TFOU & La Chouette Compagnie Align for Azuro & the Dragon Squad

TFOU, a children’s block on TF1 in France, has inked an agreement with La Chouette Compagnie for the development of the children’s series Azuro & the Dragon Squad.

The series follows the dragon trio of Azuro, Oria and Vermillon, who form an elite fire department specialized in rescuing and assisting fantastic creatures. Azuro & the Dragon Squad is adapted from the eponymous children’s books, created by brothers Laurent Souillé and Olivier Souillé and illustrated by Jérémie Fleury.

International distribution of Azuro & the Dragon Squad will be handled by Newen Distribution.

Yann Labasque, director of TF1’s youth programs, said: “At first reading, we’ve been moved by the stories of Azuro, edited by Auzou Publishing. A real crush. Azuro is a young dragon lifesaver with his friends. With this new animated series led by La Chouette Cie, children will discover tender, funny and moving stories.”

Mariam Hachmi and Sylvain Dos Santos, producers at La Chouette Cie, said: Azuro is an extraordinary and inspiring character, as shown by the thousands of readers captivated by the little blue dragon over the past years. Like many others before us, the Chouette Cie team has fallen under his charm. We have been deeply moved by his story, his courage, and his kindness, and have enthusiastically decided to work on the animated adaptation of the book series. We are incredibly proud and happy to engage in this adventure alongside Yann and the TFOU team!”

Adélaïde Quiblier, head of diversification at Auzou Publishing, said: “We are very happy about this new development which wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing work of La Chouette Cie. Azuro is a key character for Auzou Publishing and our aim, with the producer and TF1, is to create an iconic hero for the next generation of kids.”

Malika Abdellaoui, managing director at Newen Distribution, “We are delighted to be strengthening our partnership with La Chouette Cie and TF1 with the development of Azuro: a unique animated series that features a one-of-a-kind hero and promotes values such as sharing and caring with humor and tenderness. This wonderful new series will be filled with heartwarming stories that introduce young viewers to a colorful cast of characters they will readily identify with, guaranteeing it broad international appeal. With that firm conviction, we are pleased to be joining the project at this early stage, and will soon be looking for pre-financing partners.”