvil Poupaud, who received the French Cinema Award.

While on stage, Dati said she will strive to democratize culture during her tenure.

“Culture in schools and civic sense go hand-in-hand. When you look at schools in certain areas which are ridden with problems, you’ll notice that it’s often places where culture has taken a backseat,” she said. Dati also spoke about her own relationship with culture, admitting she saw a movie in a cinema for the first time at the age of 21 but...

Capping a growth year that saw Gallic productions draw 37.4 million global theatrical admissions for a total of $254 million in international receipts, producers and sales agents indicated that geopolitical tensions and eco-responsible transformation would be two of the major stressors on France’s film export business in the months to come.

Speaking at an export panel organized as part of the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris, Les Films du Losange sales chief Alice Lesort outlined her firm’s “case-by-case” approach when selling titles to Russia – which remains an eager and lucrative market, as proven by last year’s admissions figures for Maïwenn’s “Jeanne du Barry” (sold by Goodfellas) and the animated smash “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie” (from Zag and Mediawan Kids & Family), among others.

“What happens in the cinema is one thing,” said Lesort. “But once the film has been sold to a TV channel, for example, what...

Melvil Poupaud, an actor in Francois Ozon’s “By the Grace of God” and Maiwenn’s “Jeanne du Barry,” will receive the French Cinema Award from Unifrance, the French promotion organization.

The ceremony will be held on Jan. 18 at the Culture Ministry during the Rendez-Vous With French Cinema market. The French Cinema Award was created in 2016 to honor actors, filmmakers and producers who have contributed to making French cinema shine abroad. Past recipients include actor Juliette Binoche, director Olivier Assayas and producers Aton Soumache and Dimitri Rassam, among others.

Poupaud started his career as a child actor in the 1980 and has worked with auteurs such as Raoul Ruiz, Eric Rohmer, James Ivory and Ozon, with whom he has made four movies. His latest film directed by Ozon, “By the Grace of God,” won the Silver Bear in Berlin and earned him a Cesar nomination for best actor. He also worked with several well-established female directors,...

The outfit’s first commission is six-part BBC One thriller ’Vidree’, with feature films also in the pipeline.

Former UK Film Council executive and producer of Saving Mr Banks, Sing Street and TV series The Casual Vacancy Paul Trijbits has revealed details of his new venture with French production company Magical Society.

The former head UK Film Council’s New Cinema Fund has also spoken about the demise of his former company FilmWave, saying “we had all our eggs in the Netflix basket”.

Dutch-born, UK-based Trijbits and former FilmWave colleague JJ Lousberg have partnered with Paris-based Magical Society to set...

Aton Soumache and Joann Sfar’s French studio Magical Society has launched a UK arm helmed by Saving Mr Banks producer Paul Trijbits, whose drama indie FilmWave has shuttered after a decade.

Magical Society UK has landed a debut commission – the BBC’s AA Dhand adaptation Virdee, which was announced at last month’s Edinburgh TV Festival and will be produced by crime sub-label Magical North. Trijbits is running Magical Society UK with JJ Lousberg, a former Focus and Universal exec.

Magical Society UK is operating as a Jv with Paris-based Magical Society and will forge kids, animation and drama projects both TV and film. The French operation was opened in 2020 by comic book artist and filmmaker Sfar, and French animation producer Soumache, who was behind Netflix’s current most-watched animation feature, Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, and is the honorary chairman...

While Greta Gerwig’s girl-power blockbuster “Barbie” is ruling over the French box office, another much younger female-led franchise, “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir” has managed to pull approximately €8 million ($8.9 million) at the local B.O., from more than 1.1 million tickets, since bowing on July 5.

Budgeted around $80 million and directed by Jeremy Zag, “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir” ranks as one of France’s most ambitious animated films to date.

Featuring eight original songs and a postcard-worthy Parisian backdrop, the musical film broke ground as the first female-powered superhero movie set in the French capital. Even as it faces stiff competition from “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir” has enough legs to match or surpass recent non-u.S. animated hits such as “Ballerina,” which sold 1.8 million tickets in France. It garnered 318,144 admissions on its opening day in theaters, a record for a French animated film. In Germany, the...

Netflix has released the official trailer for Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, The Movie. Based on the animated series Miraculous Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, the film puts the characters in their biggest adventure yet. The film will premiere on Netflix on July 28, 2023, and for now, you can get your sneak peek by watching the brand new trailer below.

