Leading French animation distributor Mediatoon is doubling down on its export strategy, based on international shows with iconic characters.
During the Unifrance Rendez-Vous With French Cinema in Paris, the company is highlighting several projects in its lineup, including season two of pre-school series “The Fox-Badger Family,” produced by Ellipse Animation, and commissioned by France Télévisions and German public broadcaster WDR.
The show is about a mixed species family, comprised by a single badger father and his three kids, and a fox mother and her daughter. The new season builds on the narrative developed in season one, with new background stories and new adventures during the winter season.
Season one received the TV France Intl. Animation Export Award in 2020 and was sold to more than 25 broadcasters worldwide, including TV Brazil, CCTV-14m Télé-Quebec, RAI Yoyo, WDR/ARD/KiKa, SVT, RTBF, RTS, HOP!, HITN/Edye, Mango TV, OCS, Infinikids and TFou Max.
The show is produced by Dargaud Media and Ellipse Animation. It uses 3D CGI with 2D Render and is directed by Florian Ferrier.
Season two has been presold to Télé-Quebec in Canada and RTS in Switzerland, which also bought season one.
Mediatoon is one of France’s top exporters of animated series. In addition to winning the TVFI animation export award in 2020, it was nominated in 2021 for “Bobby and Bill” – Season 1. The series “The Garfield Show” – Season 1 was one of the three nominees for the Unifrance Animation TV Export award in 2022.
“The Fox-Badger Family” is based on a popular comic-book, written by Brigitte Luciani and illustrated by Eve Tharlet, which has been translated into 14 languages. The core values of the series are friendship, tolerance, teamwork, discovery, family and ecology.
“Our stories are built to Entertain, Inspire and Empower. We continue to create powerful stories around our IPs,” explains Caroline Audebert, managing director of Ellipse Animation.
At the Unifrance Rendez-Vous, Mediatoon is also presenting “Versailles Unleashed – Belfort and Lupin,” an original show from Ellipse Animation, commissioned by France Televisions, and presold to Radio Canada, about the adventures of King Louis XIV’s favorite dog and his pal Lupin. Real-life foley effects are being recorded in the Palace of Versailles.
“Creating a show like ‘Versailles Unleashed’ involves working with historical experts and heritage,” says Solene Crepin, sales and business affairs executive, who explains that the producers worked closely with the Palace of Versailles. “The production is precise and filled with details.”
Other titles in the company’s slate include kids adventure series “Nicholas’ Fantastic Summer,” adapted from the bestselling books by René Goscinny (“Asterix”); toon sitcom “Living With Dad,” about a single dad and his four daughters; 3D animated “SamSam,” about a 6-year-old superhero; and “The Marsupilamis,” about three small creatures who hatch in the city.
The company operates in close coordination across its three production facilities: two studios in France – Ellipse Paris, Ellipse Angoulême – and DreamWall in Belgium. “With our 500 staff, we are able to take on highly ambitious projects,” says Audebert.
Mediatoon’s catalog consists of more than 4,000 hours of entertainment, and 291 series, including titles such as “Tintin,” “Garfield,” “Naruto,” “Code Lyoko” and “Valerian & Laureline.” Its shows have generated over 4.3 billion views on YouTube. The company is part of the Media Participations group, which comprises animation studios and digital media holdings as well as leading comic, novel and graphic publishers, including Dargaud, Urban Comics, Kana, Dupuis, Le Seuil, Abrams and La Martinière. It also operates the Parc Spirou Provence theme park in the South of France, that features characters from its universe of shows and publications, such as Spirou, Lucky Luke and the Marsupilami.
