Deals inked span across ‘Oggy and the Cockroaches’ Season 9, ‘Zig & Sharko’ Seasons 5 & 6 and new spin-off ‘Chickies,' bucking sales slowdown for French animation industry

Academy Award-nominated French animation studio Xilam Animation has inked a wave of presales for the latest content from its line-up of iconic comedy franchises during the Unifrance Rendez-Vous, contradicting the sales slowdown announced by France’s National Film Board and Unifrance earlier this week.

Among these titles, the landmark ninth season of “Oggy and the Cockroaches” has been presold to Warner Bros. Discovery EMEA and APAC, while “Zig & Sharko”’s upcoming fifth and sixth seasons have licnensed to JioStar India Private Limited and Warner Bros. Discovery Italy. “Chickies,” the new spin-off to hit series “Where’s Chicky?,” is heading to Radio Canada and SVT Sweden, as Xilam announced it will bring the first two completed episodes to MIPCOM, with a full delivery planned for 2027.

“Our legacy brands remain a cornerstone of our business, continuing to resonate with generations of fans, while maintaining highly engaged online communities,” underlines Safaa Benazzouz, EVP Distribution at Xilam Animation, who’s currently attending the Rendez-vous. “The fresh content we’re creating across ‘Oggy and the Cockroaches,’ ‘Zig & Sharko’ and our ‘Chickies’ spin-off will ensure that these iconic IP continue engaging both new and existing audiences. Having such a strong roster of broadcasters already on board is testament to how evergreen these titles are and the ongoing demand for comedic, character-driven animations worldwide.” 

One of the longest-running of French animated series, “Oggy” returns in its ninth season to the core elements that made the series a global success.

Led by the inventive and explosive rivalry between Oggy and the cockroaches, the new season, made up of 78 seven minute episodes, is directed by Julien Daubas (“Oggy,” “Asterix & Obelix: The Big Fight”) and Lucas Pinatel (“Zig & Sharko,” “Submarine Jim”) with returning broadcaster France TĂ©lĂ©visions on board. It is slated for delivery between Q3 2027 and Q2 2028, in celebration of the franchise’s 30th anniversary in 2028.

Two new seasons of “Zig & Sharko,” another legacy IP at Xilam which celebrated its 15th anniversary last year, are also spearheading the Studio’s slate at the Unifrance Rendez-vous.

Seasons 5 and 6, directed by Andrùs Fernandez, will follow a summer vacation theme, with each season exploring the main characters’ idea of a perfect getaway – Zig in Season 5 and Marina in Season 6. 

“Chickies,” the latest upcoming spin-off to Xilam’s hit short-form series “Where’s Chicky?,” wraps this wave of sales with a cheerful tone.

A global YouTube hit generating over 2.5 billion views a year and available on leading international broadcasters, SVOD, FVOD and AVOD platforms worldwide, “Where’s Chicky” is now coming to TV series format with a 78-part season of seven-minute episodes. The CG animated series expected to be delivered by June 2027.

Already pre-sold to France TĂ©lĂ©visions, the series is set to deliver by June 2027. It is directed by “Zig & Sharko” alums CĂ©dric Diestsh and Anh Tu Cao, following Chicky, Bekky and Poyo, three curious and cheerful chicks who have had enough of being cooped up and expand the coop with new characters known as the “Chicklets.”

At Unifrance Rendez-vous, Xilam Animation presents its brand new IP “Submarine Jim”, a 52×11-minute whacky, 2D-animated series already pre-sold to France TĂ©lĂ©visions, Super RTL and both European and international broadcasters including BBC (U.K. and Ireland), RTS (French, Switzerland), RTBF and VRT (Belgium), NPO (Netherlands), YLE (Finland), NRK (Norway) and Noga (Israel), as well as Warner Bros. Discovery in EMEA, Latin America, Southeast Asia and South Korea.