In the film, which is the first feature film based on the Miraculous franchise, the story follows "

ordinary teenager Marinette, whose life in Paris goes superhuman when she becomes Ladybug. Bestowed with magical powers of creation, Ladybug must unite with her opposite, Cat Noir, to save Paris as a new villain unleashes chaos unto the city."

The movie was directed by Jeremy Zag, who wrote the screenplay with Bettina Lopez Mendoza. Zag also produced with Aton Soumache and Daisy SHang, while executive producers include Emmanuel Jacomet, Michael Gracey, Tyler Thompson, Alexis Vonarb,...

While at the Annecy Animation Film Festival, Mediawan Kids & Family unveiled a raft of new youth-centric shows, including “Karters” and “Witch Detectives,” on top of a licensing pact with DeAPlaneta Entertainment.

Spearheaded by animation veteran Julien Borde, Mediawan Kids & Family is a division of the international film and TV powerhouse Mediawan whose recent acquisitions include Brad Pitt’s Plan B.

Mediawan Kids & Family is partnering up with Warner Bros. Discovery Emea on the production and distribution of its animated series “Karters” for the linear and non-linear services of Warner Bros. Discovery. The action-packed series will premiere on Cartoonito for Emea, and will be distributed by Mediawan Kids & Family Distribution worldwide except Latin America.

Both “Karters” and “Witch Detectives” are being produced by Aton Soumache’s topnotch Method Animation (“The Little Prince”), whose credits include “The Three Musketeers.” “Witch Detectives” has already been boarded by TF1 and Super Rtl.

Written...

The Paris sales outfit is also handling Pablo Berger’s ‘Robot Dreams’ in Official Selection.

Paris-based sales powerhouse Elle Driver has added Greek director Alexandros Avranas’ Apathy, now in pre-production, to its line-up heading into Cannes.

Apathy is a drama exploring the real-life phenomenon of ‘resignation syndrome’, a catatonic state that has affected around 700 refugee children in Sweden, sparking a wave of concern among doctors and politicians. Told from the perspective of a family, Apathy follows the parents as they struggle in their daily lives and gives a voice to the children. The multi-territory co-production is produced by France’s...

The Paris sales outfit is also handling Pablo Berger’s ‘Robot Dreams’ in Official Selection.

Paris-based sales powerhouse Elle Driver has added Greek director Alexandros Avranas’ Apathy, now in pre-production, to its line-up heading into Cannes.

Apathy is a drama exploring the real-life phenomenon of ‘resignation syndrome’, a catatonic state that has affected around 700 refugee children in Sweden, sparking a wave of concern among doctors and politicians. Told from the perspective of a family, Apathy follows the parents as they struggle in their daily lives and gives a voice to the children. The multi-territory co-production is produced by France’s...

Virginie Efira, the prolific actor of “Benedetta” who emceed last year’s Cannes Film Festival, will receive the French Cinema Award during the Unifrance Rendez-Vous, a week-long showcase of French movies.

The honorary award will pay tribute to the local and international success of Efira, who was born in Belgium but has become one of France’s most popular and bankable actors. Her recent credits include Alice Winocour’s “Revoir Paris” which played at Cannes, and Rebecca Zlotowski’s “Les enfants des autres” which competed Venice. Both movies were successful at the French box office and sold around the world. Efira has seen her career take off since working with Justine Triet for “Victoria” and “Sybil,” and Paul Verhoeven for “Elle” and “Benedetta.” She has been delivering consistently strong performances in films by some of the most exciting directors in France, from Zlotowski to Winocour, Triet, Regis Roinsard and Serge Bozon.

Feature inspired by work of René Goscinny, Jean-Jaques Sempé to open December 16.

Annecy best feature film winner Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be from France’s Foliascope and Luxembourg’s Bidibul Productions has secured a key distribution deal and will open in the US through Buffalo 8 on December 16.

Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre (I Lost My Body) directed the feature based on the bestselling French children’s book series Le Petit Nicholas. The 2D film takes place in 1960s Paris and weaves together the adventures of schoolboy Nicholas and his legendary creators, writer René Goscinny and cartoonist Jean-Jaques Sempé.

Goscinny...

Feature inspired by work of René Goscinny, Jean-Jaques Sempé to open December 16.

