 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation |
| Founded | June 15, 2022 |
| Headquarters |
|
Key people | Caroline Duvochel (managing director) |
| Parent | Média-Participations |
| Divisions |
|
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website | www |
Ellipse Animation is a French entertainment group and animation production studio that brings together all of Media Participations' animation production activities under one group and owns Media Participations' four animation production units (Dargaud Media, Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel, Ellipsanime Productions and Les Cartooneurs Associés) alongside their own in-house animation production studio Ellipse Studio based in both Paris and Angoulême. Across all their production labels, Ellipse Animation produced more than 1982 animated series and films.
History
[edit]Ellipse Animation had its beginnings as a production name for Ellipse Programme's animation division until 2003 when Canal+ sold Ellipse to French media entertainment conglomerate Média-Participations under the latter's French-Belgian comic book publishing division Dargaud through its animation production division Dargaud Marina renaming it to Ellipsanime one year later in 2004.[1][2]
In January 2003 seven months before Dargaud acquired Ellipsanime, Studio Ellipse the in-house executive production facility of Ellipsanime would announced that it was being shut down by their parent Ellipsanime and had absorbed most of their studio's production activity including their storyboarding and 3-D rendering work under the main animation production company Ellipsanime. A month later in February of that same year, Ellipsanime's former parent company Canal+ Group through its production division StudioExpand announced that they were planning to seek a buyer for their animation studio Ellipsanime with Ellipsanime cutting down their annual series output.[3]
In January 2014 eight years before the launch of Ellipse Animation, Ellipsanime acquired the assets of French animation and production group MoonScoop which went into bankruptcy administration back in July 2013 with the Paris bankruptcy court approved the acquisition as Ellipsanime retaining two of MoonScoop's then-remaining employees and taken over MoonScoop's production library with Dargaud's international distribution division Mediatoon Distribution taking over MoonScoop's programming catalouge except their American division which was spliten.[4]
Six months later in June of that year eight years before the launch of Ellipse Animation, Paris-based animation studio Ellipse Studio announced that they'd launched another French animation production studio that would bring all of Média Participations' animated productions under one studio based in Angoulême with the new animation studio being named Ellipse Studio Angoulême with Dargaud Media's CEO & president and former MoonScoop executive Maïa Tubiana heading the new Angoulême-based animation production studio as the Angoulême studio would animate Média Participations' future productions alongside its Paris-based studio Ellipse Studio.[5]
In December 2019 three years before Ellipse Animation was launched and following the departure of Média-Participations' previous CEO & president of its animation production companies and its Paris and Angoulême-based animation production studio Ellipse Studio Maïa Tubiana back in September of that same year, Média-Participations hired Caroline Duvochel as their new CEO of Média-Particiaptions' animation production activities namely Dargaud Media, French/Belgian audiovisuel production company Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel, Ellipsanime Productions and its Paris-based in-house animation production studio Ellipse Studio along with their Angoulême-based animation production service division Ellipse Studio Angoulême.[6]
In May 2021 one year before the launch of production brand Ellipse Animation, Média-Participations hired former Cyber Group Studios executive Caroline Audebert as their deputy head of Média-Participations' new division Média-Participations Development and Innovation which was being headed by Julien Papelier with Caroline Audebert overseeing Média-Participations's own animation production subsidiaries including Dargaud Media, French/Belgian audiovisuel production company Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel and Ellipsanime Productions alongside their Paris and Angoulême-based in-house animation production studio Ellipse Studio. Former Tele Images Productions & Zodiak Kids director of animation productions and former Watch Next Media studio director Jules Garcia became Ellipse Studio's newly created position of directors[7]
In June 2022 Ellipse Animation returned as a whole brand when Média-Participations announced that they were bringing their French animation production labels (which were Dargaud Media, French/Belgian audiovisuel production company Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel, Ellipsanime Productions and Les Cartooneurs Associés) along with their Paris and Angoulême-based in-house animation production studio Ellipse Studio under one umbrella group named Ellipse Animation during the annual Annecy International Animation Film Festival with Média-Participations's animation production labels became part of the new production company alongside Paris and Angoulême-based in-house animation production studio Ellipse Studio became Ellipse Animation's new animation studio division.[8]
In January 2024, Ellipse Animation announced that they have acquired a majority stake in Milan-based Italian production company Studio Campedelli, expanding Ellipse Animation's production activities for the first time and their first expansion into the Italian animation production services with Studio Campedelli being placed under Ellipse Animation as their own subsidiary with Studio Campedelli CEOs Anne-Sophie Vanhollebeke and Valeria Brambilla continued leading the Italian animation studio under Ellipse Animation giving them an Italian animation production company outside of France.[9] A week later in that same month following Ellipse Animation's acquisition of Studio Campedelli, Ellipse Animation announced that they've expanded their operations into webtoons by launching a production division dedicated to animated series based on digital comics and will sit under Ellipse Animation's own animation production studio Ellipse Studio Angoulême.[10]
Production companies
[edit]Ellipse Animation is the umbrella production group that owns three production companies:
- Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel; established in 1959 by Charles Dupuis as the animation division of Belgian publishing house Dupuis.
