Last June, Toon Factory reported having several new projects, both adaptations and original concepts, in development. Two of these projects, How to Squoosh? and Moods have just gone into production with Canal+ and France Télévisions respectively and Thierry Berthier announced the development of the first animated series starring that well known student Ducoboo.
In production:
How to Squoosh?
The 15 collectable comic books, already a hit in 10 countries with more than 2,70,000 copies sold in France alone, were awarded the famous Albertine Jeunesse prize in New York last year. This 2D comedy sets kids against the monsters who symbolise their fears showing how they always manage to “squoosh” them with humour, intelligence and joy.
Director: Aleksandar Dzoni Sopov
Based on the books by Catherine Leblanc and Roland Garrigue (P’tit Glénat)
Format: 52×12’
Audience: Five-seven years old
Animation technique: 2D
Script Director: Vincent De Mul
Broadcaster: Canal+ Kids
Distribution: Studio Canal
Description: Welcome to “How to Squoosh?” the “live” TV show that squooshs, crushes, flattens monsters and everything that scares kids, big and small. Witches, ogres, ghosts and hairy monsters of all kinds better hold on if they don’t want to end up flatter than a pancake. How to Squoosh? is a joyful show which allows kids to play with their fears and crush them. To present the show – a dream team: the intrepid Chloe, squoosher in chief. At eight years old, she’s no pushover. She is accompanied by Spookie, her faithful monster. She thinks she has tamed him but he’s really a reflection of her own fear. We’ll see how complicated this can really get!
Moods
Like many parents, the two authors had often been baffled by the emotional “crises” of young children, their anger, tears, excitement, incomprehension.
Gentle and mischievous, Moods inspires the innovative educational methods that are more and more popular today. Positive and comforting, it shows kids how to explore their emotions and learn how to manage them during the conflicts of everyday life. Professor Rebecca Shankland and Dr. Béatrice Lamboy, both specialists in developmental psychology, have lent their expertise to this project. The scripts are being reviewed by the group “Scholavie” represented by Laure Reynaud, specialist in psycho-social questions and the child psychologist Clémence Gayet. Both are collaborating with the writing team to green light the way the themes and emotions are discussed.
Development: Séverine Vuillaume and Nathalie Reznikoff, based on Séverine Vuillaume’s original concept
Director: Marie-Laure Pitschon Lautric
Format: 52×7’
Audience: Three-five years old
Animation technique: 2D
Script Director: Séverine Vuillaume
Broadcaster: France Télévisions
Distribution: France TV distribution
Description: The Moods are 12 little characters who each represent an emotion and live it 150 per cent! With their well defined personalities, watch out for trouble! How do you calm down Furax who’s angry, loosen Timi who’s blocked up, soothe Sniff who is crying buckets or play with Groangroan who is sulking in a corner. Like children who are confronted every day by similar situations, the Moods are overcome by the flow of their emotions. In helping each other, they will discover how to do things differently. They invite young spectators to identify, understand and calmly resolve daily emotional conflicts.
In development:
The Ducoboo Gang
Based on the comic book l’Eleve Ducobu by Zidrou and Godi (Editions Lombard)
Director: TBA
Format: 52×11’
Audience: Six to 10 years old
Animation technique: 2D tradi-digital
Broadcaster: TBA
Description: The Ducoboo Gang takes a second look at Ducoboo, the student: he’s younger, no longer on his own, clearly a bright kid…who’s about to flunk out. He definitely “Can do better”! As well as being a whimsical, sensitive look at a gang of friends in a schoolyard setting, the series also highlights important values like solidarity, tolerance and living in a multicultural society. In short, the ingredients needed to live together! It also teaches us that there are unconventional ways of learning which sometimes need to be adapted to individual students.
Toon Factory CEO/PDG and TABB Productions manager Thierry Berthier said, “I’m thrilled that these projects are taking form and am delighted that they offer kids a whole range of endearing characters and attractive stories. I’m particularly fond of the adaptation of the literary success Ducoboo. We will be working with the author of the comics to mould our dear little blond friend and his cohorts into more complex characters.”
He added, “This project fits perfectly into Toon Factory’s editorial line which emphasises the message while not forgetting the importance of design. The message here is playing down the guilt and promoting guidance in the face of scholastic failure thus fighting against preconceived ideas and stereotypes. A little nod to all those bad students who succeed in life!”