Cyber Group Studios, one of France’s leading animation producers and distributors, is developing the series Alex Player and Digital Girl with new partners in the UK, Italy and Singapore.
Run by Chairman and CEO Pierre Sissmann and COO Dominique Bourse, the company’s recent hits include “Gigantosaurus” and Season 3 of “Droners.”
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Earlier this month, Cyber Group Studios moved to a new headquarters in Paris, complemented by real-time animation studio Roubaix, Haut de France. It is operated by Karen K. Miller with offices in Burbank, California, USA.
In early 2022, the studio will become Rome-based Graphilm Entertainment, run by CEO and Creative Director Maurizio Forestieri and Executive Producer Anna Lucia Pisanelli, and Singapore-based, run by directors Choon Meng Seng and Chi Kong Wong. acquired a majority stake in Scrawl Animation. , Chief Operating Officer.
“Working internationally has been in our DNA since we started the studio in 2005,” explains Executive Vice President Raphaelle Mathieu. “The world has become more regional over the last few years due to the pandemic and other factors. It makes more sense to have a local subsidiary or partner to enter a territory.”
CGS and Scrawl previously worked on two CGI animated series, “Zou” and “Mademoiselle Zazie.” “Our partnership with Scrawl is very important to us as it will greatly improve our access to the Asian market,” says Matthew. “This will give us access to local talent, increase our efficiency in the region, and make it more appealing to a global audience.”
CGS, Grafilm and Scrawl are currently co-producing the esports series ‘Alex Player’, commissioned by France Télévisions in France and RAI in Italy. The series is an original work by Cyber Group Studios in France and Bee Prod, co-produced by his Webedia in France. The story of a 12-year-old sports video game player who dreams of winning the National Interschool “Land of Titans”. CGS had previously worked with Graphilm on Nefertine of the Nile, which was produced in partnership with RAI.
Alex Player utilizes Cyber Group’s new real-time animation studio at Plaine Images, an innovation park in Hauts-de-France, one of France’s leading animation and VR hubs, powered by Unreal Engine. I’m using the real-time animation that I used. “’Alex Player’ is also the first long-running animated series in Singapore to be produced using a real-time pipeline,” explains Mathieu. “This allows Scrawl Animation to serve as a key node in Cyber Group Studios’ global real-time workflow.”
CGS previously used real-time animation in Giganto Club, an original series inspired by the Gigantosaurus franchise. “Our goal is to make the studio in Plain his Images the largest platform in France for real-time animation and he 2D and 3D animation,” says Mathieu.
Cyber Group Studios is also developing a new Italian co-production series, The McFire Family, with Graphilm for French children’s channel Gulli (part of M6 Group).
In 2022, the studio signed a joint venture with Bristol, UK-based A Productions (“Love Monster”), with managing directors Catherine McQueen and Mark Taylor. Sissmann was commissioned by her BBC and pre-sold to Super RTL in Germany and Discovery Kids in Latin America. Set in the futuristic ecological city of Frisco, using real-time technology.
A Productions’ previous studio productions include “Jojo and Grand Gran” for CBeebies and “The Monster at the End of This Story”, the first animated Sesame Street special for Sesame Workshop.
China is an important market for CGS’ strategy. CCTV acquired all three of his seasons of ‘Gigantosaurus’ and ‘Taffy’, his co-production with Turner, France Télévisions and now his Gulli.
Last year, CGS teamed up with Japan’s Nippon Animation to co-produce a feature film based on the classic Japanese series “Tico and Friends.” The feature film “Nanami and the Quest for Atlantis” aims to strengthen the long-term collaboration between the partners, which includes Nippon Animation’s classic series and new ventures.
Cyber Group Studios’ line-up also includes projects aimed at a teen-and-up audience, such as “The Tern,” based on the “manfra” art style, which fuses French and Japanese graphic styles. Ranked as the most attended screening at the 2022 Cartoon Forum. .
The studio partnered with Square Enix Co., Ltd. to adapt Final Fantasy IX into an animated series for the first time. Developed.
CGS also recently partnered with LA-based children’s entertainment studio Splash Entertainment to create original animated series and feature films.
Mathieu says he is pleased with the synergies that have been created within the group and presents an internal seminar to be held in La Baule, France in mid-2022. “We had the opportunity to share ideas, strategies, aspirations and, above all, emotions. It was one!”
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