Emmy Award-winning French animation production and distribution company Dandelooo has inked a deal with Paris-based production company Tournez S’il Vous Plaît (TSVP) for the new educational series Birds & Bees (20 x 3’), which highlights informative lessons around sexuality, emotions and body development.
Dandelooo has exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the original stop-motion series for eight- to 11-year olds, produced by Christie and Agnès Molia (TSVP). The first two episodes in English debuted at Kidscreen.
France Televisions and its education platform Lumni, having expressed a need for such a series in line with their public service obligations. Solicited by the broadcaster, DGESCO (General Directorate of School Education) — under the auspices of the Ministry of National Education — has given a favorable assessment to the show bible and the pilot script.
Written and directed by Pauline Brunner, Maxime Gridelet and Marion Verlé, with Virginie Boda as artistic producer, Birds & Bees sets out to address the sensitive subject of sexuality with emotion and humor. Recognizing the challenges children face in discussing emotional and sexual topics with parents, the series aims to prepare them to decipher the misconceptions they will inevitably encounter. The series aims to do this gently, by using child-friendly language, relying on the symbolic universe of stop motion and being supervised by a scientific committee to ensure that the content is accurate and suitable for the young audience.
Different associations are consulted according to the themes of the episodes, such as “En avant toutes!” (“Forward, All!”), awarded by the Foundation de France and Women of Europe for its actions in favor of gender equality and an end to violence against women and LGBTQI+ people.
Synopsis: Friendly and dynamic, Lili is an expert in sexual and emotional education. She answers all the questions that kids may have and imparts her wisdom as she guides the young viewers through her poetic and quirky stop-motion world. Sailing between raw testimonies from children, the series utilizes paper cut-out anatomical representations and a metaphorical visual universe composed of animated objects.
Noé, Hannah, Adama, Mina, Arthur, Mei, Louise and Dia all share the same neighborhood. Some are friends or classmates, siblings, or secretly in love… Coming from various social and cultural backgrounds, each child questions their body, feelings, or sensations in their own way… Their testimonies interact and complement each other to enrich the narrative.
“We are thrilled to have this pioneering series in our portfolio, reinforcing our commitment to offer high quality and impactful content for young audiences,” said Emmanuele Petry, Producer & Head of International for Dandelooo. “Birds & Bees not only breaks new ground in its educational approach but also promises to be a delightful and engaging experience for young viewers and their families”.
