Gaumont’s Nicolas Atlan

When Nicolas Atlan joined Gaumont three years ago, expansion for the animation division was top of mind—and he’s delivered. The company’s roster of kids and family content now features some 800 half-hours of programming, mixed between original in-house creations, projects being developed in partnership with topflight creatives and properties inspired by books or comics. This includes the musical preschool show Do, Re & Mi, which has been greenlit as a global Amazon Original and counts among its creative team Kristen Bell (who played Princess Anna in Disney’s Frozen). Atlan, the president of animation and family at Gaumont, talks to TV Kids about delivering the type of children’s content that rings true to the company’s heritage.

TV KIDS: What’s been the strategy for growing Gaumont’s kids’ business?
ATLAN: Our goal is to create a whole range of compelling and engaging children’s projects that will become part of the Gaumont heritage. We look for great partners and creative talent, from writers to designers to directors. In 2018, we added ten new projects, for a total of 25 currently in development between our Los Angeles and Paris offices, each at different stages of production. These are a mix of original content that we created in-house, original ideas that were presented to us and properties that are based on books or comic books. In 2019, we will continue to add projects to our development slate.

TV KIDS: What are some of the issues impacting the animation marketplace at present?
ATLAN: With the continued growth of the SVOD platforms, we are seeing a trend toward more globalized properties; animation has always been global, but now it’s even more so. These new players push producers and creators to be more creative and find projects that will be appealing to audiences worldwide. And I’d also say that finding the right talent to come on board a project is getting harder because there are so many more projects being made now. However, this means that it’s a great time to be an animator, writer or storyboard artist. There are so many opportunities for them, and we’ll see new stars breaking out in these areas as the demand for talent grows.

TV KIDS: What new projects are you working on?
ATLAN: We are in production with our partners Jackie Tohn, Michael Scharf, Ivan Askwith and Kristen Bell on our new animated lyrical series for preschoolers Do, Re & Mi, an Amazon Original. The series was created by Jackie (Glow, American Idol) and Michael (The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation). Every episode starts with an adventure and ends in a song.

We are also looking forward to starting production in February on Bionic Max, with France’s Gulli. It’s a 2D-animated series for kids 6 to 11, created by Gaumont’s Thomas Digard and Manu Klotz. It’s a buddy comedy about two very different but lovable friends: Max, the first and only prototype for a bionic guinea pig born in a laboratory, and his best friend, Jean-Claude, a goldfish, and their adventures as express delivery boys in the middle of Central Park. The pair consistently end up in absurd and hysterical situations, and kids everywhere will escape into the chaotic madness, laugh out loud and do what kids should do: have fun!

TV KIDS: What goes into crafting the ideal development slate?
ATLAN: We are always searching for great ideas, of course, seeking out new and creative writers and animators, and at the same time, connecting with program buyers all over the world to keep abreast of what they are looking for, what has been working for them and what hasn’t. If an IP already has recognition, that can really help us in the development process, and it also helps when we start to look for partners.

The slate covers every age group, from preschool and 6-to-11s to tweens and teens. Among the preschool shows are an adventure series based on the books Touch the Earth and Heal the Earth from Julian Lennon and Bart Davis, and The Pet Pack, about a dog and his best pet pals who tangle daily with the troublemaking robotic pets next door—a concept created by Alexander Bar (Mike the Knight, Ranger Rob, Kody Kapow) that is slated to be co-produced with Bar’s production company, Milkcow Media.

For the 6- to 11-year-old audience is Molly and the Cryptos, in development with France Télévisions. It’s an adventurous tale of 10-year-old Molly and her best friend, who is actually a mythological creature. [We also have] the multi-award-winning comic book series Usagi Yojimbo from celebrated creator, writer and illustrator Stan Sakai, which has amassed numerous awards and recognition over the past three decades.

For 9- to 14-year-old kids is The Mice Templar, based on a series of graphic novels created by Bryan J. L. Glass and Michael Avon Oeming. And for teens and tweens, The Star Shards Chronicles is an animated drama based on the New York Times best-selling author Neal Shusterman’s young adult novels.

Projects in development for theatrical release include the animated feature High in the Clouds, based on the book authored by Sir Paul McCartney and Philip Ardagh and illustrated by Geoff Dunbar, and Plunder, a family treasure-hunting adventure from award-winning writers Leo Chu and Eric Garcia.