Emmy Award-winning French animation production and distribution company Dandelooo has concluded a deal with Paris-based production company Tournez S’il Vous Plaît (TSVP) for the new educational series Birds & Bees (20 x 3’).
The deal gives Dandelooo 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 will be ready and available for the Kidscreen Summit.
France Televisions and its education platform Lumni have expressed their need for such a series in line with their public service obligations. Solicited by France Television for its expertise, the DGESCO (General Directorate of School Education) under the auspices of the Ministry of National Education, has given a favourable assessment to the show bible and the pilot script.
Commenting on the deal, producer and head of international Emmanuele Petry said, “We are thrilled to have this pioneering series in our portfolio, reinforcing our commitment to offer high quality and impactful content for young audiences. ‘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.”
Written and directed by Pauline Brunner, Maxime Gridelet, and Marion Verlé, with Virginie Boda as artistic producer, Birds & Bees addresses the sensitive subject of sexuality with emotion and humour. Recognising 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 verbatim, relying on the symbolic universe of stop motion, and being supervised by a scientific committee to ensure 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!, awarded by the Foundation de France and Women of Europe for its actions in favour of gender equality and an end to violence against women and LGBTQI+ people.
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 utilises paper-cut anatomical representations and a metaphorical visual universe composed of animated objects. Noé, Hannah, Adama, Mina, Arthur, Mei, Louise, and Dia all share the same neighbourhood. 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 way. Their testimonies interact and complement each other to enrich the narrative.