Annecy best feature film winner Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be from France’s Foliascope and Luxembourg’s Bidibul Productions has secured a key distribution deal and will open in the US through Buffalo 8 on December 16.

Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre (I Lost My Body) directed the feature based on the bestselling French children’s book series Le Petit Nicholas. The 2D film takes place in 1960s Paris and weaves together the adventures of schoolboy Nicholas and his legendary creators, writer René Goscinny and cartoonist Jean-Jaques Sempé.

Goscinny...

Animation project directed by Sylvain Chomet.

Elle Driver has swooped for the rest of the world on Sylvain Chomet’s The Magnificent Life Of Marcel Pagnol.

The Paris-based sales outfit has boarded the animated feature for all territories excluding North America, Latin America, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Israel and Italy, which were pre-bought by Sony Pictures Classics in May.

The film’s titular character was one of France’s most prolific and popular playwrights, filmmakers and novelists of the 20th century who has sold 150 million books translated into 50 languages.

The Magnificent Life Of Marcel Pagnol explores Pagnol’s imaginative world...

Animation project directed by Sylvain Chomet.

Elle Driver has swooped for the rest of the world on Sylvain Chomet’s The Magnificent Life Of Marcel Pagnol.

The Paris-based sales outfit has boarded the animated feature for all territories excluding North America, Latin America, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Israel and Italy, which were pre-bought by Sony Pictures Classics in May.

The film’s titular character was one of France’s most prolific and popular playwrights, filmmakers and novelists of the 20th century who has sold 150 million books translated into 50 languages.

The Magnificent Life Of Marcel Pagnol explores Pagnol’s imaginative world...

“Little Nicholas – Happy As Can Be” scooped this year’s Annecy Animation Festival’s top Cristal Award for best feature, an award which can form a springboard for Oscar nomination, as was the case with “Flee” last year, or “I Want My Body” in 2019.

The biggest winners at Annecy this year, however, was the Festival itself, animation at large and, when it came to movie prizes, France in particular.

‘Little Nicholas – Happy as Can Be’: Annecy Cristal, Best Feature

Directed by Benjamin Massoubre and Amandine Fredon, Annecy’s feature winner is classic French animated feature fare in artistic and industrial confection: 2D, based on a literary source – writer René Goscinny and illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempé’s comic-strip, and featuring famed Gallic IP: Little Nicholas, France’s quintessential schoolboy, who here meets his makers, Goscinny and Sempé.

In industry terms, “Little Nicholas” is produced by Aton Soumache and producer of “The Little Prince,...

Click here to read the full article.

Little Nicholas – Happy as Can Be, helmed by Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre, received the top Cristal for a feature film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which concluded on Saturday.

Written by Massoubre, the France/Luxembourg co-production follows a mischievous boy named Nicholas and is based on a series of illustrated children’s books created by Rene Goscinny and Jean-Jacques Sempe. It had its world premiere last month at Cannes.

A year ago, Flee won top Cristal, en route to three Academy Award nominations, including one for animated feature. In 2019, I Lost My Body additionally claimed Annecy’s Cristal for a feature before earning an Academy Award nomination for best animated feature. Little Nicholas helmer Massoubre edited I Lost My Body.

The list of winners follows, and special prizes awarded on Friday can be found here.

Cristal For A Feature Film:...

Thomas Astruc, the creator and director of the globally successful youth franchise “Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir,” is set to reboot “Astroboy,” one of the best-selling manga series of all time.

Method Animation, the prestigious Mediawan Kids & Family banner behind “Miraculous” and “The Little Prince,” is joining forces with Shibuya to produce this ambitious new series.

The original animated TV series came out in 1963 and became a global sensation, especially in Japan and France, as well as in the U.S. where it was the first anime to air. Based on the manga collection created by Osamu Tezuka which sold over 100 million copies worldwide, the series paved the way for other Japanese TV animation series. “Astroboy” was also a huge seller in merchandising, turning the little child-like robot character into a pop-culture icon and best-known superhero of Tezuka’s work.

Astruc is set to direct this new CGI-3D...

Mediawan Kids and Family’s Method Animation, the prestige animation label behind “The Little Prince,” is set to reboot “Le Manège Enchanté” (“The Magic Roundabout”), the iconic 1960’s French stop-motion animation series.