- Dargaud Media; founded in 1967 by French publishing house Dargaud. By the late-1990s it had brought two French animation production companies Marina Productions and Millésime Productions and their series joined Dargaud's programming catalogue.
- Ellipsanime Productions; founded in 1987 by journalist Philippe Gildas and Robert Réa, it was originally owned by Canal+ through its division Studio Expand before selling it to French publishing company Dargaud in 2003. It brought MoonScoop's production assets and its programming library in January 2014.[11]
Filmography
[edit]Television
[edit]| Title | Years | Network | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rupert | 1991–1997 | France 3 YTV (Canada) ITV (United Kingdom) |
Ellipsanime Productions | seasons 1–3 only co-production with Nelvana, Television South (season 1) and Scottish Television (seasons 2–5) |
| Lucky Luke | 1991–1992 | France 3 | Dargaud Media | co-production with IDDH |
| The Adventures of Tintin | 1991–1992 | France 3 Global Television Network (Canada) |
Ellipsanime Productions | co-production with Nelvana |
| Journey to the Heart of the World | 1993–1994 | Canal+ | Dargaud Media | co-production with Belvision and Saban International Paris |
| Leo & Popi[12] | 1994–1997 | France 3 | Ellipsanime Productions Les Cartooneurs Associés |
co-production with Canal+ D.A and TAL Productions |
| The New Adventures of Lucky Luke[13] | 2001–2003 | France 3 Super RTL (Germany) Tele Quebec (Canada) |
Dargaud Media | co-production with Xilam Animation, Tooncan Productions and Lucky Comics |
| Jacques Cousteau's Ocean Tales | 2003 | France 3 YTV & Tele-Quebec (Canada) |
Dargaud Media | co-production with Vivatoon |
| Martin Morning | 2003–2018 | France 3 | Les Cartooneurs Associés | co-production with Fantasia Animation |
| Corto Maltese | 2003–2004 | Canal+ & France 2 Rai 3 (Italy) |
Ellipsanime Productions | co-production with Rai Fiction and Pomaulx |
| The Frog Show | 2003–2005 | M6 | Ellipsanime Productions | co-production with D'Ocon Films and Agogo |
| Miss BG[14][15] | 2005–2007 | France 5 Tiji TVOntario (Canada) |
Ellipsanime Productions | co-production with Breakthrough Films & Television and Def2shoot |
| Shaolin Wuzang[16] | 2005–2006 | France 3 Jetix Europe ZDF (Germany) TV 2 (Denmark) |
Les Cartooneurs Associés | co-production with ZDF Enterprises and Fantasia Animation |
| Yakari | 2005–2017 | France 3 WDR (seasons 3–5) |
Storimages Ellipsanime Productions (seasons 3–5) Les Cartooneurs Associés (season 4) Dargaud Media (season 5) |
co-production Belvision, ARD (seasons 3–5) and 2 Minutes |
| Bird Squad[17] | 2008–2009 | Rai 2 (Italy) | Ellipsanime Productions | co-production with Toposodo, Araneo and Rai Fiction |
| The Garfield Show[18] | 2008–2016 | France 3 Cartoon Network/Boomerang (United States) |
Dargaud Media | co-production with Paws, Inc. |
| Taratabong[19][20] | 2009 | Rai 3 | Ellipsanime Productions | co-production with Toposodo and Rai Fiction |
| Chumballs[21] | France 5 | co-production with Les Films de la Perrine | ||
| Contraptus[22] | 2009–2010 | Canal J & Gulli | co-production with Le Lombard | |
| The Daltons | 2010–2016 | France 3 | Dargaud Media | co-production with Xilam Animation, Lucky Comics and B Media Kids |
| The Jungle Book[23] | 2010–2020 | TF1/Piwi+ Nickelodeon India (India) ZDF (Germany) |
Ellipsanime Productions Les Cartooneurs Associés |
inherited from MoonScoop co-production with DQ Entertainment and ZDF Enterprises |
| Tempo Express | 2011 | France 3 | Les Cartooneurs Associés | co-production with Fantasia Animation |
| Chicken Town[24][25] | 2011 | Canal+ Family & OCS | Ellipsanime Productions | co-production with 1st Day Studios and Araneo Based on the short of the same name by Klasky Csupo |
| H2O: Mermaid Adventures | 2015 | France 3 ZDF (Germany) Netflix (Worldwide) |
Les Cartooneurs Associés | co-production with ZDF Enterprises, Jonathan M. Shiff Productions and Fantasia Animation Based on the live-action series H2O: Just Add Water by Jonathan M. Shiff |
