Studiocanal has teamed with Mercis and Superprod Animation to produce a CGI series adaptation of the children’s animation classic “Miffy.” The series will launch on French pay TV platform Canal+ in 2025.
The Miffy character, a bunny, was created by Dick Bruna in 1955, and featured in more than 30 books. The new animation series will be targeted at pre-school children.
“The ‘sweet, lively little bunny’ has evolved into a more complex, funny and engaging character who lives in an exciting, contemporary world,” Studiocanal said. “The new ‘Miffy’ series is distinguished by its emphasis on character-driven stories that teach emotional lessons. Miffy is positive, creative and spontaneous, sometimes even impulsive which can lead to tricky situations that she cleverly overcomes, thanks to her positive attitude and empathy.”
Francoise Guyonnet, executive managing director TV series, Studiocanal, said: “We fully respect the legacy of this wonderful character and are delighted to be part of the transformation of Miffy who, while retaining the same iconic look, now has a fresh and contemporary vision.
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“Along with our co-producers at Mercis and Superprod Animation we want to make sure that such a beloved character will stand the test of time, by widening her appeal to capture the hearts of children and families across the globe.
“After the continued success of Studiocanal’s ‘Paddington,’ a treasured and cherished character for 65 years, it’s wonderful to make this announcement today which underlines our ambition in the quality franchise space.”
Marja Kerkhof, managing director of Mercis, added: “Studiocanal boasts a unique experience of working with classic and iconic brands in the children’s space, and we are very pleased to have entrusted them and Superprod Animation to work with us on this important project. We are so excited that ‘Miffy’ will be reintroduced to future generations with complete new stories, new sets and locations and new characters such as her young brother Bun.”
Clément Calvet and Jérémie Fajner, co-founders of Superprod Group, said: “’Miffy’ means a lot to us and our teams are thrilled to develop this new series with our coproduction partners and Canal+. We have been very careful to keep Miffy’s positive attitude and her sense of adventure while reimagining her world to reflect today’s kids and the world around them. Like many families these days, her mum goes out to work while her dad stays home to look after the family. She now has a little brother and lots of diverse and interesting friends.”
Christine Cauquelin-Malitte, director of program units and documentary channels, youth and animation at Canal+, said: “’Canal+ has big ambitions for the content we provide for kids. Our approach is largely illustrated by what we call ‘Original Recreation,’ which brings together what we consider to be the most creative and entertaining content that sparks children’s imaginations. We’ll be very proud to present ‘Miffy’s’ new series in our future lineup.”
Available as 78 episodes of seven minutes and targeted at 3-5 year olds, “Miffy” is a CGI animated series produced in Superprod Animation studios.
International sales will be handled in the Netherlands and Japan by Mercis and by Studiocanal and Superights in the rest of the world. All merchandising and publishing rights regarding the new series will be handled by Mercis.