The new show, whose first season will comprise 52 episodes of 11 minutes each, will be aimed at a pre-school audiences. Founded by Aton Soumache, Method Animation has a stellar track record with reboots of cult franchises, from “Robin Hood” to “The Little Prince,” as well as with original IP’s such as “Miraculous” (produced with Zag).

Created by Serge Danot in the 1960’s, “Le Manège Enchanté” was a global hit adapted in 30 languages and more than 60 countries, including in the U.K. (under the title “The Magic Roundabout”) by Eric Thompson.

“Le Manège Enchanté,” whose original series spans 500 episodes, became the first global pre-school IP in TV history and is still to date one of the most popular TV brands for children,...

Mediawan, the fast-rising pan-European production and distribution group behind “The Little Prince,” has launched a new division, Mediawan kids & family, to ramp up its activities dedicated to youth entertainment content and become a global one-stop shop.

Unveiled during the Annecy Animation Film Festival, this new division will bring together Mediawan’s topnotch labels, including Aton Soumache’s thriving banner Method Animation, whose track record spans 25 years and comprises worldwide hits such as “Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir” (co-produced with Zag) and “Robin Hood – Mischief in Sherwood; On Classics, the banner behind the BAFTA-nominated, Cesar-winning “The Little Prince,” which sold 50 million tickets worldwide. On Classics is also behind “Little Nicolas – Happy as can be” which world premiered at Cannes in the Special Screenings section and is competing at Annecy.

Spearheaded by Julien Borde, an animation industry veteran who previously held senior positions at WarnerMedia and France Televisions, Mediawan kids...

Charades has closed a raft of deals on “Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be,” an animated feature which world premiered at Cannes in the Special Screenings section and will go on to compete at Annecy festival.

Directed by Benjamin Massoubre and Amandine Fredon, “Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be” is based on author René Goscinny and New Yorker cartoonist Jean-Jacques Sempé’s popular children books from the 1960’s which have been translated into than 30 languages. The feature expands on the graphic novels and follows the adventures of a mischievous boy and his schoolmates, teacher and parents.

Charades has sold the film to Japan (Open Sesame), South Korea (Aone Entertainment), Italy (I Wonder Pictures), Canada (Maison 4:3), Israel (Lev Cinema), Indonesia (Falcon), Switzerland (Ascote), Bulgaria (Cinelibri), Cis (Volga)

Czech Rep & Slovakia (Aerofilms), Ex-Yougoslavia (Blitz), Greece (Feelgood), Hungary (Aerofilms), Lebanon & Gulf (Empire), Poland (Monolith), Portugal (Lusomundo), Switzerland (Ascote), Taiwan (Proview) and...

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all rights in North America, Latin America, Scandinavia, the Middle East, Israel, India and Italy, and aboard airlines and ships worldwide, to the animated film The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol, from writer-director Sylvain Chomet. The deal for Chomet’s English-language feature follows SPC’s distribution of his past films The Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist.

The latest film from the four-time Academy Award nominee and BAFTA winner is set in 1955 follows 60-year-old Marcel Pagnol—one of the most prolific artists of the 20th century. An author with 150 million books sold worldwide and translated into more than 50 languages, Pagnol was also a well-known and acclaimed playwright and filmmaker prior to his passing in 1974.

When the editor-in-chief of Elle Magazine commissions a weekly column about the acclaimed playwright and filmmaker’s childhood, he sees this as a great opportunity to go back to his artistic roots: writing.

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired Sylvain Chomet’s “The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol,” an animated feature about the life of the legendary author Marcel Pagnol.

Chomet is the BAFTA-winning, four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker of “The Triplets of Belleville” and “The Illusionist” which were both distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.

The deal covers all rights for North America, Latin America, Scandinavia, Middle East, Israel, India, Italy, and

worldwide airlines and ships at sea in all languages.

“‘The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol’ completes the animated feature film trilogy started with ‘The Triplets of Belleville’ and ‘The Illusionist’ (both enormous successes and evergreen titles for Sony Pictures Classics),” said SPC.

“Sylvain Chomet is one of the great masters of animation in the world. It is a pleasure and privilege to be back in business with Sylvain and to expand Sylvain’s audience wider than ever,” added the company.

A modern fable, the...

“The Little Nicholas: Happy as Can Be” by Benjamin Massoubre and Amandine Fredon is having its world premiere at a Special Screening at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20.

