Ellipse Strikes Deal with Château de Versailles

Ellipse Animation has entered into a partnership with the Château de Versailles for the new series Belfort & Lupin.

The teams from the Château de Versailles and the Versailles Research Center have worked closely with the creator and the series’ writers. The collaboration allowed them to imagine a fictional and sometimes fantasized Versailles that is also tied to historical accuracy. The collaboration with the Château was also essential during the production phase, particularly for the animation of historical sites.

Belfort & Lupin features 26 adventures in the heart of Versailles and its gardens through the perspective of the animals. Belfort, the King’s favorite, a young spaniel who’s lost his sense of smell, and his friend Lupin, a wolf as casual as he is instinctive, are both surrounded by the exotic animals of the 17th-century royal court.

Created by Teddy Stehly, Belfort & Lupin was born from the artist’s fascination with the aesthetic and historical universe of Versailles. Stehly said: “I was keen to create a well-documented series, and the support of the Versailles teams, including their curators and historians, was of great help. I’ll never forget capturing the unique sounds of Versailles—the creaking wooden floors, the resonant echoes of the Hall of Mirrors—and witnessing a Château clockmaker activate centuries-old mechanisms for our recordings.”

Commissioned by France Télévisions, the show will be available on Okoo before being broadcast on February 7. Mediatoon Distribution has already secured several international presales during its production. Belfort & Lupin will be launched worldwide by partner channels, including SWR (Germany), VRT and RTBF (Belgium), RTS (Switzerland), MTVA (Hungary), Yle (Finland), RTVS (Slovakia) and Česká televize (Czech Republic), as well as Radio-Canada and TV5Monde. Final delivery of the full series is expected in Q2 2025.

Caroline Duvochel, general director of audiovisual and innovation at Média Participations, said: “Thanks to this significant partnership, we had the unique opportunity to anchor the creation of the series in a historical and heritage context of exceptional richness. Fiction and reality blend to take children through the surprising and thrilling adventures of the Sun King’s animals.”

Christophe Leribault, president of the Château de Versailles, commented: “What could be more magical than entering Versailles through an animated series? It is with great curiosity that the Château embarked on this project, and it is with enthusiasm that we discovered the first images. I cannot wait for generations to follow the footsteps of this charming duo!”