Canal+ has commissioned French animation house Dandelooo to produce a new 2D animated series for three- to five-year-olds titled “Max & Rabbit.”
Based on the best-selling kids’ book series by French author Astrid Desbordes, illustrated by Pauline Martin, the show follows its titular protagonists through their daily routine.
Told from Max’s perspective, the show features unique and clever tools to teach young viewers about dealing with emotions, being a better listener, verbalizing and finding solutions to everyday problems that children may encounter.
Animation on the series will be executed out of Dandelooo’s Ooolala studio in Cartoucherie, Valence, starting next month. Episodes will be directed by Clément Céard, whose animator credits include Oscar-nominee “Persepolis,” the popular adult animated series “Lastman” and 2D sequences in Jim Capobianco and Pierre-Luc Granjon’s “The Inventor.”
Dandelooo and Canal+ share a fruitful history of working together. The former is currently in production on “The Upside-Down River,” a series based on Jean Claude Mourlevat’s novel of the same name, commissioned by the broadcaster. The company also produced the award-winning short “Mum is Pouring Rain” for Canal+, which won a jury award at Annecy in 2021.
According to Dandelooo Producer & Head of International Emmanuèle Pétry: “With this new commission, we are thrilled to continue the creative collaboration for this beautiful IP with Nathalie Leffray and Christine Cauquelin from Canal+, building on the great teamwork established during the production of the serialized fantasy series ‘The Upside Down River.’”
“Canal+ is thrilled to start a new collaboration with the Dandelooo team,” added Christine Cauquelin, Director of Programs and Channels for Documentaries, Youth and Animation at the French broadcaster. “The ‘Max & Rabbit’ books by Astrid Desbordes and Pauline Martin have conquered our hearts thanks to their modern look, the soft tongue in cheek tone which brings humor. We believe the series will fully match our desire to tell stories to the youngest because the characters are kind, smart and a bit mischievous. We have no doubt that our audience will love this new series.”
Dandelooo will handle international distribution with delivery of the series set for Q4 2025.
