After introducing the world to the global hit series Totally Spies!, French animation powerhouse Marathon Media plans to unveil a new espionage-themed series at MIPCOM next month. Co-created by Vincent Chalvon Demesray and David Michel, the energetic show is titled The Amazing Spiez and centers on the escapades of four ten-year-old siblings.
‘We had been thinking about how to expand the Totally Spies! brand for a while now and were looking for a smart and different way of doing it,’ says David Michel, Marathon Media’s general manager. ‘So, we decided to take it to a completely different cartoony level and age group.’
Created in HD, the 52 x 26 spy comedy/adventure the show has a colorful palette and an edgy graphic style. ‘After eight years, Totally Spies! is still an international reference in the spy genre,’ says Marathon Media’s president The Amazing Spiez has a unique, stunning visual look, mixed with a great deal of comedy.’ Directed by Totally Spies veteran Stephane Berry, the series is a Marathon Media, Canal J and Image Entertainment co-production, in assoc. with TF1 and Teletoon Canada.
Unlike Totally Spies, which had a very feminine color scheme and was inspired by manga, the new show is heavily influenced by American comic books. As Michel explains, ‘Our team of designers have used the look of Marvel and DC Comics as a take-off point, but it looks different from other shows we have seen.’
The company is also working on a major new media push for the toon. According to Michel, TF1 and Marathon are spending close to $300,000 per show online. ‘We have ten people in house working on the web components of the show,’ he says. ‘We have inserted secret codes in each episode that direct viewers to exclusive content online and continues the storyline. We’ve made the site very interactive. The episodes will be available online and offer completely original material.’
Marathon Media will be bringing the new toon to the MIPCOM market, along with some of its other recent new shows including The Famous Five and Monster Buster Club. For more info, visit www.marathon.fr.
