LES FILMS DU POISSON ROUGE

What LES FILMS DU POISSON ROUGE does

Les Films du Poisson Rouge is a privately held French animation studio founded in 2008 and based in Angoulême, France. The studio operates with a small core team of nine employees and produces animated short films, feature films, and television series across multiple animation styles (2D, 2D/3D) and audience segments including family, tween, and adult. Its portfolio includes award-recognized work such as Klaus (BAFTA 2020, Oscar-nominated), Josep (César 2021 for Best Animated Film), and The Imaginary (Best Animation, Asian Academy Creative Awards 2024), as well as educational series on Arte (Quand l'histoire fait date, Voyage au pays des maths) and an adult series on Canal+ (Open Bar).

The studio's core technical asset is KLAS, a proprietary in-house technology developed for light, shadow, and texturing work in animation production, which was notably used on the Klaus feature film. Beyond KLAS, the studio maintains a set of in-house animation tools used across its own original productions and for service work on third-party projects. This dual capability allows the studio to operate both as an original-content producer and as a specialized service provider for other animation studios such as SPA Studios and Studio Ponoc.

The business model is a hybrid of two revenue streams: (1) professional services revenue from project-based contracts for animation work (texturing, lighting, crowd animation) delivered to other studios and broadcasters, and (2) licensing and royalty revenue from original content sold to European broadcasters (Arte, Canal+) and distributed through international film festivals and digital platforms. Commercial relationships are secured through co-production agreements with broadcasters, production companies, and other studios, and the studio's primary marketing channels are its project portfolio, festival circuit presence, and award recognition. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, consistent with its B2B, project-based contracting model.

Name

LES FILMS DU POISSON ROUGE

Legal name

Les Films du Poisson Rouge

Website

https://lesfilmsdupoissonrouge.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Les Films du Poisson Rouge is a French animation studio in Angoulême producing original short films, feature films, and TV series for European broadcasters (Arte, Canal+) and providing specialized animation services (texturing, lighting, KLAS) to studios like SPA and Studio Ponoc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animation Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Production (51211), Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Production (7819)

akta.pro primary industry

Animation Services for VFX (Creature/Character, Crowd, Simulation Support) (MPADAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Real-Time Content & Engine Services (Unreal/Unity, Real-Time Rendering Pipelines) (MPADAHAH)

Keywords

• Animation production
• Animated feature films
• Animated TV series
• Co-production animation
• Animation services

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Animation Production Services: Animation studio provides production services including texturing, animation, and light/shadow work for co-produced films and client projects. Revenue generated through co-production deals with studios like Studio Ponoc, SPA, and Les Films d'Ici.
2. Original Content Production: Develops and produces original animated short films and series through co-production arrangements. Productions are sold to broadcasters (Arte, Canal+) and distributed theatrically or digitally.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Les Films du Poisson Rouge is a French animation studio that develops and produces animated short films, feature films, and TV series through co-production arrangements with broadcasters and other studios. The studio also provides specialized animation production services (texturing, light/shadow, crowd animation) to other animation studios using its proprietary KLAS technology. Productions target family, tween, and adult audiences and are distributed through European broadcasters (Arte, Canal+), international film festivals, and digital platforms.

Product overview

LES FILMS DU POISSON ROUGE is a French animation studio producing animated feature films and TV series for family, adult, and educational audiences. The studio operates as a single production company with a portfolio of distinct animated works spanning short films (Tulkou, Le bleu du sel), feature films (Klaus, The Imaginary, Josep, Gunpowder Man, Pionnière), and TV series (Quand l'histoire fait date, Voyage au pays des maths, Open Bar, Voro, A notre santé mentale). The company also develops proprietary technology (KLAS) for animation production tasks including light, shadow, and texturing work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KLAS: Proprietary house technology for light and shadow in animation production

Products and services

• Tulkou 2D/3D animated short film, 11 minutes runtime, targeting family audiences. Produced by Les Films du Poisson Rouge as a co-production under Mohamed Fadera and Sami Guellai.
• Le bleu du sel (The Blue of Salt) 2D animated short film, 20 minutes runtime, targeting tween and adult audiences. Directed and authored by Alice Bohl, produced by Les Films du Poisson Rouge.
• Gunpowder Man Science fiction short film co-produced with Trollfilm as primary producer and Les Films du Poisson Rouge as co-producer.
• Quand l'histoire fait date (When History Makes Dates) Educational history TV series, 5 seasons of 10x26-minute episodes, broadcast on Arte. Co-produced with Les Films d'Ici and presented by historian Patrick Boucheron.
• Voyage au pays des maths (Voyages in the Land of Maths) Educational animated series, 2 seasons of 10x10-minute episodes, broadcast on Arte.
• Open Bar Adult animated series of 104 x 2-minute episodes released on Canal+ in 2021. Co-produced with Why not AI, featuring absurdist humor by FabCaro.
• Voro Animated series of 16 x 26-minute episodes about a novice thief who discovers ancient cults and must find occult artifacts.
• A notre santé mentale (Our Mental Health) Animated series of 12 x 5-minute episodes featuring portraits of young people discussing mental health issues and daily wellness, targeting tweens and adults.
• Klaus 2D animated feature film, 92 minutes runtime. Les Films du Poisson Rouge provided texturing services using its KLAS in-house technology for SPA Studios as producer. Won BAFTA 2020 and Oscar nominated 2020.
• The Imaginary Feature film produced by Studio Ponoc. