Tag Archives: Xilam Animation

Xilam Animation hits new digital content milestones

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Academy Award-nominated French animation studio Xilam Animation has reached significant milestones in its global digital content strategy, including debuting on Samsung TV Plus and securing a second YouTube Diamond Play Button.

After launching on Samsung TV Plus in Brazil – the free, ad-supported streaming service pre-installed on all 2017-2021 Samsung Smart TVs – Xilam’s unique users hit 600K. The dedicated Xilam TV channel available on Samsung TVs in Brazil features titles from the studio’s extensive catalogue, including Zig & Sharko, Oggy and the Cockroaches, Where’s Chicky?, A Kind of Magic and Floopaloo – Where Are You?.

In a further milestone, Xilam has been awarded a coveted Diamond Play Button for its Oggy and the Cockroaches YouTube Channel, which now has 10 million subscribers. This marks Xilam’s second Diamond Play Button after its Zig and Sharko channel received the award in 2020. Also on YouTube, Xilam has now reached the 50 million subscriber mark across its network of dedicated brand channels.

Across all digital platforms worldwide, Xilam cumulated 12.5 billion views for its content in 2021. Of this total, 1.5 billion views were generated from Facebook Watch, making Xilam the No. 1 provider of kids’ content worldwide in terms of views on the VOD service.

Marc du Pontavice, Founder and CEO at Xilam Animation, said: “Digital platforms continue to play an integral role in our content strategy, as we ensure that fans can access our vast library of content wherever they are in the world, and from whichever device they prefer. As one of the first French production companies to launch a dedicated ad-supported linear channel in an international market, we’re proud to be taking an innovative approach in the digital sector and look forward to hitting even more milestones in the future.”

 

Nickelodeon picks up broadcast rights to Xilam’s Athleticus and Mr Magoo

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The Academy Award nominated French animation studio, Xilam Animation has secured two new broadcast deals with Nickelodeon for its short form CGI series Athleticus and the animated comedy Mr Magoo.

The new global deal will see Nickelodeon take exclusive pay-tv rights to two seasons of Athleticus for Asia Pacific, EMEA, and Latin America. It has also secured the rights for the series in Benelux, Italy, Vietnam, Philippines, and Argentina.

On top of this, Nickelodeon has picked up the exclusive pay-tv rights for Xilam’s hit comedy series Mr Magoo in the UK, where the series launches on Nicktoons this week.

“We’re very excited to be building upon our successful partnership with Nickelodeon and to see the broadcaster become home to two further shows from our slate,” said Morgann Favennec, EVP distribution at Xilam Animation. “With its charming characters and humorous stories, we know families all over the globe are going to love watching Athleticus and following the fantastic response to Mr Magoo in the UK, we’re very much looking forward to bringing the series’ hilarious hijinks to new audiences.”

 Targeting family audiences, Athleticus is produced by Xilam’s recently acquired CGI-studio Cube Creative and features wild animals taking part in competitive sports, ranging from table tennis to high bar, bobsleigh to curling. How successful the animals are at each of the sports entirely depends on their personality and anatomies resulting in very comical, and often poetic, results. The series is created and directed by the multi-award winning Nicolas Deveaux.

 

Xilam Animation scoops double win at César Awards for hit animated film I Lost My Body

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Xilam Animation scooped a double win at the 45th César Awards this year, when it took home the Best Animated Film and Best Original Score for its popular animated feature I Lost My Body.

These latest wins follow I Lost My Body’s most recent awards and festivals success, which has seen the critically acclaimed feature take home 30 awards to date including three Annie Awards, a double win at Annecy International Animated Film Festival and the prestigious Critics’ Week prize at Cannes Film Festival.

A self-funded Xilam Animation production, I Lost My Body is an adaptation of Guillaume Laurant’s novel ‘Happy Hand’. Directed by Jérémy Clapin who also co-wrote the feature with Laurant (Amélie) and produced by Xilam’s Marc du Pontavice, I Lost My Body premiered to critical acclaim during Cannes Film Festival 2019 and launched on 29 November 2019 on Netflix.

Marc du Pontavice was also honoured at Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2019 as he received the MIFA Animation Industry Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the animation industry.

Marc du Pontavice, CEO at Xilam Animation, said: “We are thrilled and deeply humbled by these wins, which is the perfect way to finish what has been an amazing ride over the awards season. To see a small, independent film win at France’s most prestigious awards ceremony against such brilliant contenders, is not only an immense privilege but also demonstrates an extraordinary inclination from the César Academy for innovation in animation.

“These awards are also testament to Xilam’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of animation and nurturing game-changing talent who we know will forge new and ground-breaking paths in the genre.”

Set in Paris, I Lost My Body sees Naoufel fall in love with Gabrielle. In another part of town, a severed hand escapes from a dissection lab, determined to find its body again. During a dangerous expedition across the city, it remembers its life together with Naoufel up until the accident. After an eventful journey, they reconnect in the most unexpected and poetic way.

Mr Magoo makes his move on the US market thanks to DreamWorks deal for Xilam

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Mr Magoo is making his move on the US market, thanks to a new deal struck between the award-winning French animation studio Xilam Animation and DreamWorks Animation’s Classic Media.

Under the deal, DreamWorks has exclusively picked up all US TV, home video, and VOD rights to season one of the new animated series. It will be available from today on CBS All Access streaming service.

Marc du Pontavice at Xilam Animation, said: “Since debuting in fall 2018, Mr Magoo has drawn strong ratings and captured the hearts of kids and their families around the world. The original version of Mr Magoo was first created in the US so we’re delighted DreamWorks has now come on board to introduce local audiences to our fresh take on this wonderfully candid and optimistic character, back where it all began 70 years ago.”

Originally commissioned by France Télévisions,Mr Magoo currently airs on Turner’s Boomerang channel in France, Africa, the Middle East, Israel, Turkey and Nordics, Cartoon Network (Asia), Discovery Kids (Latin America), Super RTL (Germany), VRT and RTBF (Belgium), SIC K (Portugal), RTVE (Spain), RTS (Switzerland), CITV (UK), Discovery and DEA Kids (Italy), among other channels.

This latest deal expands Xilam’s US footprint which includes its recently announced Netflix commission for the CGI animated preschool series Oggy Oggy, based on the company’s hit global franchise Oggy and the Cockroaches.

Netflix also acquired worldwide rights to the studio’s critically acclaimed first adult animated feature I Lost My Body, which launched on November 29 and received the International Critics’ Week Grand Prize at Cannes Film Festival, Cristal for a Feature Film and Audience Award at Annecy and Grand Prize at the Animation is Film Festival last year.

I Lost My Body has also just been nominated in the Animated Feature Film category for the Academy Awards 2020. Additionally, Xilam is in production on Disney+ original Chip ‘n’ Dale, which will feature the return of Disney’s much-loved chipmunk troublemakers in a non-verbal, classic style comedy.