MIPCOM Spotlight: Gaumont

Aimed at viewers between the ages of 6 and 11, Bionic Max, one of Gaumont’s kids’ highlights, is a buddy comedy about a bionic guinea pig prototype and a social-outcast goldfish.

“After their escape from the lab, they have to learn how to [live] in the forest metropolis of Central Park with a gang of zany animal inhabitants,” says Vanessa Shapiro, Gaumont’s president of worldwide TV distribution and co-production. “Kids will escape into the chaotic madness, laugh out loud and do what kids should do—have fun!”

Belle and Sebastian is based on a live-action show from the 1960s. “The series is about a courageous young boy from the Alps who befriends an exceptionally large and generous dog,” says Shapiro.

And Furiki Wheels is a slapstick comedy about a hyperactive young sloth.

Outside of children’s content, Gaumont has picked up the distribution rights for all three seasons of El Chapo, which explores the life of notorious drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán. “El Chapo tells not just the story of a cartel, but also some of the governmental and institutional corruption that allows it to thrive,” says Shapiro.

The company also has Narcos in its catalog. “The rise and fall of the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar is a story people can’t get enough of,” says Shapiro. “We are thrilled that we can finally answer the worldwide demand for the show as the TV linear rights are becoming available for the first time.”

In addition, the slate includes NOX, an original for France’s Canal+.