Selected in Competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival (TV Films strand), The Upside Down River series, directed by Paul Leluc, is adapted from the best-selling children's novel by Jean-Claude Mourlevat. A veritable initiation fable set in a fantastic universe, this animated series promises to enchant young and old alike, thanks to the depth of its themes and its dreamlike aesthetic.
Produced and distributed by Dandelooo, in co-production with Vivi Film, the series is the subject of an interview with Emmanuèle Petry (Executive Producer at Dandeloo), who talks about the genesis of this long-running project, born of a veritable literary love affair, the artistic choices that shaped it, and its international prospects.
Unifrance: The animated series The Upside Down River directed by Paul Leluc, is adapted from the best-selling children's novels by Jean-Claude Mourlevat. Can you tell us how this adaptation project came about, and what were the main challenges you faced?
Emmanuèle Petry: As is often the case, this project was born of love at first sight. Ten years ago! On reading the book, Jean-Baptiste Wery – my dear associate – and I were transported by the story told by Jean-Claude Mourlevat. Even though we were already adults (very much so, in my case!), we were swept away by the magic of this humanist, idealistic, dreamlike quest.
We didn't know right away that we'd be adapting it, as the task seemed immense, but the idea made its way into our subconscious. Then, thanks to the generosity and support of Canal+, we were able to start developing a series.
The first stumbling block was sticking too closely to the novel, by centering the story on the romance between Tomek and Hanah, which reduced the initiation quest to a rather humdrum tale, with no real stakes for the main hero. We had to painfully mourn the loss of two years' worth of writing... and start all over again!
Guillaume Mautalent and Sébastien Oursel rolled up their sleeves to take up the mantle and rebuild the story with new stakes and concerns. We're also very grateful to have crossed paths with the talented director Paul Leluc, who integrated perfectly within the creative process.
Another major challenge was to create graphics that matched our imagination, since the novel consisted "only" of words. The combination of Thomas Reteuna's set design and Chloé Cruchaudet's character design proved to be both appropriate and complementary, and was further enhanced by the work of Manon Leray and Helena Loudjani, respectively Head of Design and Head of Set Design.
Of course, the financial challenge was no small one... In that respect, we're not out of the woods yet, despite our co-productions with Vivi Films in Belgium and Sparkle Animation in Portugal, to whom we offer our warmest thanks.
The series tells the story of Tomek and Hannah, whose quests intersect, follow and complement each other on the way to the Qjar River. Can The Upside Down River be seen as an initiatory fable, combining adventure, emotions, and discovery in a fantasy universe?
Jean-Claude often says that he wrote this novel after his father's death, over the course of many train journeys, as if it were a transfer: a bereavement to go through between childhood and adult life.
Death and bereavement are often taboo subjects in children's programming, so frightening are they for parents. But children know. They'd rather talk about what frightens them than hide their fears under their beds.
This series deals head-on with loss, with falling, with missing someone, and with the fact that we can pick ourselves up and grow by trusting each other.
The series' aesthetic is characterized by a dreamlike visual universe, with sumptuous settings and omnipresent nature. What were the main artistic inspirations for this imaginary world, and what bias guided the artistic direction?
The main graphic inspiration came from the spectacular oeuvre of Eyvind Earle (1916–2000), who also influenced Walt Disney in the '50s, if I'm not mistaken, by analyzing the rhythmic, stylized side of nature.
Moreover, we deliberately wanted to create a visual ambiguity in reference to the era – are we really in the Middle Ages? – and geography – are we in Asia? the Middle East? Latin America? Chloé's characters have this force that makes them so singular.
The music, composed by Pablo Pico, plays an essential role in the atmosphere of the series and strongly accompanies the narrative. How was the role of music conceived in the series, and how did you go about working on the soundtrack?
Pablo is a genius (it's said that only one in a million is born!). He brings an organic quality to his compositions. Right from the teaser, he knew how to sublimate the image by infusing it with magic.
Despite the constraints linked to the distribution of tasks, due to the co-production with Portugal, it soon became clear to us that Pablo had to compose the music for the entire series.
The series also tackles universal themes such as grief, the quest for self and friendship, all of which are profound and sensitively conveyed. Who is The Upside Down River aimed at? Does it speak to children as well as adults?
Yes, you could say that. Jean-Claude humbly says that this book has “passed via him” and no longer belongs to him. So perhaps, as with The Little Prince, some exceptional works come from “elsewhere,” and thus become universal messages that speak to us all?
The selection of the series in Competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, in the category dedicated to television works, gives it a high profile on the international scene. What are your ambitions for the series abroad? Which markets or territories are you targeting first?
All territories are welcome: small and large, but the richest are even more welcome to complete our “home territories" (Belgium, Portugal, Canada, Estonia, Switzerland, and TV5MONDE)
In your opinion, what are the series' major assets in appealing to foreign broadcasters and audiences? Of all the elements we've mentioned, which do you think are most likely to resonate internationally?
The suspense of the serial narrative, the originality of the quest, the sincerity and tenderness of the characters, the universality of the emotions, the cuteness of the Podcol panda, the mystery of the Marquis, the beauty of the landscapes, the serenity of the perfumers' village... the list goes on!
I could also mention the fascination of the forest of oblivion, the awe of the sea of feelings, the kindness of Isham, the joie de vivre of Ivar, or the call to travel.
And I have some wonderful news to share: we are in the process of re-editing the series as a feature film, with the addition of new animated scenes, again under the supervision of Paul Leluc. We're delighted, because this new montage, directed by the talented Clémence Carré, is closer to Jean-Claude Mourlevat's original story, notably by reintegrating the romance between Tomek and Hannah, somewhat sidelined in the series. Hopefully, this feature film will enable us to reach even more territories with this fantastic story.
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Annecy International Animation Film Festival - 2025
Feature film and short film festival
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