Xilam Animation & Alibaba’s Youku Team for Lupin’s Tales

Xilam Animation has partnered with Youku in China to co-produce the new 2D and 3D animated preschool series Lupin’s Tales.

To support the series, which is set to launch in 2021, Xilam and Youku will also collaborate to develop a range of merchandise for the Chinese market, with an initial focus on educational products. Alibaba will hold all distribution and merchandising rights to Lupin’s Tales in mainland China, and Xilam will handle the rest of the world.

Targeting a preschool audience, Lupin’s Tales follows a wolf-cub who dreams of being like the storybook heroes he admires. He goes from one tale to another to live out adventures across all continents and ages, counting on the narrator’s help and on his good heart to learn from his mistakes along the way.

Marc du Pontavice, CEO at Xilam Animation, said: “We’re thrilled to partner with Alibaba’s Youku on our first ever French-Chinese co-production project. Lupin’s Tales has many values that will resonate with audiences in China, such as its encouragement to create your own path in life and using your imagination to explore a variety of cultures. Alibaba’s outstanding expertise across content and e-commerce make them the ideal partner to launch the brand in the market, and we look forward to seeing the series and consumer products range come to life.”