Twenty-nine animated programmes, including two new feature films co-financed by Lagardère Active’s youth and family channels

At the International Animated Film Festival and Market (MIFA), which is being held until tomorrow in Annecy, France, Lagardère Active’s youth and family channels unveiled animated films and series that they are co-funding with French producers. The shows will begin airing in autumn 2013.

Gulli announces two new animated prime-time feature films for the whole family
After announcing its first co-financing of an animated film in 2011, Ma maman est en Amérique, elle a rencontré Buffalo Bill, in conjunction with LabelAnim, which competed for the best feature film at the 2013 Annecy Film Festival, Gulli is continuing its strategy of investing in animated movies by announcing its participation in two new feature films: Gus, with TeamTo, and, just confirmed, Ma famille et le loup, in association with Nectarious Films.

All three films offer great stories for the whole family that combine comedy and drama and feature original graphics. Their first broadcast is scheduled for prime time on Gulli, free-of-charge.

Twenty-six series for all ages

From the tiniest tots to 6- to 12-year-olds, the three channels have selected 26 series offering children a world of discovery, humour and adventure, with five new projects on tap for this season:

• Sammy & Co, a series for TiJi’s youngest audience, developed by Zagtoon;
• Also on TiJi: a new adaptation of Zoom the While Dolphin, produced by Media Valley and Marzipan Films; 
• Les Légendaires, based on the popular comic strip published by Delcourt, adapted for Canal J by Génao; 
• 7 C’s, the new animated adventure series by Zagtoon and Method Film, exclusively on Canal J and Gulli;
• Finally, the unpredictable Chicky will debut on Canal J and Gulli in T’es où Chicky, a series developed by Cube.

With 350 hours of co-financed French animation and more than 35 hours of French animation broadcast weekly on Gulli, Lagardère Active’s youth and family channels are this segment’s market leaders in France.

Particularly on Gulli, French animated series derive significant benefit from this leading position: from the time children return to school, the series post an average 23% audience share among 4- to 10-year-olds (over 30% for the most popular shows) and draw up to 800,000 viewers ages 4 and up.*

In addition to the TV showcase offered by the channels, advertisers can also take advantage of rapidly growing cross-media distribution channels that have been especially successful with animated film tie-ins, such as digital products, licenses and local promotions.

According to Gérald-Brice Viret, Lagardère Active’s assistant director for French and international television channels, “The long history between Lagardère Active’s channels and French animation still has many good years ahead of it. This history includes the co-financing of ambitious children’s series for all ages; Gulli’s decision to continue investing in family feature films as of 2011; technical and editorial innovations, particularly with Gulli’s launch of the first second-screen project revolving around a French animated series (La grande quête Rédakaï with Marathon); ongoing initiatives to support the profession (this year’s 12th-annual Espoirs de l’animation for young animators, created by Canal J in partnership with the SPFA, CNC, SACD and five French animation schools; and a new master class on writing for animation, initiated by Gulli, The Media Faculty and CITIA, bringing together more than 60 professionals.”

Ma Famille et le loup (My Family and the Wolf)

For the first time, Hugo, age nine, and his parents are spending their summer holidays with his grandma Sara.

This summer, his grandmother is celebrating her 90th birthday and insists that her whole family celebrate with her. It’s cosy and lively spending the summer with Hugo’s many uncles, aunts and cousins in grandma’s big, rundown house.

At first, Hugo, an only child who lives in the city, isn’t all that comfortable with these crazy people that he doesn’t really know. He gets bored and feels very much alone. Little by little, however, thanks to grandma Sara, he finds his place in the family and begins to have a lot of fun.

One day, however, while the family is off basking at the beach and getting ready for the birthday party, grandma Sara suddenly announces that a wolf is coming on the day of her birthday to take her away for good. Hugo is stunned.

The kids don’t understand why the adults keep squabbling and don’t seem to take her seriously, so they hatch a plan to keep the wolf away and protect their grandmother. The little group therefore sets off on a great adventure, comprising equal parts terror and excitement.

It’s not clear that the kids will be able to stop the wolf and save their grandmother, but before leaving, she’ll give them the most wonderful gift possible: memories of an unforgettable summer.

• 2D animated feature film
• Length: approx. 75 minutes 
• Target: children ages 5-11 and their parents
• Written and directed by: Headless
• Produced by: Christine Ponzevera (Nectarious Films, Paris)