France may in general have suffered last year a sales’ decline and export slow-down but “Submarine Jim“‘s characters don’t seem to be bothered as they weather this storm with a smile on their face.
During the Unifrance Rendez-vous, where Xilam presented the series to international buyers, Variety spoke with the teams behind “Submarine Jim.”
“Sitcoms work particularly well in contained settings, so I started looking for one… and landed on a submarine,” explains Frédéric Martin. “Then came the question: what’s unique about this submarine? Simple: it’s obviously filled with water! One logical question led to another, until we landed on having an aquarium on wheels, where the fish experience Planet Earth as if they were exploring Mars.”
With its distinct 2D approach, “Submarine Jim” stands out from the very first minute. Although set in an easily recognizable French setting, the series feels universal both by its humor and rhythm, a feat the team at to maintain at the same level for the whole 52 x 11-minute episodes.
“I would say that the concept lent itself very easily to the writing of all the 52 episodes,” confides Gonnelli-Linden. “Writers were very inspired by the large cast of characters and by their zig-zagging quest, as this was virtually an infinite sandbox to play with. I felt that the whole production, although very demanding in terms of design assets, was smooth.”
For the executive, every step felt cohesive and coherent, something she interprets as the sign of a clear creative vision, and a universal appeal.
Xilam’s YouTube channel are a big part of the company’s strategy, with billions of views accounted on IP-dedicated channels (“Oggy and the Cockroaches,” “Zig & Sharko”) along with YouTube-first hits (“Where’s Chicky”).
As the Le Havre Unifrance Rendez-Vous rounds its final corner and teams now prepare for Cartoon Forum, Europe’s biggest co-production event for animated TV series, Xilam is in the starting blocks for a second season. “As I said before, it is very easy to write hundreds of stories revolving around our characters,” shares an enthusiastic and hopeful Gonnelli-Linden. “The concept can sustain multiple seasons, with situations and settings that are so ‘topsy turvy’ that they will never feel outdated. Given that the signs we’re getting from the market are very positive so far, we’re feeling pretty comfortable about a second season.”
