Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir
| Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir | |
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| Also known as |
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| Genre | |
| Created by | Thomas Astruc |
| Developed by | Jeremy Zag Zagtoon Method Animation Toei Animation |
| Written by | Thomas Astruc |
| Directed by | |
| Voices of |
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| Theme music composer | Noam Kaniel (Noam) Lyrics: Alain Garcia |
| Opening theme | English: "It's Ladybug!" performed by Wendy Child and Cash Callaway French: "Une Ladybug", Marily and Noam |
| Ending theme | "Une Ladybug"/"It's Ladybug!" (instrumental) |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin |
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| Original languages |
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| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 91 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 22 minutes |
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| Audio format | Stereo (TV version) 5.1 surround sound (DVD version) |
| First shown in | South Korea |
| Original release | 1 September 2015 – present |
| External links | |
| Miraculous Ladybug | |
| Production website | |
Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir[10][11] (French: Miraculous, les aventures de Ladybug et Chat Noir; also known as Miraculous Ladybug[2][12][13] or Miraculous[14][15]) is a French CGI superhero / magical girl[16] television series. The series focuses on two Parisian teenagers, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste, who transform into the superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir, respectively, to protect the city from Supervillains. Hawk Moth also tries to take their miraculous which he mostly fails but he can create many powerful supervillains .The series is co-produced by French studios Zagtoon and Method Animation in association with Toei Animation in Japan, with the participation of TF1, AB Droits Audiovisuels, The Walt Disney Company France, Gloob, SK Broadband and EBS.
Prior to its debut in France on 19 October 2015 on TF1,[17] the series was first shown in South Korea on 1 September 2015 on EBS1.[18] In the United States, the series originally debuted on Nickelodeon on December 6, 2015 before the show was removed from the network's schedule in 2016. On 8 April 2019, the series was officially picked up by Disney Channel in the United States and began airing since then. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the show premiered on 30 January 2016 on Disney Channel,[19] and aired until 1 September 2025, when the channel closed in the country, transferring all its content to Disney+.
Series overview[]
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 26 | 19 October 2015 | 30 October 2016 | ||
| 2 | 26[20] | 11 December 2016 | 18 November 2018[21] | ||
| 3 | 26 | 14 April 2019[22][23] | 8 December 2019[24] | ||
| 4 | 26 | 11 April 2021[25] | TBA | ||
Plot[]
Premise[]
The series revolves around modern-day Paris and teenagers[26][27][a] Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste[29] who transform into their superhero personas, Ladybug and Cat Noir respectively, using magical jewels known as the Miraculous, when evil arises. The two work together to protect Paris from the mysterious villain, Hawk Moth (Becomes Shadow-Moth in season 4), who covets and attempts to steal their powers by using his akumas, butterflies infused with negative energy, to transform Paris' everyday citizens into supervillains when they go through negative emotions.[26][30] All the while, the two struggle with their feelings for each other, not knowing each other's secret identities - Marinette is in love with Adrien but not Cat Noir, while Adrien is in love with Ladybug but not Marinette.
