‘Miraculous’ franchise set with updated designs and new characters

The blockbuster animated franchise Miraculous, set in Paris, is turning ten years old and is set for a number of major expansions, including revamped designs and new characters in several cities including Tokyo and Rio, as well as live-action series and theatrical releases.

LA-based Andy Yeatman, who joined Miraculous Corp as CEO in June and has a long history with the brand since buying the TV show ‘Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir’ for Netflix while working there in 2015, revealed to Variety ahead of his keynote at MipJunior that the franchise will soon introduce two new characters, Lady Dragon and Stellar Force.

Created by Thomas Astruc, Nathanaël Bronn and Jeremy Zag, the franchise has already produced five seasons of a hit TV show, three TV movies and one feature film, ‘Miraculous, The Movie’, which ranks as one of France’s most watched animated films. movies worldwide.

“We think there is a lot of room to expand further in several areas that we have not yet tapped into. We are introducing brand new characters that the creative team has developed and in some cases have been creating and playing with internally for years,” said Yeatman, adding that the team behind the series, including Zag, Astruc, Bronn and head writer Sebastian Thibaudeau, are still involved in every development.

Yeatman said the new leads “will probably meet. You could imagine Ladybug helping with the introduction (Lady Dragon and Stellar Force), but there will be new characters with their own team, their own friends, their own crushes, set in their own cities, with their own superpowers , set in a variety of iconic locations.”

The new characters will share certain core traits, Yeatman emphasizes. “They are all recognizable teenagers, they are a bit crazy, funny and vulnerable. But then they all discover that they have certain different superpowers, and then they use those superpowers to help their friends and the world.”

The director spoke about the fourth TV movie set in Tokyo and expected to be released late next year; and he teased plans for the second feature film which he said will “partly take place in Paris.”

Yeatman, former head of Moonbug USA and previously founder of Netflix’s Kids’ Content division, said Miraculous’s Parisian background played a big role in the show’s success. The intention was to continue city hopping in the future.

“So since Tokyo is the first, we have one planned for Rio, Brazil, and then a number of other locations that will act as characters in the show,” he said.

Yeatman also hinted at the show’s new look. Seasons six and seven, now in production, will be the first series to be produced using Unreal Engine, a real-time 3D creation tool. “We’re giving the character designs a makeover,” he said.

Yeatman also pointed out that the franchise remains popular across different demographics – a longevity he attributes to Miraculous’ character-driven storytelling.

“It’s the only show that was a hit on Disney and Netflix and YouTube and Roblox, and it’s popular across demos,” he said. “Our core demo is like a 5-11 boys and girls. But we have seen that the show can be popular with teens and young adults.”

Although teens typically no longer watch animation, they “still have a place in their hearts for Ladybug and Cat Noir,” which he says is “rare for a kids’ IP.”

Yeatman has also joined Miraculous Corp to expand the brand’s licensing business. As such, the banner has just appointed veteran Roz Nowicki, who previously led consumer products for Mattel, as global head of consumer products.

“Roz Nowicki is a highly experienced and seasoned licensing executive who has led global licensing programs for major brands such as Barbie, Peanuts and The Simpsons, and she is a great example of the kind of people we have at the company, the scale of our ambitions for brand,” said Yeatman.

Miraculous already has a large consumer products program with 400 licensees worldwide. According to Miraculous Corp. retail sales worldwide have surpassed $1.5 billion.

Miraculous Corp is a joint venture between Mediawan, the European production and distribution group led by Pierre-Antoine Capton, and Zag, the animation studio behind “Miraculous,” founded by Jeremy Zag.