| Little Furry | 2017–2021 | Piwi+ OUFtivi & Ketnet (Belgium) |
Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel Dargaud Media |
co-production with Belvision |
| The Fox/Badger Family | 2018–2022 | France 5 | Dargaud Media Ellipsanime Productions |
co-production with Philm CGI |
| Garfield Originals | 2019–2020 | France 3 Nick.com (United States) |
Dargaud Media | co-production with Paws, Inc. |
| Roger & His Humans[26] | 2020–present | YouTube/Animation Digital Network | Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel | |
| Kid Lucky[27] | 2020 | M6 Rai Gulp (Italy) |
Dargaud Media Ellipsanime Productions |
co-production with Belvision and Rai Ragazzi |
| The Smurfs[28] | 2021–present | TF1 La Trois & Ketnet (Belgium) Kika (Germany) Nickelodeon (International) |
Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel Dargaud Media (season 1) Les Cartooneurs Associés (season 2) Ellipsanime Productions (season 3–) |
co-production with Peyo Productions |
| Living with Dad[29] | 2022–present | M6, Canal J & Gulli La Trois (Belgium) |
Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel Ellipsanime Productions |
co-production with Belvision Based on the comic book series Dad by Nob |
| Belfort & Lupin[30] | 2025–present | France 4 Auvio Kids TV & Ketnet (Belgium) Radio-Canada (Canada) SWR (Germany)[31] |
Ellipsanime Productions Dargaud Media |
co-production with Belvision and RTBF |
Film
[edit]| Title | Release date | Distributor | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asterix the Gaul | December 20, 1967 December 23, 1967 (Belgium) |
Athos Films | Dargaud Media | co-production with Belvision |
| Asterix and Cleopatra | December 19, 1968 December 21, 1968 (Belgium) |
Pathé | co-production with Belvision and Edifilm | |
| Daisy Town | December 20, 1971 | Les Artistes Associés | Based on the comics Lucky Luke co-production with Belvision | |
| Tintin and the Lake of Sharks | December 13, 1972 | co-production with Belvision | ||
| The Smurfs and the Magic Flute | December 24, 1975 | Mercury Films | Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel | co-production with Belvision, Lafig S.A and IMPS |
| Babar: The Movie | July 28, 1989 | Fourm Distribution Astral Films (Canada) |
Ellipsanime Productions | co-production with Nelvana and The Clifford Ross Company |
| Becassine and the Viking Treasure | December 12, 2001 | Gebaka Films | co-production with Home Made Movies and Image Film | |
| Go West! A Lucky Luke Adventure | December 5, 2007 | Pathé Distribution | Dargaud Media | co-production with Xilam Animation, France 3 Cinema and Lucky Comics |
| Zombillenium[32] | October 18, 2017 | Gebaka Films | Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel | co-production with Belvision, Maybe Movies and 2 Minutes |
| Tricky Old Dogs | August 22, 2018 | Gaumont[33] | Dargaud Media | Live-action film co-production with Radar Films, France 3 Cinema, Cinécap, Dargaud, Entourage Pictures and Egérie Productions |
| Yakari, A Spectacular Journey[34] | August 12, 2020 | BAC Films Leonine Distribution (Germany) |
Dargaud Media Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel |
co-production with Belvision, Le Lombard, BAC Film Production, Leonine Production, WunderWerk, Gao Shang Pictures, WDR and France 3 Cinema |
References
[edit]- ^ mariaesposito (July 22, 2003). "Dargaud acquires Ellipse Animation". C21Media. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ DeMott, Rick (July 22, 2003). "Ellipse Animation Sold to Comic Book Firm". Animation World Network. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ^ Kidscreen Staff (February 1, 2003). "French prodco on the block". Kidscreen. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
- ^ "Ellipsanime acquires Moonscoop". Kidscreen. January 17, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
- ^ Ruiz, Bertrand (September 6, 2015). "Angoulême: Ellipse Studio is Comfortable". Sud Ouest (in French).
