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At MIPJunior, it’s not often that a little creeper gets put out on center-stage. But on Oct. 10, as “Migali” makes its world premiere in front of buyers from all across the globe, a tiny spider princess seems to be set
on weaving webs of laughter and fun at the unmissable Cannes children’s TV market.
Produced by Adelaïde Terme (Easy Peasy Entertainment, the production/licensing arm of French Auzou Publishing Group) along with Bardaf! Productions in co-production with RTBF, Ketnet, RTS and TF1, “Migali” is a 52x11minute series centered on six-year-old Migali, a spider princess determined to become queen.
As she heads to the Royal Academy, where princes and princesses of all kingdoms learn to control their abilities, Migali brings her boundless energy and extraodinary web-weaving skills to the school, meeting a gallery of other quirky characters from all size and shapes. Facing (and, more often than not, provoking) chaos in her daily life, Migali stays happy, merry and positive, meeting each challenge as a new, fun adventure.
An adaptation of the eponymous comic book series by Alexandre Arlène and Fabien Ockö Lambert, “Migali” is directed by Cédric Frémeaux (“50/50 Heroes”). Ahead of the premiere, Frémeaux spoke with Variety about the smooth journey that has been bringing this loveable, quirky spider princess from page to screen.
“I’ve always loved animated series,” recalls the storyboard artist-turned director. “As a kid, I woke every morning eager to discover ‘Dexter’s Laboratory,’ ‘Dragonball,’ and many others. I was captivated by these worlds. Growing up, it quickly became clear to me that I wanted to work in that industry someday.”
During high school, Frémeaux found his way as an intern at Ankama, the French multimedia giant behind videogame hit “Dofus,” subsequent animated series “Wakfu” and manga hit “Radiant.” After studying animation at LISAA in Paris, he started his career as a storyboard artist, dabbling with editing and directing on trailers and teasers. “Migali” is his second series, a match made possible by Terme, who reached out to Frémeaux for this adaptation.
“She presented me Auzou’s line-up, and I immediately connected with ‘Migali,’ which turned out to be her own pick for our collaboration. What struck me with this character is how radiant and fun she was, as a heroin. With our target audience [kids 5-8], it’s very important to connect with a protagonist. And with Migali, they definitely can as she faces the sames challenges that they do.”
Migali, who Frémeaux frames as “Spiderman’s young cousin living in a world of unicorns, dragons and potions,” was brought to screen in close connection with the author duo and Terme, who saw the potential for an animated series even before the first comic was published.
Since then, Migali’s books have sold more than 150,000 copies in France, and boasts nine volumes already. This success fueled Frémeaux’s enthusiasm even more, as he prepared himself for the challenge of bringing this character to the screen.
“What I also love about ‘Migali’ is its humor, which doesn’t shy away from deeper topics that really connect with kids. Children from this age are much smart than we think, and if you’re lazy in your writing, they will see it instantly. Today, they have access to so much content. They know these narratives, and they know how it works. Instead of fighting for their attention span with fast-paced, frantic content, we chose to craft something that both takes them seriously and makes them laugh. And I think that’s key to succeeding in retaining kids’ attention today.”
Yet, as Frémeaux continued, the challenge of producing 52 episodes of 11 minutes (or as he put it, a nine-hour movie) was a huge undertaking. “Once storyboard was locked, we had to deliver a full episode’s animatic every week. And to do that, there’s only way I know: surrounding yourself with talented people who understand the project.”
Frémeaux goes even further: “My role as a director is to find people who are better than me at they own field of expertise. Once I managed to achieve that, every piece fell right into place, and the production was very smooth.” A production that was split between Caribara studios in Annecy, Paris, and Caribara Belgian subsidiary Waoooh.
“The key is these large European co-productions is to communicate constantly, and maintain overall cohesiveness throughout the whole pipeline. Animation is, at its heart, a collaborative art, and I strongly believe ‘Migali’ benefits from this collective effort. It would be a far less interesting product if I had created it alone with AI tools.”
“Migali” is AI-free, as the teams received strict instructions during this creative process. While aknowledging its uses, Frémeaux views AI technology as a tool that can’t be part of creating something. “Technology has always been part of the animation industry, which faced similar issues with the introduction of 3D, and other tools that revolutionized the medium over and over. But creativity has to remain at the center of this process, and tools can’t replace artists. Our show is made by people who asked themselves a lot of questions, who made choices in framing, staging, and poured their craft and soul in this series. And that is something that AI can’t do.”
As “Migali” premieres this afternoon, Frémeaux is eager to present this colorful, quirky character to the world. “Much like in our show, Migali is about to discover a whole new world, and I can’t wait to introduce her to global audiences. The series has a lot of potential, and we’ve only scratched the surface of Migali’s universe. There are many more paths and characters we can explore, to build beyond the Royal Academy and introduce children to this loveable IP.”
“Migali” premieres today at MipJunior, subsequently airing on TF1 and other partner broadcasters in the following months. The series is distributed internationally by Moon-Keys International Content.
