Runes transports young and old alike into a universe at the crossroads of Norse mythology and the history of medieval France, in a saga format and with breathtaking plots. Marion Delord, Executive Vice President and producer at Les Armateurs, tells us how the series came to be, and Alexandra Marguerite, distributor at Prime Entertainment Group talks about the program's promising international path.
Unifrance: How did the Runes animated series come about?
Marion Delord: Runes arose from the imagination of two talented animation creators Sébastien Oursel and Guillaume Mautalent – with whom we had successfully collaborated on our previous series, The long Long Holiday. Fascinated by history, Guillaume and Sébastien proposed this series based on the youth of a legendary hero, William the Conqueror. For the graphics, we called on Marion Bulot, the series' art director, who won us over with her profuse universe – medieval and very modern at the same time.
Could you sum up the series in a few lines?
Marion Delord: After the death of his father Robert the Magnificent, William, the disputed heir to the Duchy of Normandy, takes refuge in the village of Baligan to escape the lords who are hunting him down to seize the throne. Under the name of Hugo, a simple peasant, he is taken in by Cécile's family.
During his stay, Hugo meets Algythe, who reveals to him his affinity with the magical Runes engraved in the Baligan cave. His new destiny then emerges: to renew the spell to keep Loki, the god of chaos, imprisoned in the cave. Thanks to his new friends, the teaching of the old healer and, above all, his courage and willpower, Hugo will prove increasingly worthy of his destiny as the Chosen One.
Who is its target audience? What makes it unique?
Alexandra Marguerite: Originally aimed at 7 to 11 year-olds, this series also appeals to a wider audience, captivating young children as well as teenagers and their parents, making it a great series to watch together as a family.
In addition to its combination of mythology and history, one of the strengths of this series is that it resembles a saga: each episode brings its share of suspense, culminating at the end of each episode and naturally making you want to watch the next one. What's more, the values conveyed by this series – camaraderie, loyalty and mutual aid – resonate with viewers, as they correspond to what we want to inculcate in our children.
Runes is produced by Les Armateurs and distributed internationally by Prime Entertainment Group. Can you tell us about this collaboration? And more generally about the project's partners?
Alexandra Marguerite: Already a European leader in the distribution of cinema programs (portraits of actors, directors, etc.) and documentaries, Prime has been distributing animation for several years now. This catalog was considerably enriched when we joined the Hildegarde group, which also includes the Folimage and Les Armateurs animation studios.
Runes is our latest project, but we also distribute other major successes from these studios: Belleville Rendez-vous, Kirikou, Looking for Santa, Vanille, and Ariol.
We step in once the project has been produced, and do our utmost to make it an international success.
What are Runes's main strengths that appeal to an international audiences?
Alexandra Marguerite: Runes is a unique series on the market, combining Norse mythology and medieval French history, against a backdrop of breathtaking storylines. This discovery of Nordic civilization and French history has met with great success not only in Europe, but also in distant lands, notably the United States, where the series has been extremely well received.
You've already made some excellent sales. Can you tell us about them? What are your ambitions for the future?
Alexandra Marguerite: We are fortunate to count among our clients channels such as RTS in Switzerland, TV5 Québec, TV5MONDE, and RTBF in Belgium. The series has also been sold in the USA to a new digital service about to be launched.
Runes was one of the five most-viewed animated series at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Biarritz. We are currently finalizing deals with new partners following this market.
Prime is taking part in the Asia TV Forum & Market in Singapore. This is an excellent opportunity to put Runes in the spotlight.
