On the days before MIPCOM, we had a chance to chat with Marina Narishikin, the general manager of indie French animation studio Millimages, which is best known for producing charming shows such as Molang, Louie, Paper Port and Pirata & Capitano. Here is what the animation veteran told us about the studio’s plans at the market and the upcoming year:
Are you taking any new shows to the fall markets?
For over a year now, Millimages has been seeking and reviewing numerous projects from around the world. We strive on giving life to relatable stories from unique point of views, via our expertise in animation. From all we had the chance to read, watch, hear, we retained 10, five of which are at a quite advanced stage in development. For the recent edition of Cartoon Forum, we were honored to have been selected to pitch one of them: Welcome to Permacity (working title).
Welcome to Permacity was ‘love at first read’ for our producer Bonnie Lener. At the 2021 Paris Book Fair, her team came across the documentary comic book by Olivier Dain-Belmont, an architect, & illustrated by Fachri Maulana and published in 2021 by French editor Sarbacane, and were immediately convinced of its potential for TV.
The show we are developing will be 52 episodes x 11 minutes, targeted to upper preschool, a comedy series that follows the daily life and curious adventures of Camille, a 7-year-old girl and her talking cat Imhotep in an incredible eco-city. As its name indicates, Permacity is constructed in total harmony with nature, vertically built, with gardens on the ground and on roofs, where permaculture is practiced, and where absolutely everything is recycled. The city is almost a character in itself: in Permacity, you won’t find pollution, whether it’s noise, visual or atmospheric! Everything is designed to respect biodiversity and its inhabitants. All this while remaining a modern city, with sustainable public transport, schools, shops, cinemas, museums and cafes!
What did you love about this project?
We believe it is its ambition. We strive to create a high-quality series, both in stories and visuals. Story wise, Welcome To Permacity will of course entertain, but while raising children’s (and parents!) awareness, make them discover how would/will an eco-city function and give them a taste of eco-citizenship, through the adventures of a lively and curious girl and a very extraordinary cat. We are proud of the values it embodies, ecology of course, but also, more broadly, mutual aid, living together, citizenship, all of which are essential concepts and values for the development of children. We plan to create additional content for the series, that would be fully educational: short videos of & and a half minute, narrated and embodied by our two protagonists. This format, intended for digital platforms, will allow the development of important concepts and values evoked in the linear episodes, with topics such as: Preparing a snack with seasonal fruit, but why? And how does a windmill work? What does accessibility mean? Should I really throw away my old toys?
We also love its graphic style, which we find quite unique. Dynamic, very colorful, complex and detailed, all the backgrounds naturally encourage adventure and exploration.
What are some of the big priorities for Millimages in 2022 and beyond?
Our main intention is to create and produce qualitative shows, all whilst cementing our new editorial strategy which is to open up to different targets and genre; to solidify our evolution in artistic direction. We aim to collaborate, partner-up with artists, with writers, with editors, with other production companies… We believe this is how we can produce the best new contents. As for our existing catalogue, we keep accompanying each and every show through our international sales and licensing departments, and with our 17 licensing agents. Our priority is to give our IPs the visibility and success they deserve, across the globe.
How would you describe the perfect show for Millimages?
A show that stands for something. There is always a meaning behind what we create in development, what we distribute and what we produce inhouse. As a socially aware production studio, we know we can have an impact on the world and on our viewers with our shows, and therefore we work hard to make it a positive one. So, our characters, stories, environments all bring value to the viewer in one way or another, and always with positivity, humility and a certain lightness to it.
What are some of the most popular shows in your catalogue this year?
Molang is always a bestseller, on tv and beyond, with over 5M fans on social media. Season 6 is wrapping. Our 3D project, Pirata and Capitano season 2 just wrapped, with more adventures than ever and stunning detailed backgrounds. Due to popular demand, we’re relaunching Homiez (LASCARS) soon, after 2 seasons and a feature film presented at Cannes Film Festival in 2009. 10 years after their previous adventures, the “Homiez” José and Tony will leave their hometown of Condé sur Ginette near Paris, for the hood of Marseille. New authors are joining the OG ones for this long-awaited relaunch that will reflect the evolution of our society since then!
What is your take on the French animation scene in 2022?
We were positively surprised to witness a significant increase in quality and diversity of the projects that are being produced. This was particularly visible during the two major French key presentations – France Anim in April 2022 (which showcases back to school programs of the upcoming year) and MIFA/ the International Annecy Festival. I hadn’t seen such modern, moving and qualitative shows in a long time. It feels great to see such nuance in storytelling, such intelligence.
Also, animation is continuing to grow more and more valued in the hearts of adult viewers. I foresee high quality teen & adult series releasing. In the domains of humor, action/adventure and mythology. Music, art, and depicting the world as-is are a big part of the future of adult animation. When we say adult, it doesn’t mean we exclude the kids. The audience targeted is more mature but most of those series are available to a large audience. Today we realize that the minutes or should I say, hours of viewing of the cartoons on TV for kids today are not viewed only by kids! The data is out there.
Watch Molang here:
A sample of Pirata & Capitano
For more info, visit millimages.com