Several years in the making, the film brings together the world-famous French schoolboy and his creators, author René Goscinny and cartoonist Jean-Jacques Sempé, as it goes back and forth between their world and his imaginary world.

Translated into more than 30 languages, the Little Nicholas short stories have been adapted to fiction but never to animation until now. For the creative team, it was essential to stay true both to Goscinny’s short stories and to Sempé’s drawings.

“The main challenge was to create the Little Nicholas’ world in animation and, at the same time, remain faithful to Sempé’s style – his drawings are very small, they’re made in ink, which gives them a sort of awkward but very lively energy,...

Mediawan Group has acquired a majority stake in Hugo Selignac’s Chi-Fou-Mi, the thriving Paris-based outfit behind Cedric Jimenez’s “Bac Nord” which world premiered out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

The deal follows Mediawan & Leonine Studios’s joint acquisition of Drama Republic, a major U.K. TV production banner, which was announced the start of Cannes by Mediawan’s co-founder Pierre-Antoine Capton and Leonine Studios CEO Fred Kogel.

The acquisition of Chi-Fou-Mi underscores Mediawan’s drive to become a major purveyor of premium content; and will solidify Mediawan’s footing in the French film business.

Chi-Fou-Mi is a 10 year-old company boasting an access to A-list French talent and a track record with popular and ambitious French films such as Gilles Lellouche’s “Le Grand Bain,” Antonin Baudry’s Omar Sy starrer “Le chant du Loup,” Jeanne Herry’s “Pupille,” Romain Gavras’ “Le Monde est à toi” and...

Sylvain Chomet, the BAFTA-winning, four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker of “The Triplets of Belleville” and “The Illusionist,” has partnered up with Mediawan’s On Kids & Family on his next directorial outing, “The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol.”

The ambitious film is being co-developed and produced by What The Prod, the outfit created and headed by Ashargin Poiré and Valérie Puech, with veteran animation producer Aton Soumache at On Kids & Family. The project is being presented at Annecy Film Festival with a well-polished, English-speaking teaser.

A modern fable, the animated biopic will chart the epic life of Pagnol, a celebrated French novelist, playwright and filmmaker who grew up in a middle-class household in Marseille and became one of the world’s most inventive and prolific artists from the 1930’s to the 1950’s. Throughout his long career, Pagnol’s books were translated into more than 50 languages and sold more than 150 million units. Pagnol also...

France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the leading global get-together for all things animation, has unveiled the lineup for this year’s Work in Progress section, among the most highly anticipated events of the world’s animation calendar. When a physical event is possible, lines begin to form early in the morning as fans of the high-profile projects hope to get into the limited seating available at the Salle Pierre Lamy.

A barometer for future standout awards and/or box office success, recent high-profile projects featured at Annecy’s Work in Progress include Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Oscar-winner “Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse” and Oscar nominees in Netflix’s “Klaus” and “Over the Moon,” Cartoon Saloon’s “Wolfwalkers,” Claude Barras’ “My Life as a Zucchini,” Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar’s “Ernest & Celestine,” Michael Dudok de Wit’s “The Red Turtle” and Dean DeBlois’ “How to Train Your Dragon 2.

Adrian Politowski’s Align, the L.A. based production and finance company, has come on board to co-finance “Little Nicholas,” a hand-drawn animated feature directed by Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre.

The feature is being produced by Aton Soumache at On Kids & Family (“The Little Prince”), a Mediawan Group company, and Lilian Eche and Christel Henon at Bidibul Productions. Charades, the banner behind the Oscar-nominated “Mirai,” is handling international and domestic sales.

Fredon and Massoubre previously worked on “Ariol” and “I Lost My Body,” respectively. Created by the author Rene Goscinny and the New Yorker illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempe, “Le Petit Nicolas” follows the adventures of a mischievous boy and his schoolmates, teacher and parents in Paris in the 1960s.

The feature, written by Michel Fessler (“March of the Penguins”) and Anne Goscinny, the daughter of Rene and a critically acclaimed author herself, will have two narrative threads. One will follow Nicholas and his surroundings,...

Mediawan, one of Europe’s most thriving independent production-distribution groups, is looking to expand its leadership further into Europe with the acquisition of Lagardere Studios and a minority stake in Madrid-based banner Weekend Studio.

