Chefclub, a global food-themed production studio and entertainment brand, and Somewhere Animation, the dedicated 20 animation label of Mediawan Kids & Family (The Little Prince, Robin Hood – Mischief in Sherwood, Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir [co-produced with ZAG]), announce the launch of Chefclub Adventures, an animated comedy series based on the notion of “eating well.” The series is one of five projects selected for this year’s MIP Junior Project Pitch.
“We are delighted to partner with the French start-up Chefclub to offer children a new approach to cooking. The Chefclub Adventures series aims to make eating well fun and joyful. With Chef Maurice and his gang, viewers will discover the richness and diversity of ingredients in world cuisine,” says Julien Borde, Director of the Television Division at Mediawan Kids & Family. “The digital media Chefclub has developed a unique edutainment expertise which, combined with the know-how of Somewhere Animation, will allow us to create a series that is as engaging as it is impactful.” declares
Aimed at an upper preschool audience of children aged 4 to 7, the 52-episode, 11-minute series is based on Chefclub, the online digital cooking universe that garners 2.5 billion views each month worldwide, 390 million views each month in France, 1 billion views each month in the U.S. and 110 million subscribers worldwide.
“It is a source of great satisfaction to see Chefclub Friends grow into a cartoon for children around the world,” says Thomas Lang, co-founder and CEO of Chefclub. “Since the beginning of the adventure, we are deeply convinced of the richness and uniqueness of the universe we develop for the youngest viewers. Today, we are very proud to have embarked on this project with producers as passionate and talented as Somewhere Animation.”
Founded in 2016 in Paris by brothers Thomas, Jonathan and Axel Lang brothers, Chefclub has become a reference in online culinary learning for young audiences by making cooking accessible, fun and entertaining. Now, Somewhere Animation and Chefclub are taking the experience one step further by creating original animated stories centered on its iconic characters and the desire to share the values of “eating well” and “homemade,” and inspire budding little chefs, all while having fun. Ross Hastings (Mush-Mush, Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder) will be the lead writer for the project.
“Developing Chefclub Adventures is proving to be an absolute blast!” says Hastings. “I’m loving the characters who are all distinctive and work fantastically together. They all make me laugh and are proving to be a joy to bring to life. And the world of food is not only a universal theme and part of kids’ lives, it is an excitingly wide, varied and rich playground to set our adventures within. Plus the chefmobile is just straight out cool! No sure what else I could ask for as a writer on a show!”
Arthur Colignon, Producer and Founder of Somewhere Animation, adds, “I grew up above the family restaurant, and as the son of a chef, cooking is at the center of my life and is part of my founding values. Chefclub Adventures is the meeting of kawaii and cartoon, a universe that will make children curious about the world around them, and give them an appetite for sharing, friendship and good food. Chefclub Adventures is not a cooking show but real food therapy!”
