Mediawan Kids & Family President Reveals Hunt For Next ‘Miraculous’ As Division Gives Update On Animation Slate At Annecy

deadline.com:

It has been a high-profile 12 months for Mediawan Kids & Family thanks to subsidiary Method Animation’s involvement in the Ladybug & Cat Noir franchise, which has been enjoying box office success worldwide with a first feature film adaptation.

The IP, which was first developed as a series in 2015, is now under the umbrella of recently launched entity Miraculous Corp, a joint venture between co-creator Jeremy Zag’s company Zag and Mediawan Kids & Family parent group Mediawan.

This means that Mediawan Animation is no longer involved in the franchise but Mediawan Kids & Family President Julien Borde says his division is busy developing and producing a raft of animated content, he believes has similar franchise potential. “It’s one of the most successful independent franchises in the world and a fantastic success story,” he comments on Ladybug & Cat Noir. “It inspires us to do the same thing with the projects we’re incubating at our different Mediawan & Kids labels” he says. “Our ambition is to create new franchises that strike the same chord in the hearts of the public.” Borde, who was previously Head of Kids and General Entertainment Channels at WarnerMedia for France and also worked at France Télévisions and Disney, has been at the head of Mediawan Kids & Family since its official launch at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2022.

The division currently groups eight companies. There are five French labels spanning Mediawan’s original animation company Method Animation (previously known as ON Animation Studios) and later additions Somewhere Animation, Elliott Studio, Joann Sfar’s Magical Society and feature-focused Mediawan Kids & Family Cinema.