'Akissi' is a 26-minute animated special aimed at young children aged four and up. It takes us on a journey to Ivory Coast to follow the adventures of its main character, a little girl with a strong personality that children all over the world will be able to identify with. Jérôme Alby, Managing Director at Mediatoon, tells us about this special which will be broadcast on France Télévisions on June 15, and on Boomerang Africa on June 16.
Unifrance: How did the character of Akissi shift from the comic book to the television screen? Can you tell us about the genesis of the project?
Jérôme Alby: 'Akissi' is adapted from the children's comic book by Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin. Published in France in 10 albums by Gallimard Jeunesse, the adventures of this intrepid little girl have already been translated into nine languages (including English, French, German, Danish, Swedish, Spanish, and Portuguese) and sold over 115,000 copies, including 13,000 in Africa. The comic book was nominated at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2011 and at the Eisner Awards in 2020. It was therefore natural that Marguerite Abouet and Angelin Paul (co-executive producer and initiator of the project, born in Ivory Coast) decided to bring the comic to the small screen. Mediatoon immediately fell in love with it when it was presented at the Cartoon Forum 2017. This little gem was then a project carried by the Ivory Coast studio GHWA Production, which our studio Ellipsanime Productions decided to partner. 'Akissi' has been pre-bought by France Télévisions, as well as by Warner Media for English-speaking Africa. The first broadcast is planned on France Televisions on June 15 (in the middle of MIFA).
What is special about this program? How faithful is it to the original work?
JA: Bolstered by an original screenplay, the adaptation remains faithful to Mathieu Sapin's line, choice of colors, and graphic universe. And Marguerite Abouet went to Ivory Coast to cast the children's voices and to find the accents that best correspond to those of her native city.
Can you tell us about the story? What about it will appeal to a young international audience?
JA: 'Akissi' is the story of an intrepid little girl who lives on the West African coast. While dreaming of having a little brother or sister, she gets to know Boubou, a little monkey she met on the way to the market. With the help of her friends, Akissi embarks on a crazy series of adventures to rescue him. But she has to face a big challenge: to convince her parents to adopt this cute monkey.
This program, directed by Alexandre Coste ('Roger and His Humans', the webseries with more than 100 million views) is aimed at young children, four years old and up. This is an age when children begin to assert themselves and to venture out. Akissi is an independent character with a strong personality that any child in the world can identify with. In a bright and refreshing tone, Akissi's daily life is told to us in a universal style remaining faithful to Ivory Coast reality. Bibi Tanga, a singer and musician of Central African descent, influenced by jazz, funk, and afrobeat, was responsible for the music.
What are your ambitions for the program internationally? Are you targeting specific territories?
JA: We hope that Akissi will conquer the hearts of children all over the world. The French and English versions, which are already available, will be an asset for effective marketing. Our efforts will be focused on the territories in which the comic book is published (notably the USA, United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Scandinavia), as well as with distributors in the rest of the world. Once again, Akissi is an independent character with a strong personality that children all over the world can relate to. We are confident and proud to have this program on Mediatoon's slate. Perhaps it's a prelude to a cartoon series?
Are there any other projects you would like to mention?
JA: Thanks to our in-house studios (Belvision, Dargaud Media, Dupuis Audiovisuel, Ellipsanime) and partners (Bayard Animation, La Chouette, Folivari, Futurikon, Media Valley, Toon Factory, etc.), Mediatoon has an eclectic catalog, covering all age groups, from preschoolers to young adults and offering all genres. Mediatoon's upcoming line-up is immeasurably rich, including:
- 'Les Marsupilamis', already pre-bought by M6, Gulli, RTS and Radio Canada, and coproduced by our Dupuis Audiovisuel and Belvision studios. Célestine Plays ('Grizzy & the Lemmings', etc.) is the director of this ambitious and promising reboot.
- The new CGI series 'SamSam'. Directed by a loyal collaborator Tanguy De Kermel, already at the helm on the former series and on the film SamSam in 2019. Pre-bought by France Télévisions, RTS, and Téléquebec, this new opus is produced by our partner studios Folivari and Bayard Animation. The writing is top-notch, and the new sets and the use of modern animation techniques lend it a breathtaking graphic rendering.
- 'Zombillénium', a mini-series animation project (12 x 26-minute episodes), for teenagers, directed by Arthur De Pins, who also wrote and drew the original comic book. A future animation gem coproduced by Maybe Movies, Belvision, MaGic C, 2 Minutes, and Dupuis Audiovisuel.
