Xilam & Youku Producing More Lupin’s Tales

Xilam Animation and Youku, Alibaba Group’s online streaming platform, have extended their partnership for a new season of the preschool comedy Lupin’s Tales.

The upcoming season will consist of 78 7-minute episodes and is set to launch on Youku and France Télévisions in early 2024. Xilam Animation is also working on 26 shorts titled Lupin on a Mission to debut around Christmas.

The first season of Lupin’s Tales, launched in 2021, was co-produced by Xilam Animation and Youku. Under the existing deal, the two companies are also collaborating to develop merchandise for China and international markets, with an initial focus on educational products. Alibaba holds distribution and merchandising rights in mainland China, while Xilam handles the rest of the world.

Marc du Pontavice, CEO at Xilam Animation, said: “Following our highly successful partnership with Youku on the original season of Lupin’s Tales, which marked our first ever French-Chinese co-production project, it’s fantastic to now be building upon this with an all-new season of this beloved show. We’ve seen Lupin’s Tales capture the hearts and imaginations of audiences across China, as demonstrated by its impressive performance results, and all around the world, so we can’t wait to bring fans these new episodes and shorts that promise even more magical adventures.”

Qian Wu, VP of Alibaba Digital Media and Entertainment Group and general manager of Youku Kids, added: “We’re delighted to extend our partnership with Xilam Animation and to bring all new Lupin’s Tales content to Youku and China. The first season has been hugely popular with our audiences, who love having the chance to journey into different worlds with the endearing young wolf cub, and we know they’re now going to be really excited to travel around the cosmos in the brand-new episodes.”