Children’s animation series "Miraculous" is a worldwide success, finding audiences among youngsters from 4 to 94. Series producers Jérémy Zag (ZAG Entertainment) and Aton Soumache (Mediawan Kids & Family - Mediawan Group) discuss the show’s beginnings and explore how it has gone from a few sketches made on post-its to a global phenomenon, complete with adoring fans who love to play dress up, awards, film events and – coming soon – a cinema release.
Unifrance: So, it all began with a ladybug drawn on a Post-It…
Jeremy Zag: My whole life, I've been dreaming of creating a new kind of heroes, with an American look, Japanese-style powers, and a European setting. That’s the fundamental idea behind my label, ZAG HEROEZ. When my Art Director, Nathanaël Bronn, showed me some amazing drawings on a few Post-Its and the graphic world that he and Thomas Astruc had come up with for our heroine the ladybug, which is actually a symbol of luck, it was love at first sight.
To my mind, nothing could be more iconic than a super-heroine in a Parisian setting. I got a stand at MIPCOM 2012 to unveil the project and gave myself a very specific challenge. I dreamt of doing a 2D project with Toei Animation – a company that had seen me through childhood – and I wanted to do, for the first time, a project in the style of Toei Animation but in 3D. So, I set off on an adventure to create this world. There was immediate enthusiasm. Broadcasters all over the world showed interest straight away. And I will never forget that TF1 and Disney supported me right from the start. A star was born. At that time, to my delight, I met my co-producer and friend Aton Soumache (Method Animation - Mediawan group). We started working together on financing and producing the series.
Aton Soumache: When Jérémy spoke to me about his project in 2012, I immediately wanted to work on the production of what would turn out to be the next global phenomenon. Jérémy and I fell in love with the character immediately and could see her huge potential, both in terms of graphics and narrative. We realised that we were looking at the heroine for the future, a heroine drawn in the colours of the time, an incarnation of Girl Power who would appeal to parents and to children alike and who would represent the values of the modern world. We decided to form a partnership and to take the adventures of this unique super-heroine across the world, turning it into a globally recognised franchise.
Unifrance: From a Post-it to world conquest! Where can we follow the adventures of Ladybug and Cat Noir?
JZ: "Miraculous" is a global phenomenon, and the series was sold in more than 150 countries across the entire world and throughout diverse cultures. It is actually one of the few series to feature on Disney+, Disney Channel and Netflix at the same time (seasons 1-3). Miraculous has won over almost every region and local channel, from Europe to Asia and Latin America: TF1 in France, Super! in Italy, Globo in Brazil and also South Korea, Colombia, Mongolia and Pakistan. Excellent audience figures across all seasons show the fame and popularity of "Miraculous", which was the number one series in the first half of 2021 in France on TF1, on Disney Junior in Germany, and on Super! in Italy. More recently, "Miraculous" benefited a major launch of season 1, with an adaptation of the credit song, on numerous platforms in China (Youku, Tencent Video, Mango TV, BesTV, GiTV, NewTV).The series was also recognised at the Ecran Jeunesse Festival, where it won the "Grand Prize for French-language animated series".
Unifrance: How do you explain the show’s success?
JZ: "Miraculous" is a series that speaks to everyone, children and parents alike, and which can bring a family together to watch television. It depicts values like friendship and sharing, which resonate in us all. Moreover, Marinette is a schoolgirl like any other, except for the fact that she is torn between her destiny as a super-heroine and her day-to-day life in which she is secretly in love with Adrien, aka Cat Noir, who is in love with Ladybug and does not know either that she is actually his classmate Marinette. Beyond its human values, the series depicts values like Girl Power – showing strong and confident girls moving forward. Ladybug is very modern and aspirational, and children can identify with her: she is as close to them as she inspires them.
AS: The series is also a tribute to American superheroes, and we have in fact produced a film event in which the action takes place in New York. "Miraculous" also nods to other world cultures, as she travelled to Shanghai in our second film event. As they cross the world, Ladybug and Cat Noir allow viewers to discover the world, or to rediscover their own culture. The series’ worldwide success is also thanks to the Parisian background, which is where the bulk of the action takes place. Paris is the City of Light, a city that inspires the world, that is why we decided to turn it into a character itself.
"Miraculous" is also a comedy, with numerous twists and turns in which each character has a chance to shine. The goal of the series is also to offer children and their families a moment of pure entertainment in which they can travel and, above all, dream.
Unifrance: This animated series has reach that extends far beyond its intended target, with a fan community that stretches across the globe. How do you explain this phenomenon?
JZ: "Miraculous" depicts values that appeal to everyone and that we want to share. It also offers the opportunity for people to come together for an episode, for the comedy it provides, the humor and the action. It’s a unique moment of sharing. A franchise like "Miraculous" has a very wide target audience. The main target may be children from 4 to 10 years old – and their families, but it also has an enlarged target audience in the 15 to 25 age range. They form a worldwide community of fans, and the sheer number of cosplayers who dress up as Ladybug and Cat Noir demonstrates just how much of a phenomenon it really is.
AS: It is so satisfying for us to see that people can love the same series, whether they are 7 or 77 years old. When we think of the success of the title song, sung by Lou and Lenny Kim, with 600 million views on YouTube, we know we are really lucky to be experiencing this extraordinary adventure. Now, "Miraculous" has racked up 29 billion views on YouTube with 23 million subscribers on 12 official channels; on TikTok, "Miraculous" has had its own account for a year now, and we bring in 230 million views, 48.2 million likes and 3.2 million subscribers. And that’s not even counting Jérémy’s Instagram account which has 1.4 million subscribers!
Unifrance: How did you get Ladybug and Cat Noir to leap off our screens?
JZ: Ladybug and Cat Noir didn’t need us to help them leap off the screen! Our fan community allowed the series to come to life all over the place, as did our broadcasters – who have been very involved in the project right from the start. Disney + and TF1 in France, and Globo in Brazil gave the series maximum exposure as well as regular appointments with fans. The TV movies "Miraculous New York" and "Shanghai" were promoted by broadcasters as unique events thanks to very specific marketing and communications plans. Ladybug and Cat Noir have been on display in Paris’ famous waxworks museum, the Musée Grévin, since 2017. That’s a real honour that confirms the international reach of the characters. We should also mention the show’s spectacular success in merchandising. We had to take risks at the start. My strategy has always been to control merchandising by creating a solid partnership with a toy master. So I moved with my entire family to Los Angeles in order to enable the series to become a true brand, something which is vindicated today by a very visible presence worldwide. To support and manage the brand’s growth, we have created offices in Los Angeles and Miami.
Unifrance: And is there another season to look forward to?
AS: We are currently wrapping up season 5, and getting started on seasons 6 and 7. Of course, there will also be new TV movies, and we cannot wait to present those to our broadcast partners around the world, and also to our fan community. In 2022, we will also see the adventures of Ladybug and Cat Noir transported onto the big screen, with Jérémy in the director’s chair.
JZ: The extent of the Miraculous World has not yet revealed all its secrets!