- ^ Kaminska, Karolina (December 19, 2019). "France's Média Participations staffs up". C21Media.
- ^ Lawes, Ruth (May 5, 2021). "Média-Participations hires Cyber alum". C21Media.
- ^ Brzoznowski, Kristin (June 15, 2022). "Média-Participations Sets Out Cross-Media Strategy". Worldscreen. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ Kaminska, Karolina (January 11, 2024). "Ellipse Animation acquires majority stake in Italian prodco Studio Campedelli". C21Media. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
- ^ Franks, Nico (January 22, 2024). "Ellipse Animation pushes further into digital comics with webtoons arm". C21Media. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Ellipsanime acquires Moonscoop". Kidscreen. January 17, 2014. Retrieved December 14, 2024.
- ^ Esposito, Maria (August 21, 2003). "Canal J favours local, Canuck content for autumn". C21Media.
- ^ Fry, Andy (April 1, 2000). "Xilam directs Lucky Luke's TV re-entry". Kidscreen. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Breakthrough Animation forays into multi-platform programming". Animation Xpress. September 10, 2006.
- ^ "Miss BG - ELLIPSANIME". 31 July 2010. Archived from the original on 31 July 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ Kenny, Joanne (October 27, 2005). "ZDF fiction programming proves popular". C21Media.
- ^ Bekins, Russell (October 25, 2007). "Co-Production Italian Style". Animation World Network. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ Moody, Annemarie (June 26, 2008). "New CG Garfield To Air On Cartoon Network". Animation World Network. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ "Mediatoon takes melodies to Mip". C21Media. March 13, 2009. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ "Taratabong New Season - ELLIPSANIME". 31 July 2010. Archived from the original on 31 July 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ "Chumballs - ELLIPSANIME". 31 July 2010. Archived from the original on 31 July 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ "Contraptus - ELLIPSANIME". 31 July 2010. Archived from the original on 31 July 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ Wolfe, Jennifer (October 12, 2015). "DQE Signs Co-Pro Deal for 'The Jungle Book' Season 3". Animation World Network. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- ^ Miligan, Mercedes (August 23, 2011). "Mediatoon's 'Chicken Town' to Hatch at MIP Jr". Animation Magazine. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
- ^ "Chicken Town - ELLIPSANIME". 31 July 2010. Archived from the original on 31 July 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
- ^ Stalcup, Jamie (November 2, 2021). "Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel Sets Roger and his Humans Season Two". Worldscreen. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (June 18, 2024). "Média-Participations AV Preps 'Kid Lucky,' 'Living with Dad' for M6 Kids". Animation Magazine. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (August 31, 2017). "IMPS & Dupuis Plan New 'Smurfs' Series". Animation Magazine. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
- ^ Brzoznowski, Kristin (August 21, 2021). "Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel Developing Living with Dad". Worldscreen. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ "Deals of the Week". Kidscreen. January 12, 2024.
- ^ Tuchow, Ryan (April 29, 2024). "New broadcasters scoop up Ellipse and Belvision's Belfort & Lupin". Kidscreen.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (January 15, 2016). "Urban boards Arthur de Pins children's horror 'Zombillénium'". Screen Daily. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (January 19, 2018). "Gaumont Leaps Into Comicbook-Based 'Tricky Old Dogs' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- ^ Milligan, Mercedes (April 24, 2019). "Dargaud Debuts 'Yakari' Feature at Cannes Animation Day". Animation Magazine. Retrieved December 18, 2024.