Among the exciting animated films SC Films will be showcasing at the AFM this year is Girl in the Clouds, an adaptation of Romain Puertolas’ novel, The Girl Who Swallowed a Cloud as Big as the Eiffel Tower. Produced by Brio Films’ Luc Bossi and directed by Philippe Riche (Rabbids Invasion), the French production is slated for a 2026 release. The English-language version features the voices of Shailene Woodley and Jack Whitehall.
Girl in the Clouds follows the adventures of a young girl named Providence, who is entrusted with a magic quill that makes everything she writes come true. Faced with this incredible power, she has to choose between living her dreams and saving the world.
“In the book, the heroin learns to fly to save a child,” says Bossi, who also wrote and produced the live-action adaptation of Puertolas’ bestseller, The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir Who Got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe. “I thought it was a beautiful concept, and that it could only work in animation, so I discussed the story idea with Philippe Riche, who had successfully directed animated series and whose graphic novels I loved. We started to write a new story, inspired by the novel.”
‘Rather than changing the world as she pleases, the heroine invites other children to join her in protecting our planet. We want to make a film about the passage from childhood to adulthood that is not simplistic and that advocates respect and humility in the face of nature.’
— Writer-producer Luc Bossi
Guardian of the Planet
Bossi says he was attracted to the project’s themes of the protection of nature and biodiversity and the place of imagination in our world. “It was important for us to tackle this crucial subject from a unique and original angle,” he notes. “Unlike superhero films, which fuel children’s imaginations these days, this movie does not promote omnipotence, but offers a reflection on it. Rather than changing the world as she pleases, the heroine invites other children to join her in protecting our planet. We want to make a film about the passage from childhood to adulthood that is not simplistic and that advocates respect and humility in the face of nature.”
The producer has assembled a top-notch team of CG animation artists, including animation director Coline Veith (Minions, Asterix) and art director and sculptor Frédérick Alves-Cunha (Despicable Me, Sing, Migration), as well as young artists from local animation schools. Stim Studios is the lead studio for the project and handles all departments, 30% of the animation, as well as the project’s 3D pipeline and supervision. Occitane-based Supamonks is responsible for 70% of the animation.
Bossi says he is happy that the production is completely embracing 2D rendering for the production. “We have chosen to make it a strength to assert the visual singularity of the project,” he points out. “Our main challenge is therefore to translate the energy of initial 2D research (with a very assertive design) into 3D. Preserving the visual style of the original graphic novel throughout the movie is our priority, but the final style is really dictated by the modeling and the 3D dev look.”
Ideally, the filmmakers would like Girl in the Clouds to encourage young viewers to cherish their dreams and imagination. “We want the audience to laugh, to be moved and to feel like the film belongs to them,” concludes Bossi. “It’s a film that invites adults to take inspiration from children: stay naive, never stop dreaming and never stop hoping, because that’s how you achieve great things. We must not abandon our dreams in the face of adversity, but act responsibly, concerned with improving the world and making life on this planet better.”
Girl in the Clouds is produced by Brio Films, Scope Pictures and Panama Productions, with Cocoon Films, Bien Sûr Productions, 126 Films, Sagax Entertainment, Canal+, Ciné+, Région Auvergne Rhône Alpes, Région Nouvelle Aquitaine, Département Charente, Région Occitanie, Creative Media Europe and Eurimages. SC Films is handling worldwide sales.