Following last month’s clearance by the anti-trust board, Mediawan has finalized its takeover of Lagardere Studios, an expansive French TV producer-distributor comprised of 27 companies, including the Spanish banner Boomerang, whose hit series include “The Time in Between” and “Mum detective;” Atlantique Productions, whose credits include Damien Chazelle’s Netflix series “The Eddy”; and Imagissime, the documentary producers behind hit Netflix documentary series “Who Killed Little Gregory?”

Pierre-Antoine Capton, chairman of Mediawan, said the company is now getting ready to integrate Lagardere Studios’ talent and labels into the org and is preparing to reorganize in order to create more synergies.

“With these new acquisitions we are going to strengthen our footprint in Spain, the Netherlands and Finland,...

Disney Plus and Disney Channel have swooped for a pair of animated TV movies based on the popular “Miraculous” franchise, produced by L.A.-based banner Zag and Mediawan-owned “The Little Prince” producer On Kids & Family.

The two film projects, titled “Miraculous World: New York – United HeroeZ” and “Miraculous World: Shanghai – Lady Dragon,” have been acquired by the Mouse House’s streaming platform and channel for global premiere rights outside of Brazil and China.

Second window rights have been snapped up by France’s leading commercial network TF1, Brazil’s Gloob (Grupo Globo), Canada’s family channel Télé-Québec and the U.K.’s Pop for regional rights.

Created by Zag and produced by Zag and On Kids & Family, the 3D-cgi-animated TV movies will be directed by Thomas Astruc, the creative force whose “Miraculous” series is a global hit airing in more than 120 territories.

Winner of the 2018 Teen Choice Award for animated series,...

Veteran French animation producer Aton Soumache and renowned comicbook artist-turned-filmmaker Joann Sfar (“The Rabbi’s Cat”) are launching Magical Society in the run up to the online Annecy Animation Film Festival.

The Paris-based mini-studio is already boasting a slate of a dozen ambitious animation, hybrid and live action projects in various stages of development, with about 30 topnotch international creative talents attached, notably Leo Sanchez Barbosa, the character designer of “How to Train Your Dragon,” and Viktor Antonov.

Magical Society is a rebranded company stemming from Sfar’s production vehicle Nice Pictures, which was acquired last year by Soumache’s Mediawan-backed On Entertainment. Sfar’s latest animated feature “Little Vampire” is part of the official selection of Annecy’s online film festival.

The outfit’s roster of titles includes the series “Monsieur Crocodile,” “Monsters’ Shrink,” the 3D animated feature “La chanson du Renart” (“The Fox’s Song”), as well as a hybrid...

One delight every year at Annecy is its showcase of new films by established talent, on-the-rise directors and names near off the radar. France has all three in 2020:

“Bigfoot Family” (Ben Stassen, Jérémie Degruson, nWave Pictures, Octopolis)

Probably the biggest box office bet of any title in main competition at Annecy this year. Sold by Charades, directed by pioneering 3D cineaste Ben Stassen, an Annecy regular, and Jérémie Degruson, and fruit of their one-stop-shop studio in Belgium, a tiny tot skewing comedy marking a follow-up to 2018’s “Son of Bigfoot,” which grossed a significant $50 million worldwide.

“The Blossom Crown” (Raphaël Penasa, U.S., France)

One of the most talked-up of Digital Experience pitches at Mifa this year mixing genre and gender as the viewer is invited to share the memories of central character Nigel, in which he discovers that his sibling is a transgender girl, and explore his ancient family home.

The new animation opuses by Joann Sfar, Rémi Chayé, Mariusz Willczynski and the duo composed of Ben Stassen and Jérémie Degruson will headline the online event unspooling 15–30 June. Forced this year to reinvent itself online as a result of the ongoing health crisis (read our news), the Annecy International Animated Film Festival (running 15 - 30 June) - the biggest event of its kind - has unveiled a tantalising selection of 20 titles for its two feature film competitions, The Official and Contrechamp.Out of the 76 original candidates, artistic director Marcel Jean has chosen ten titles which will battle it out for The Official’s 2020 Cristal. Shining bright among them is Little Vampire by France’s Joann Sfar, who already triumphed in Annecy in 2011 with The Rabbi’s Cat. The filmmaker’s new opus was produced by Aton Soumache on behalf of The Magical Society (a company born out of Mediawan...