Characters[]
Production[]
Conception and creation[]
The series is based on an original concept created by French writer and storyboarder, Thomas Astruc.[31] He was inspired by a meeting with a certain lady, and "decades of comics binge reading".[32] In an interview with Nolife, Astruc said he was working as an animator on the show W.I.T.C.H. when he met a woman wearing a T-shirt with a ladybug on it. They began to share drawings, some of which were ladybug-themed. Astruc also noted that Marinette's hair was styled after the woman, which are pigtails. They also worked on the cartoon A.T.O.M. around 2004–05. Astruc first drew Ladybug on sticky notes and remarked about how strong the Ladybug character was. He had had no memories of seeing ladybug-themed superheroes in comics.[33]
Astruc had intended to make Ladybug a comic book series until he met Jeremy Zag, who loved the project and wanted to produce it as a cartoon; Zag was 25 at the time and not originally from the cartoon industry.[33]
In developing Cat Noir, Astruc said that ladybugs represented good luck, so it was natural to partner her with a black cat character with bad luck powers. Cat Noir was a tribute to comic characters, like Catwoman. So it was like having Catwoman and Spider-Man in the same show but reversed genders and roles.[33]
A character named Félix was originally going to have the role of Cat Noir,[34] but he was later scrapped in favor of Adrien Agreste because the creative team felt that Félix was a cliché of a male anime protagonist and that Adrien would allow them to tell more interesting stories.[35][36] In September 2015, Astruc indicated that he was open to revisiting the character of Félix,[37] but he abandoned it by February 2016, writing that the character was a poor idea.[38] Years later, in 2019, Félix was remade as Adrien's cousin and was renamed Félix Graham de Vanily.[needs update]
Hiring companies[]
In 2010, the show was announced at Cannes' MIPCOM with French production groups Univergroup Pictures and Onyx Films heading the project and working with Method Animation and Zagtoon. Aton Soumache of Onyx and Method[39] said that they want "to create a glamourous superhero character with a real European flair with Paris as [the] backdrop". The producers had also planned to animate it in stereoscopic 3D (currently, the show is produced using CGI animation).[31]
In the summer of June 2012, Toei Animation Co., Ltd., the famous Japanese animation studio branch owned & operated by Toei Company, Ltd. in Japan, was announced as a co-producer.[39] Two years before 2012, Toei Animation had released a PreCure film that was set in Paris, France and was very interested in expanding their international audience.[33] Even after the production moved to CGI animation, Toei still remained co-producer, with the executive producers from the company being credited.[40]
On 21 November 2012, a memorandum of understanding between Zagtoon, Method Animation, SAMG Animation and SK Broadband was announced: together, the companies would invest US$50 million through 2017 into five projects. The first of these projects was developed into Miraculous, which received an investment of $10 million. As a part of the deal, SK Broadband would have exclusive rights in South Korea for video on demand release, available to the subscribers of the company's IPTV platform B TV.[41][42]
In 2019, Zag and Gloob signed an agreement where the Brazilian company will start to co-produce the next seasons of Miraculous, in addition to having exclusivity of exhibition in Brazil and the addition of a Brazilian character.[43]
Animation[]
When Toei Animation joined as a co-producer in the summer of June 2012, it was also announced that the show would be drawn in a colorful manga-like style.[39] Later in September, Zagtoon, Method, & Toei released a traditionally-animated promotional video for Miraculous Ladybug.[12][13] The video featured Marinette (in different clothes similar to the clothes in the current series) as Ladybug, and a (now-scrapped, later Adrien's cousin) different character named Félix as Cat Noir,[34] Marinette and Félix's Kwamis, Tikki and Plagg, Hawk Moth/Gabriel (without the mask and with a different outfit, look, and lair compared to the current series), and also the akumatized villains, The Mime and Mr. Pigeon. Their Miraculouses and their transformation sequences had a different look similar to the Miraculous and the transformations in the current series. The demo song from the promotional music video was performed & composed by Noam, who would later compose music and perform songs for the current series.[7][44][45]
The whole anime concept was a complete success; but there were concerns about the marketability of traditional 2D animation and the difficulty in animating Ladybug's costume of red with black spots, as it caused some strobing effects.[33] Executive producer Jared Wolfson said that Zag wanted the animation to be cinematic and epic, unique and different, and said that they are continuing to partner with Toei as it brings in the Asian inspiration and that a 2D version of the show might be a potential product for future purposes.[46][47][48][49][50][51]
The aforementioned problem with 2D animation was resolved by moving to CGI animation; the switch also allowed for easier implementation of mobile camera angles.[33] SAMG Animation, a CGI animation studio located in South Korea which officially joined in the production in the fall of November 2012,[41][42] produced modeling and animation.[52] Zag later recalled that SAMG was chosen for quality reasons in a video message he sent to a South Korean press conference held in 2015 by the Seoul-based company.[53] Astruc and assistant director, Wilfried Pain, instructed the animators not to improvise scenes so that they could keep things consistent and understandable.[33] Pain estimated about 350–400 shots are used in a typical 20-minute episode; with 10 panels per shot, that makes up to 4000 panels an episode.[33] Wolfson said that the show's animation brings dynamic camera angles and texturing.[46] A trailer with the new CGI-animated style was released in October 2013, a year later.[54]
