Ellipse Animation and the Château de Versailles announce their partnership

Belfort & Lupin features 26 humurous adventures in the heart of Versaille and its gardens, through the  perspective of the animals. Belfort, the King’s favorite, a young spaniel who’s lost his sense of smell, and his  friend Lupin, a wolf as casual as he is instinctive, both surrounded by the exotic animals of the 17th-century  royal court. 

Created by Teddy Stehly, Belfort & Lupin was born from the artist’s fascination with the aesthetic and  historical universe of Versailles. Since the beginning of the project, the teams from the Château de Versailles and the Versailles Research Center have worked closely with the creator and the series’ writers.

This collaboration allowed them to imagine a fictional and sometimes fantasized Versailles but always tied  to historical accuracy. Stehly says:

I was keen to create a well-documented series, and the support of the Versailles  teams, including their curators and historians, was of great help. I’ll never forget capturing the unique  sounds of Versailles—the creaking wooden floors, the resonant echoes of the Hall of Mirrors—and  witnessing a Château clockmaker activate centuries-old mechanisms for our recordings.

The collaboration with the Château was also essential during the production phase, particularly for the  animation of historical sites. The Château de Versailles, shaped by successive changes over time, was  reinterpreted and incorporated into the universe of Belfort & Lupin, with a strong foundation in historical  documentation. The archivists also ensured the accurate representation of the many personalities  encountered in the series. Finally, each episode ends with an educational segment, providing historical  insights into the theme and characters mentioned.

Caroline Duvochel, General Director of Audiovisual & Innovation at Média Participations, adds:

Thanks to  this significant partnership, we had the unique opportunity to anchor the creation of the series in a historical and heritage context of exceptional richness. Fiction and reality blend to take children through the surprising and thrilling adventures of the Sun King’s animals.

Christophe Leribault, President of the Château de Versailles mentions:

What could be more magical than  entering Versailles through an animated series? It is with great curiosity that the Château embarked on this project, and it is with enthusiasm that we discovered the first images. I cannot wait for generations to follow the footsteps of this charming duo!

Commissioned by France Télévisions, the show will be available on Okoo before being broadcast from  February 07th on. 

Distributed by Mediatoon Distribution, the series – directed by Philippe Vidal (The Garfield Show) – has already secured several international presales during its production. Belfort & Lupin will be launched worldwide by partner channels including SWR (Germany),  VRT and RTBF (Belgium), RTS (Switzerland), MTVA (Hungary), YLE (Finland), RTVS (Slovakia), Ceska Televize  (Czech Republic), as well as Radio-Canada and TV5Monde. Final delivery of the full series is expected to Q2  2025. 

In addition, original stories of Belfort & Lupin will be released in comic books by Editions Dupuis, a subsidiary of Média-Participations. The first volume will be published in May 2025, with a script by Teddy Jacquier Stehly and visuals by Lesdeuxpareilles. An audio series project is also in advanced discussion.