StudioCanal, in partnership with Mercis Media and Superprod Animation (Anna & Friends, Pat the Dog, Song of the Sea), announced plans to develop and produce a new CGI-animated series of the worldwide renowned children’s classic Miffy. The series is in development with Canal+ and will launch on the channel in 2025.
Francoise Guyonnet, Executive Managing Director TV Series, StudioCanal, made the announcement at Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) in London, concurrently with Marja Kerkhof, Managing Director, Mercis and Clément Calvet and Jérémie Fajner, Co-Founders of Superprod Group.
“We fully respect the legacy of this wonderful character and are delighted to be part of the transformation of Miffy who, while retaining the same iconic look, now has a fresh and contemporary vision,” said Guyonnet. “Along with our co-producers at Mercis and Superprod Animation, we want to make sure that such a beloved character will stand the test of time, by widening her appeal to capture the hearts of children and families across the globe. After the continued success of StudioCanal’s Paddington, a treasured and cherished character for 65 years, it’s wonderful to make this announcement today which underlines our ambition in the quality franchise space.”
Based on the world-famous character created by Dick Bruna in 1955 and featuring in more than 30 books, the brand-new animation series will be aimed at preschool-aged children and Miffy’s fans of all ages.
The “sweet, lively little bunny” has evolved into a more complex, funny and engaging character who lives in an exciting, contemporary world: The new Miffy series is distinguished by its emphasis on character-driven stories that teach emotional lessons. Miffy herself is positive, creative and spontaneous — sometimes even impulsive, which can lead to tricky situations that she cleverly overcomes, thanks to her positive attitude and empathy.
“StudioCanal boasts a unique experience of working with classic and iconic brands in the children’s space, and we are very pleased to have entrusted them and Superprod Animation to work with us on this important project,” noted Kerkhof. “We are so excited for Miffy to be reintroduced to future generations with complete new stories, new sets and locations and new characters such as her young brother Bun. This series will be a new milestone for Miffy.”
Calvet and Fajner added, “It is such a pleasure to work on such an amazing and strong IP and to develop and produce it with StudioCAnal and Mercis. Miffy means a lot to us and our teams are thrilled to develop this new series with our coproduction partners and Canal+. We have been very careful to keep Miffy’s positive attitude and her sense of adventure while reimagining her world to reflect today’s kids and the world around them. Like many families these days, her mum goes out to work while her dad stays home to look after the family. She now has a little brother and lots of diverse and interesting friends.”
The CG-animated Miffy will be available as 78 x 7-minute episodes aimed at children ages three to five, produced in Superprod Animation’s studios. International sales will be handled in The Netherlands and Japan by Mercis, which is also handling merchandising and publishing rights for the new series, and by StudioCanal and Superights in the rest of the world, making new playdates for Miffy following its debut on Canal+.
Speaking on behalf of the broadcaster, Christine Cauquelin-Malitte, Director of Program Units and Documentary Channels, Youth and Animation, commented, “Canal+ is thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Mercis, StudioCanal and Superprod on such a great IP as Miffy! ‘Canal+ thinks big for little ones; means we have big ambitions for the content we provide for kids. Our approach is largely illustrated by what we call ‘Original Recreation,’ which brings together what we consider to be the most creative and entertaining content that sparks children’s imaginations. We’ll be very proud to present Miffy’s new series in our future line up.”