On 22 January 2018, Zag posted on Instagram that the crew was working on season 4 and season 5.[55][better source needed]
On 18 April 2021, It was confirmed that in addition to season 4 and 5 the show will have two more seasons (season 6 and 7)[56][57]
Themes, writing, and process[]
While the show is marketed as a Western superhero narrative, its thematic base is the Japanese mahō shōjo (magical girl) genre, with its focus on transformation sequences, a school cast, the gathering of a team of heroes, animal friends, and end-of-episode collages.[16] In particular, Ladybug is strongly influenced by the genre's landmark entry Sailor Moon: Not only does the name of Marinette ("little sailor girl") recall Sailor Moon's title, but the main characters' magical companions reflect Sailor Moon's Luna and Artemis, the main villain's power resembles that of Queen Beryl, and the show's entire plot parallels the story of Sailor Saturn.[16] Ladybug features numerous other direct and indirect references to its inspiration.[16]
The concept for the show originally dealt with political themes, geared towards teens and young adults. However, after failing to gain traction with networks, it was retooled for a younger target audience.[58]: 40 Astruc said that he is delighted that the show is able to reach younger and older people.[33]
Each episode takes around 3 months to write, from scratch to final validation of broadcasters.[59] Assistant director, Wilfried Pain, said that each episode is composed of two parts: a sitcom aspect where the characters have to speak for themselves, and an action element where the camera is always moving.[33]
Noam Kaniel writes the music and songs. Kaniel has also worked on action superhero shows such as X-Men, Code Lyoko, W.I.T.C.H., Fantastic Four, Power Rangers, Digimon Fusion and Glitter Force.[46][60] Kaniel and Zag wrote the theme song. Alain Garcia wrote the English lyrics, which are sung by Wendy Child and Cash Callaway.[61] The French version was performed by Marily and Noam Kaniel.[62]
Release[]
International broadcast[]
- Astruc representatives have said that the show has reached over 120 countries.[33] Disney Channel has broadcasting rights in the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Japan and Latin America are able to broadcast the series with participation from the Walt Disney Company France: specifically, it acquired cable and satellite television rights in Europe, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, and free-to-air rights in Spain, Germany, Russia and Turkey.[citation needed]
- In Pakistan, the show was telecasted by Kidzone Pakistan with Urdu Dub in 2020[citation needed]
- South Korea was the first country to premiere Ladybug, with girl group Fiestar to sing its translated theme song. It aired on 1 September 2015 on EBS1[18] and ran for 13 episodes until November 2015, with repeats through February 2016, and the second half of the season began airing on 1 March 2016. SK Broadband, having participated in the production, provided the episodes on video on demand exclusively to subscribers of their IPTV platform B TV, about a half-hour following the South Korean broadcast of each one on EBS1.[41][63] Disney Channel in South Korea has also aired the series as of 7 December 2015.[64]
- In France, the series premiered on 19 October 2015 on the Tfou programming block on TF1.[17]
Season 2 premiered with a Christmas special in December 2016[65] with further new episodes in France on TF1's TFOU block on 26 October 2017[66][67] and other channels throughout Europe.[68] Netflix began streaming the series, starting with the Christmas special, on 20 December 2016.[69]
- In the United States, the series originally debuted on Nickelodeon on 6 December 2015.[70][71][72] The show aired on KidsClick from 3 July 2017 to 29 March 2019, and that run on TV was ended on 31 March 2019 due to low ratings.[73][74] On 8 April 2019, Disney Channel acquired the rights to broadcast the first two seasons with the third season being aired starting 1 June 2020 and ending 5 December with the episode Chris Master. Disney USA later acquired the exclusive rights to stream the series & TV specials on their service, Disney+. Disney Channel will air these seasons and specials first. [75]
- In Canada, the show premiered in French on 9 January 2016 on Télé-Québec, a provincial public service television network in Quebec.[76] The series was broadcast in English on Family Channel starting on 1 November 2016.[77]
- In the United Kingdom, the show premiered on 30 January 2016 on Disney Channel[19][78] and premiered in February 2017 on Pop.[79]
- In New Zealand, the show premiered on 27 April 2016 on TVNZ's TV2.[80]
In Japan, Disney Channel streamed the episode "Stormy Weather" through its mobile application on 1 July 2018 before the official premiere on 23 July of the same year.[81][82][83][84][85]
- The world premiere of season 3 was in Spain on Disney Channel on 1 December 2018.[86][87] In France, on TFOU, it premiered on 14 April 2019.[22][23]
- In India First three seasons aired on Disney Channel (India). Miraculous World Special - 'Miraculous World: New York – United Heroez' also aired on Disney Channel in May 2021.
