‘Miraculous’ Franchise Set for Revamped Designs, New Characters

Blockbuster Paris-set animation franchise Miraculous is already turning 10 and it’s up for some major expansions, including revamped designs and new characters in different cities, including Tokyo and Rio, as well as live-action series and theatrical releases.

L.A.-based Andy Yeatman, who joined Miraculous Corp as CEO in June and has a long history with the brand since he bought the TV show “Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir” for Netflix when he worked there in 2015, revealed to Variety ahead of his keynote at MipJunior that the franchise will soon introduce two new characters, Lady Dragon and Stellar Force.

Created by Thomas Astruc, Nathanaël Bronn and Jeremy Zag, the franchise has already yielded five seasons of a popular TV show, three TV movies and one feature film, “Miraculous, The Movie,” which ranks as one of the most-watched French animated films worldwide.

“We think there’s a lot of room to expand further in different areas that we haven’t tapped in yet. We’ll be introducing brand new characters that the creative team has developed and in some cases have created and playing around with internally for many years,” said Yeatman, adding that the team behind the series, including Zag, Astruc, Bronn and head writer Sebastian Thibaudeau, are still involved in every development.

Yeatman said the new protagonists “will probably meet each other. You might imagine Ladybug helping to introduce (Lady Dragon and Stellar Force), but there’ll be new characters with their own team, their own friends, their own crushes, set in their own cities, with their own superpowers, set in different iconic locations.”

The new characters will share certain core traits, Yeatman pointed out. “They’re all relatable teenagers, they’re kind of goofy, they’re funny, they’re vulnerable. But then they all discover they have certain different superpowers, and then they use those superpowers to help their friends and the world.”

The executive talked about the fourth TV Movie which is set in Tokyo and is expected to be delivered by the end of next year; and he teased plans for the second feature film which he said will “take place partially in Paris.”

A former head of Moonbug USA who previously founded Netflix’s Kids’ Content department, Yeatman said the Paris backdrop of Miraculous played a large part in the success of the show. Going forward, the idea was to continue city-hopping.

“So Tokyo being the first one, we have one planned for Rio, Brazil, and then several other locations that will be like characters in the show,” he said.

Yeatman also hinted to the show’s new look. Season six and seven, which are now in production, will be the first series produced using Unreal Engine, a real-time 3D creation tool. “We’re giving the character designs a makeover,” he said.

Yeatman also pointed that the franchise remains popular across various demographics — a longevity which he attributes to Miraculous’ character-driven storytelling.

“It’s the only show that was a hit on Disney and Netflix and YouTube and Roblox, and it’s popular with different demo,” he said. “Our core demo is like a 5-11 boys and girls. But we’ve seen that the show can be popular for teens, for young adults.”

Although teens typically no longer watch animation, they “still have a spot in their heart for Ladybug and Cat Noir,” which he says is “rare for a kids IP.”

Yeatman has also joined Miraculous Corp to expand the brand’s licensing business. As such, the banner has just tapped veteran Roz Nowicki, who previously ran consumer products for Mattel, as global head of consumer products.

“Roz Nowicki is a very experienced and seasoned licensing exec who has run global licensing programs for major brands like Barbie, Peanuts and The Simpsons, and she’s a great example of the kind of caliber of people that we’re going to have working at the company, of the size of our aspirations for the brand,” said Yeatman.

Miraculous already boasts a big consumer products program with 400 licensees worldwide. Retail sales have exceeded $1.5 billion worldwide, according to Miraculous Corp.

Miraculous Corp, is a joint venture between Mediawan, the European production and distribution group spearheaded by Pierre-Antoine Capton, and Zag, the animation studio behind “Miraculous” founded by Jeremy Zag.