Official Smurfs licensor IMPS and the studio behind adaptations of ‘Spirou,’ ‘Little Spirou,’ ‘Papyrus,’ ‘Jojo,’ ‘Cedric,’ and more join forces to produce a new Smurfs TV series giving the little blue creatures an updated look.
Official Smurfs licensor IMPS and Dupuis Audiovisuel have decided to join forces to produce a new Smurfs TV series. The series is currently in pre-development. Episodes are planned to be 13 minutes long.
“The Smurfs TV series produced by Hanna-Barbera in the eighties is a highly successful series, still being broadcast on a global scale. But creating a new series, giving the Smurfs an updated look, was just a logical next step for the property after three Hollywood movies,” said IMPS president Véronique Culliford. “We are very happy to embark on this exciting journey with the Dupuis group, one of our historic partners on Smurfs comic books an animation.”
A subsidiary of entertainment conglomerate Media-Participations known for producing screen adaptations of famous European comics like Spirou, Little Spirou, Papyrus, Jojo, Cedric, Kid Paddle, Little Furry and Marsupilami, Dupuis Audiovisuel has a catalog of titles including The Garfield Show, Tintin, Asterix, Lucky Luke, and The Red Turtle. The group has two animation studios: Ellipsanime in France and Dreamwall in Belgium.
“Our collaboration with Peyo on Smurfs goes back to the first publication of the Smurf character in the magazine ‘Spirou’ and the co-production of the Hanna-Barbera series,” adds Dupuis Audiovisuel CEO Léon Perahia. “We’re delighted to be able to us our experience in bringing comic book characters to life in service of this marvelous and enchanting universe.”
Source: IMPS
Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.