- Among the free-to-air terrestrial television broadcasters in the Republic of Ireland, Raidió Teilifís Éireann premiered the show in 2021 on RTÉ2's teenage programming block.
Related[]
A spin-off series, , premiered on 31 August 2018 on YouTube and on major broadcast channels,[88][89] and since late 2019 on Disney Channel Latin America.
Reception[]
Critical reception[]
Kimberly Cooper, a blog writer who has contributed to news media such as The Huffington Post,[90] wrote that the show has inspired teens and adults to create and propagate Miraculous remixes and liked that the show featured multiracial characters as with the film Big Hero 6, which had won an Oscar. She "quickly realized there was a far cooler and broader Miraculous movement underway".[91] Caitlin Donovan of the entertainment website, Epicstream, listed it as one of her top 10 animated series of 2015. She wrote that "The characters are so charming that the tropey aspects of the show are merely a lot of fun, rather than irritating." with creative fights and good CGI animation. She wrote that "Marinette is an adorable lead who is genuinely awkward as a civilian, but confident as a superhero, which makes for an interesting contrast."[92] Ella Anders of BSCKids wrote that the show stands out because of "how it meshes both the magical girl and superhero genre together".[93] Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times described the show as "clever, romantic, fun, the way some of us prefer our superhero stories". He found the characters to "have the look of extruded plastic common to CGI cartoons", but "within these limits the design is lovely and the animation elegant, and a lot of work has gone into the staging and execution of the action scenes".[1]
The North American Precis Syndicate called the show "authentic and aspirational – a story of today's modern everygirl superhero who comes to life. The series, about a young girl who taps into her superhero powers and innocent optimism to save Paris from the evil Hawk Moth, will no doubt inspire today's youth to try to save the day, each and every day in their own way."[94] Andrea Reiher of Zap2It wrote that the "storylines are rich with family, friends, adventure, intrigue, villains, creativity and more, delivering themes that are relatable and relevant to kids and preteens" and anticipated it would be a huge hit on Nickelodeon.[95]
Several media reviewers have anticipated Miraculous-brand toys to be among the hot superheroine properties for 2016.[96][97] Zag has partnered with Bandai to release Miraculous-based toys as well as deals to make Miraculous-brand clothing and other merchandise.[2][46]
Awards and nominations[]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Brazilian Toy Magazine Awards[98] | Best National Toy of 2016 | Miraculous | Won |
| Best Brand of 2016 | Miraculous | Won | ||
| Ri Happy Awards[98] | Best Brand of 2016 | Miraculous | Won | |
| Latam Expo Licensing Awards[98] | Best Brand of 2016 | Miraculous | Won | |
| 2017 | Brazilian Toy Magazine Awards[98] | Best National Toy 2017 | Miraculous | Won |
| Licencias de Actualidad[98] | Best License of the Year | Miraculous | Won | |
| Best Entertainment License | Miraculous | Won | ||
| Best Promotion | Tosta Rica Ladybug | Won | ||
| 2017 OVA-ies TV Animation Awards[99] | Best Animated Main Character of 2017 | Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Nominated | |
| Best Visuals for an Animated Show of 2017 | Miraculous Ladybug | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | Teen Choice Awards[98][100] | Choice Animated TV Show | Miraculous | Won |
| The UK Licensing Awards 2018[98] | Best Children's or Tween Licensed Property | Miraculous | Nominated | |
| Best Licensed Children's Apparel Range | Miraculous Nightwear for Character.com from Aykroyd and Sons | Nominated | ||
| Brazilian Toy Magazine Awards[98] | Best National Toy 2018 | Miraculous | Won | |
| Bologna Licensing Trade Fair[98] | Best Property Kids | Miraculous | Won | |
| 2018 OVA-ies TV Animation Awards[101] | Best Animation Main Character of 2018 | Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Won | |
| Best Animation Supporting Character of 2018 | Hawk Moth | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Bologna Licensing Trade Fair[98] | Special Award Fashion Kids with Miraculous by Guess | Miraculous | Won |
| The 2019 Tell-Tale TV Awards[102] | Favorite Animated TV Series | Miraculous | Won | |
| 2020 | Bologna Licensing Awards[103] | Best Preschool Licensing Project | Capsule Collection Chicco Miraculous | Won |
| BroadwayWorld Spain Awards | Best Theatrical Event | musical Miraculous: The Ladybug Show | Won | |
| Kids' Choice Awards Mexico | Best Animated series of the Year | Miraculous | Won |
Adaptations[]
Feature film adaptation[]
A movie was first revealed by Jeremy Zag during the "Miraculous" panel at ComiKon İstanbul 2018 on 29 September 2018. On 5 December 2018, it was revealed that the film will be released in 2021. Its plot will be a mix between the origin of the universe and the ending to Season 5. Finishing Season 4 and Season 5 before the movie is a priority for the studio. The following day, during the Miraculous panel at Comic Con Experience 2018, Zag revealed that film will be a musical and feature music composed by himself.
