A blend between 'Harry Potter' and 'Charlie's Angels' according to co-creator Justine Cheynet, the children's series hits European channels as Mediawan Kids & Family wraps up at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous, prepares for MIPCOM A high-end, 26 half-hour episode 3D-series featuring three inseparable BFF trainee witches, “Witch Detectives” is Mediawan Kids & Family latest pan-European new IP, produced by Mediawan subsidiary Method Animation for BBC, Rai, TF1 and Super RTL. International sales are managed by Entourage Media and Mediawan Kids & Family Distribution, who brought the show to this week’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Le Havre as its flagship IP. Embodying the universal reach of Mediawan’s productions while retaining a strong French touch, “Witch Detectives” follows Maya, Max and Millie, teenage girls/high-school witches turned private investigators overnight to help run the secret W-detective agency.
Thanks to their magical abilities, potions, and supernatural powers, these girls solve crime, disappearances, burglaries and much more. As the show premiered earlier this month on European networks, Variety spoke with Justine Cheynet, co-creator and head of story, Clément Savoyat, director, along with Katell France and Olivier Pérouze, respectively producer and artistic producer at Method Animation, about the makings of this new “Harry Potter” meets “Charlie’s Angels” children’s premium animated series. Justine Cheynet: It all started with a question: What do witches do now that we all have a smartphone in our pocket?
What is the use of magic now that we have technology? From this question came the idea that today’s witches could reinvent themselves as private detectives: their powers would be their investigator’s kit and their tools of investigation! So we went with a “procedural,” like “Harry Potter” meets “Charlie’s Angels,” which naturally lent itself to a 26-minute format, giving us time to develop rich investigations with plot twists, false leads, suspense, and a satisfying resolution.
As for our characters, we were determined to shake off the stereotypical image of witches as wart-covered harpies living in caves. Instead, we wanted our Witch Detectives to be young, fashionable, fresh, inspiring witches, very much in tune with the times. And our trio not only is inspired by a magical number, but also allows for good balance and complicity between the Maya, Max and Millie.
Clement Savoyat: Indeed, the series can be watched by both children and their parents, who can have fun trying to figure out who the culprits are together. The important thing for us is that if the story works and the characters are engaging, we can add little details that will appeal to viewers of all ages. Olivier Pérouze: Our aim was to create a series for 7-10 year olds but one that could also appeal to older viewers thanks to its multiple layers of meaning.
Comedy lends itself perfectly to this, and our writers and director have skillfully women in elements that help achieve this aim. Savoyat: When I joined the project, the main characters (the girls and their close circle) had already been created and drawn by illustrator & concept artist Romain Kurdi. The bulk of the remaining work was to create the city in which the stories and heroines would unfold.
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