Andarta Pictures to debut ‘5 Worlds’ animated series at Cartoon Forum
Skwigly
Andarta Pictures is proud to announce its new animated series, an adaptation of the literary saga 5 Worlds, for which it has acquired the rights. Selected for the Cartoon Forum, this sci-fi saga for kids and tweens is based on five graphic novels written by Mark and Alexis Siegel and illustrated by Boya Sun, Xanthe Bouma and Matt Rockefeller. It’s an epic tale of adventure, science fiction and initiation, plunging readers into a dizzying universe with ecological dimensions.
Image: Andarta Pictures
About the 5 Worlds Saga
5 Worlds is a successful graphic novel series that has sold over 500,000 copies and has already been translated into seven languages (English, French, Thai, Spanish, Italian, Romanian, Hebrew, Russian). It is published by Gallimard in France and Penguin Random House in the United States.
The series follows young heroes who must travel through different worlds to save their universe from an impending threat. Each volume explores a unique planet with its own ancient cultures, varied geographies, and ecological challenges. The protagonists tackle complex themes such as cultural integration, class struggle, shared humanity, and corrupt politics, offering a rich and multidimensional universe that addresses adult issues at a child-friendly level.
The second major intellectual property for Andarta Pictures
Andarta Pictures is no stranger to major adaptations. Following the acquisition of the rights to Ewilan’s Quest in 2017, a landmark in French youth literature, the studio is adapting a Franco-American intellectual property for the first time.
Attracted by the graphic universe of 5 Worlds, I delved into these books during the 2020 lockdown. I was blown away by the depth of the story and the spectacular character development in these youth novels. To my surprise, Mark Siegel, author of 5 Worlds, contacted me soon after! This IP aligns perfectly with Andarta Pictures’ ambition: to offer initiation stories to younger generations through fantastic universes, similar to our flagship project: Ewilan’s Quest. Adapting 5 Worlds was an obvious choice for my team and me.
-Sophie Saget, Producer and Founder of Andarta Pictures
It was this wide range of sensitively handled issues that convinced Andarta of this collaboration. By adapting the 5 Worlds, a Franco-American IP, the studio hopes to shake things up and promote international collaboration.
The 5 Worlds is the meeting of Star Wars and Narnia, a space opera with young adults at the heart of the plot. The combination of animation with the authors’ vision makes this adventure particularly exciting: we’re not talking about building just one universe, but 5! Each with its own issues, people and customs… A beautiful challenge for our creative teams!
-Bruna Pegoraro, Head of Development at Andarta Pictures.
A collaborative approach with the Siegel brothers and the fan community
True to its collaborative approach, the studio will involve the fan community from the earliest stages. As with Ewilan’s Quest, close collaboration will be established with dedicated communication spaces on social networks, allowing fans to follow and participate in the project’s evolution in real time.
For this adaptation, Andarta Pictures is also fortunate to be working closely with the saga’s creators, Mark and Alexis Siegel. Impressed by the authenticity and dreamlike colours of the 2D teasers Ewilan’s Quest and Baïdir produced by Andarta Pictures, they chose to entrust this adaptation to the studio, convinced by their artistic vision that aligns perfectly with the universe of 5 Worlds.
In the 5 Worlds creative team, we are all lovers of animation in all its forms. When I showed Andarta’s trailers to my teammates, we unanimously felt a strong artistic affinity between the studio and us. I got in touch with Sophie Saget, and it turned out that she knew 5 Mondes very well, so things clicked immediately. To translate our unusual aesthetic and the ambition of this story into the world of animation, we couldn’t dream of a better partner than a studio like Andarta, which represents the genius of French animation so well.
-Mark Siegel, co-creator of the 5 Worlds saga
A project selected for the Cartoon Forum
After keeping it a secret for several months, Andarta and the project’s authors are very proud to announce their selection for the prestigious Cartoon Forum in September. This recognition will be an opportunity to present the series to numerous animation professionals and showcase the discovery of the five new planets on the big screen.