Exclusive: Ian Lambur is taking on an expanded role at global independent animation studio Zag, with a promotion to Evp Production, Distribution & Co-Productions. In his new role, Lambur, previously Svp Global Distribution & Co-Productions, has added oversight of the company’s TV productions, including several series under the Zag Heroez brand label, including action-comedy Ghostforce, seasons one and two of the groundbreaking 3D CGI animated/live-action hybrid TV series Power Players and seasons four and five of the company’s flagship property, the 3D-cgi-animated superhero aspirational action-comedy series Miraculous- Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.

Lambur continues to lead global distribution and co-production strategy of content to all platforms, including television, home entertainment, and digital media. He reports to Zag CEO and founder Jeremy Zag.

“Over the past 8-months, Ian has made a substantial contribution to the growth of Zag, building on his network of extensive relationships and keen understanding of current and future media distribution platforms,...

Exclusive: Cartoon Network has made a deal with Ben 10 producer Man of Action Entertainment and Zag Entertainment for Power Players, a new CGI/live-action superhero series that will debut next month. The first six episodes of will preview beginning tomorrow across all Cartoon Network platforms including the Cn App and on demand, and the series will debut on the network September 21.

Based on an original idea by Zag Entertainment founder and CEO Jeremy Zag and developed by Man of Action, Power Players is a team of secret toy heroes led by Axel, a kid who discovers the Power Bandz, which can transform him into the living, toy-sized action figure Action Axel. Together with his team of toys brought to life, the Power Players fight the destructive fun of villainous robot Madcap and his pack of toys gone bad.

Zag and Aton Soumache are producers. Man of Action’s Joe Casey,...

Another big-ticket independent animated feature is coming to market in the shape of “Ladybug & Cat Noir Awakening.” Sierra/Affinity has boarded sales and has the project at Cannes. Six-time Grammy-winning producer and composer Harvey Mason Jr. (“Dreamgirls”) is composing the music for the movie project with Jeremy Zag, who directs.

Zag is the creator of the “Miraculous” universe. On TV, the “Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir” is a popular series, and has sold to over 100 countries. It has played on Disney in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, Nickelodeon in the U.S., TF1 in France, ABC in Australia and Ebs in Korea. Netflix also has it in numerous territories.

Skydance landed the rights to work up a live-action version of the property last year. There is also an extensive licensing and merchandising program in place in a kids TV business in which ancillary revenues are often the real money earner.

STXfilms announced on Thursday that it has acquired domestic distribution rights for On Animation Studio’s upcoming adventure “Playmobil: The Movie.”

The film, inspired by the Playmobil role-play toys, will take audiences on an epic comedy adventure through a sprawling imaginative universe.

When her younger brother Charlie (Gabriel Bateman) unexpectedly disappears into the magical, animated universe of Playmobil, unprepared Marla (Anya Taylor Joy) must go on a quest of a lifetime to bring him home, and team up with some unlikely and heroic new friends along the way.

“‘Playmobil: The Movie’ is an action-packed animated adventure led by a fantastic cast and the inimitable Lino Disalvo,” STXfilms Chairman Adam Fogelson said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to partner with On Animation Studios on this fun and original project, and look forward bringing a fresh take on the iconic Playmobil toy to the big screen for audiences across the U.

STXfilms has partnered with On Animation Studios to acquire domestic distribution for the upcoming animated “Playmobil: The Movie,” based on the German toyline.

The voice cast includes Daniel Radcliffe, Meghan Trainor, Kenan Thompson, Adam Lambert, Jim Gaffigan, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Gabriel Bateman. The movie is an On Animation production. Producers are Aton Soumache, Dimitri Rassam, Alexis Vonarb, Axel Von Maydell, and Moritz Borman.

“Playmobil” is directed by Disney veteran Lino Disalvo, who served as head of animation on “Frozen” and as animation supervisor on “Tangled” and “Bolt.” The script is written by Blaise Hemingway, Greg Erb, and Jason Oremland. The film opens in theaters worldwide this year.

Playmobil toys are produced by the Brandstätter Group in Germany. A wide range of accessories, buildings, vehicles, and animals are also part of the Playmobil line with over 2.9 billion figurines produced in more than 100 countries.

Open Road Films acquired U.S. distribution rights...