Production Begins on Powerful Adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s Listen to the Moon Directed and Co-Written by Olivier Clert (Klaus)
PARIS, September 16, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:
Academy Award?-nominated French animation company Xilam Films (Paris:XIL) has secured new partners for its upcoming ambitious family feature Lucy Lost, based on award-winning author and previous British Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo’s 2014 novel Listen to the Moon.
Gebeka International, a Hildegarde-Goodfellas company (The Boy and the Heron, Spirited Away), has boarded to handle international sales, while Le Pacte (Kensuke’s Kingdom, Panda Bear in Africa) will distribute the feature theatrically in France and French broadcasters Canal+ and Cine+ have acquired pay-TV rights. Following its successful debut at Cartoon Movie earlier this year, Lucy Lost is now beginning production with delivery scheduled for March 2026.
Lucy Lost is co-written by Olivier Clert (Klaus, Little Prince) who is also directing the project – marking his feature directorial debut. Clert began as an animator for Monster in Paris and The Lorax, before becoming a Story Artist for Mark Osborne’s The Little Prince. Clert has also collaborated with Sergio Pablos on projects including Smallfoot (Warner Bros.) and Klaus (Netflix), and he has worked for Netflix as Head of Story on Mark Osborne’s Escape from Hat and Entergalactic.
Lucy Lost is co-written with BAFTA and International Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Helen Blakeman (Dustbin Baby, Hetty Feather) and produced by Xilam’s Academy Award?-nominated Marc du Pontavice and Lucie Bolze. The feature will be produced at Xilam’s animation studio in France.
Lucy is a lively child with extraordinary faculties, which makes her look out of place amongst the fishermen of the Isles of Scilly. But all the care and affection she gets from Alfie and his family can’t shelter her from the rumours and superstitions that she unknowingly stirs up. When Lucy meets Milly, a mysterious girl, she embarks on an incredible race in pursuit of her true origins.
Marc du Pontavice, CEO and Founder at Xilam, said: "Listen to the Moon is a captivating novel that weaves together themes of family, love and memory against a backdrop of vivid landscapes – which Olivier and Helen have done a remarkable job at translating into our spectacular Lucy Lost adaptation. As we begin production on this moving and visually stunning story of resilience, we have the best travelling companions in Gebeka International, Le Pacte and Canal+ to join us on this epic adventure. Lucy is a fragile yet courageous character who will move audiences – and we hope the film sparks a desire to connect with one another, consider each other’s differences with kindness, and the courage to face adversity."
Vincent Maraval, President of Goodfellas, the co-parent company of Gebeka International, said: "Lucy Lost is an incredible journey through time and space which deals with universal themes such as the search for identity and friendship. We are very proud to board this beautiful project, which we are convinced will be deeply moving. The scale of Lucy’s adventure will with no doubt appeal to international audiences, for children and adults alike."
Jean Labadie, CEO of Le Pacte, added: "After the huge success of Kensuke in France, we are thrilled to be distributing Lucy Lost based on another book from Michael Morpurgo. The adaptation and the design for Lucy Lost – directed by the talented Olivier Clert and produced by Marc du Pontavice – are incredible and we look forward to distributing the film."
Lucy Lost builds on Xilam’s success in animated features, with its 2019 adult-targeted title I Lost My Body garnering an Academy -Award nomination for ‘Animated Feature Film’ and winning awards for ‘Best Animated Film’ and ‘Best Original Score’ at the 45th César Awards – alongside additional accolades including three Annie Awards, a double win at Annecy International Animated Film Festival and the Critics’ Week prize at Cannes Film Festival.
Michael Morpurgo OBE is one of Britain’s best loved writers for children, with sales of over 35 million copies. He has written over 150 books including War Horse, which was adapted into a hugely successfully war drama, directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg in 2011. Michael has served as Children’s Laureate and was knighted in 2018 for services to literature and charity.
About Xilam
A major player in animation, Xilam is an integrated studio founded in 1999 that creates, produces and distributes original programmes in more than 190 countries for both children and adult audiences. Xilam content is broadcast on television, and is also available on SVoD platforms including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon and AVoD streaming platforms including YouTube and Facebook.
With its creativity and capacity for innovation recognised worldwide, its unique expertise in CGI, as well as editorial and commercial expertise at the cutting edge of its industry, Xilam is positioned as a key player of the market. Each year, Xilam builds real successes and capitalises on its powerful historical brands including Oggy and the Cockroaches, Zig & Sharko and Chicky, as well as new properties such as Oggy Oggy for a preschool audience, and Academy Award? nominated adult feature film I Lost My Body. Additionally, Xilam is serving as the animation studio for Zack Snyder’s upcoming animated series Twilight of the Gods with Netflix and also produces Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life, alongside the forthcoming horror comedy The Doomies, for Disney+. Xilam’s expanding and strong catalogue now consists of over 2,800 episodes and three feature films.
Xilam employs more than 500 individuals, including 400 artists, across its studios in Paris, Angoulême in France and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. Xilam was ranked France's leading animation studio for the 2018-2023 period in a report by the French National Centre for Cinema and Animation (CNC).
Xilam is listed on Euronext Paris Compartment C - PEA - SRD long Eligibility.
