French studio Ellipse Animation – with over 60 years of experience as an animation producer – recently forayed into the production of webtoons.
At a time when this new form of narrative, which originated in South Korea and is designed for screens, is seeing worldwide growth, while being mostly produced in Asia, Ellipse Animation is determined to be part of the creation of a French webtoon sector. Ellipse has taken a decisive step by making and creating webtoons in Ellipse Studio Angoulême, its studio based in the south-west of France, from 2024 onwards.
“Gen Z’s keen interest in webtoons is a planetary phenomenon,” said Ellipse Animation managing director Caroline Audebert. “The market is anticipating strong demand by 2030 and Ellipse Animation, within the virtuous ecosystem of the Média-Participations group, wants to invest in this promising field.”
The Média-Participations group, a European leader in publishing, media and entertainment, has already positioned itself on webtoons in several ways. Dupuis have been creating webtoons with European and African authors since 2019, under the Webtoon Factory label. Editions Dargaud are currently developing new creation initiatives in collaboration with author and publisher Maëva Poupard (Rutile), who is behind the success Colossale.
In March 2023, Média-Participations launched its webtoon platform Ono, managed by Ainara Ipas, with a selection of 300 series. Ono’s catalogue consists of webtoons developed by Dupuis and Dargaud combined with the best of Asian series through a partnership with Kenaz, an independent Korean Studio. The Ono app has been downloaded more than 350,000 times since its launch.
The group is now moving into a new phase with the creation of a webtoons production company within Ellipse Studio Angoulême, created to welcome talents, and especially the authors of tomorrow. For Ellipse Animation, webtoons production in Angoulême is organised around two focal points.
Firstly, the studio offers manufacturing services as an executive producer serving the group’s publishers, Ono and other players in the sector: external publishers, producers, broadcasters, institutions, etc.
“This involves setting up an industrial organisation, where the division is similar to that of animation, making it possible to adapt to the weekly publication required on applications”, said Ellipse Studio Angoulême head Arnaud Réguillet.
The studio is about to work on Rutile and Yllogique’s series Vertu de Saint-Cyr (visual), developed by Dargaud within a collection of four original French series for the Ono platform (ONO Originals) alongside Queen Cendrillon (Pralinus and Helsenn), Zanni (Pralinus and Léa Rey-Mauzaize) and Magica Britannica (B. Rylia and Rann).
The creation of a French webtoon sector in Angoulême will enable the development of new skills in France and sustainable jobs in the region, while supporting the natural hybridisation of all the professions in the picture industry.
“This new activity will allow us both to retain talents and to attract new ones,” said Audebert. “Webtoons are also major strategic assets for creating tomorrow’s transmedia IPs. The idea is to develop original titles with a global reach and adapt them in several formats, including animation, thanks to the different entities in the group.”
The organisation and professionalisation of the sector involves the training of artists, technicians and producers, for which Ellipse is working with Ono, she shared.