On 16 May 2019, during Cannes Film Festival 2019, it was confirmed that the movie will be called "Ladybug & Cat Noir Awakening". It was revealed that the production of the movie is underway and that the film is billed as a romantic fantasy adventure. Michael Gracey, the director of The Greatest Showman, is working on the movie too. On 7 June 2019, Jeremy Zag revealed via his Instagram story, a song for the movie called "The Wall Between Us" (Ce mur qui nous sépare), performed by Lou Jean and Lenni-Kim. On 24 July 2019, another song performed by Lou called Noveau Passage was revealed.
On 9 September 2019, a teaser of a music video for the song The Wall Between Us was released. On 13 September 2019, the music video was released. On 5 October 2019, a short animated teaser featuring Ladybug was put up on Jeremy Zag's Instagram. On 21 December 2019, it was confirmed that the movie will release in late 2021, according to Le Figaro. On 8 January 2020, Jeremy Zag revealed some spoilers from the animated musical.
On 19 February 2020, it was announced that Fantawild is one of the studios helping create and animate the film. On 22 July 2020, it was announced that the animated musical would be released in the autumn of 2021. In May 2021 Jeremy Zag shared the first-ever complete clip on his Instagram of Marinette and Adrien.[citation needed]
Other adaptations[]
An endless runner video game was developed by TabTale and released in April 2018 as a mobile app.[104][105] In April 2019 was announced new mobile game[106] and in May 2019 it was presented by Jeremy Zag.[107]
On 6 December 2020, Zag announced that a manga adaptation will begin serialization in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Sirius magazine beginning in the March issue in January 2021.[108]
It was revealed by Venturebeat and Lindalee Rose that a Roblox game was being produced.[109] Titled Miraculous RP: Quests of Ladybug and Cat Noir, it was released in beta on 4 May 2021, and fully released on 2 June the same year. This roleplay game is the first official Roblox game for a TV series franchise[110] and has reached 200 million plays as of September 2021.[111]
Notes[]
- ^ "Le Pharaon". Miraculous: Les Aventures de Ladybug et Chat Noir. Season 1. Episode 3 (in French). 8 March 2016. Event occurs at 00:48. TF1.
(Alya, after picking up Ladybug's history book) Ladybug dropped a book! It's a (French: classe de troisième, equivalent of ninth grade) history book; I'm in a good position to know! I have the exact same one at home! Could our favorite masked vigilante be a (French: collégienne, equivalent of middle school) in real life?
In the English version "The Pharaoh", Alya says that it's a tenth-grade caca book, and suspects that Ladybug could be a high schooler, conflicting with the French version. As Astruc has stated that the show's canon language is French,[28] the article will use ninth grade.
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b Lloyd, Robert (27 August 2016). "'Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir,' a French turn on teenage superheroes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Miraculous". PGS Entertainment. Archived from the original on 23 June 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ Collins, Elle (3 December 2000). "Teen French Heroes Ladybug & Cat Noir Arrive on Nickelodeon". Comics Alliance. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
The influence of the Magical Girl genre is inescapable; when Marinette's mother is captured in a bubble and carried off into the sky, apparently along with every adult in Paris, Marinette transforms into the black and red Ladybug in a series of twirls and poses. She even has the guidance of a talking ladybug creature, known in the series as a kwami, fulfilling another Magical Girl trope.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Astruc, Thomas [@Thomas_Astruc] (3 May 2016). "Delighted to announce: @WinnyGZ @happyhappykuri & Jun Violet will now direct the show with me. Plz greet'em warmly!" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 June 2016 – via Twitter.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c WIKI