Why ‘The Upside Down River’ is a landmark series

Produced by the French company Dandelooo, led by Jean-Baptiste Wéry and Emmanuèle Pétry, this adaptation is based on the bestselling children’s novel of the same name by Jean-Claude Mourlevat, originally published in France in 2009 by Pocket Jeunesse. The two volumes novel has achieved immense popularity, selling 1.8 million copies in France alone and being translated into 22 languages. 

Emmanuèle Pétry tells EAJ: 

When Jean-Baptiste and I discovered the novel, we immediately fell in love with it. We began discussing the best way to adapt it. After conversations with the Canal+ team, who also shared the enthusiasm for the book, it became clear that a serialized format would be the most suitable choice. 

The Upside Down River takes place in an imaginary world where two 12-year-old heroes, Tomek and Hannah, embark on a quest to reach the mysterious river Qjar. According to legend, the river transforms into a drop of water that, if drunk, grants immortality. Hannah is determined to get this drop to ensure that her beloved bird Passerine, the last gift from her late father, can live forever. Meanwhile, Tomek believes that the river has the power to shed light on the mysteries of his own past, despite having never known his parents. 

The authors of the literary bible are Marie de Banville and Jean Regnaud. The narrative arches were created by Guillaume Mautalent and Sébastien Oursel. The authors of the graphic bible are Chloé Cruchaudet and Thomas Reteuna. Paul Leluc served as the director. The technique used for animation is 2D. Pablo Pico composed the magnificent score. 

Paul Leluc, who has already directed a serialized series for kids, The Long Long Holiday (10 x 26‘, 5 x 50’, 2015), produced by Les Armateurs and Blue Spirit Studio for France Télévisions and Canal+, comments: 

The Upside Down River is an epic series that offers room for poetry. Nature plays a vital role in the story. Working on a serialized series presents specific challenges. You have to deal with a complex storyline and intricate characters.

With a budget of 6m€, The Upside Down River, commissioned by the Canal+ Group, is aimed at 7-11 year-olds and families. It was co-produced by Vivi Film (Belgium), Sparkle Animation (Portugal) and Shelter Prod (Belgium). It is supported by broadcasters RTBF, VRT, Ketnet (Belgium), TV5 Monde, RTP (Portugal), RTS (Switzerland) and ERR (Estonia). 

Emmanuèle Pétry says :

Manufacturing lasted two years. It took place in Ooolala, Dandelooo’s studio (France), Studio Souza, Vivi Film’s studio (Belgium), and Muso (Portugal).

The series – showcased at Cartoon Forum in 2020 and selected in the Work-In-Progress category at Annecy 2024 – will be presented out of competition at Anima, the Brussels International Animation Festival, from 28 February to 9 March 2025.

The international market faces challenges in producing serialized series for kids and family. Broadcasters often struggles with the programming of this type of content in linear formats. When these series are acquired for non-linear programming, the associated costs tend to be lower. However, serialized series have a potential to generate significant interest and standing out from the competitive offerings.