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Vivi Film and Dandelooo Team Up on ‘The Upside Down River’

2D animated series, based on the children’s novel ‘La rivière à l’envers’ by Jean Claude Mourlevat, follows the quest of a young girl and the boy whose world she turns ‘Upside Down;’ production to begin late 2021 with delivery in 2023.               

Vivi Film has partnered with Emmy Award-winning French animation studio, Dandelooo to co-produce and co-finance the new animated series The Upside Down River (9 x 26’). The 2D animated series will be produced in co-operation with Canal+ Family; Dandeloo will also be responsible for worldwide distribution. Directed by Paul Leluc (The Wolf, The Long Long Holiday), the series targets kids ages 8-12. Production is set to begin late 2021 with delivery slated for mid-2023

The Upside Down River is a poetic fantasy adventure following a young girl named Hannah who must gather water drops from the Qjar river in order to heal her sacred bird. Tomek, a shy boy whose life is turned upside down after meeting Hannah, proceeds to follow her on her quest.

The series is adapted from the children’s novel “La rivière à l’envers” by French children’s author Jean Claude Mourlevat. Published by Editis Group, the book has sold over one million copies in France and other countries including Japan, China, South Korea, Russia, Spain, and Germany. The English version will be published worldwide by Andersen Press in 2022.

“We have a heart for authentic imagery and touching stories,” commented Vivi Film producer Veerle Appelmans. “That is why we fell head over heels for Upside Down River! We look forward to co-producing this poetic and beautiful coming of age series.”

“My partner Jean-Baptiste Wery and I are so excited to be able to bring to ‘screen life’ this wonderful book, the kind of story you will always remember your whole life,” added Dandelooo co-founder Emmanuèle Pétry Sirvin. “It’s so rare to find a magical composition of adventure, friendship, fantasy, nature and strong emotions and we feel privileged that Jean Claude has accepted our desire to adapt his masterpiece and to collaborate with Vivi Film on this amazing project.”

Source: Vivi Film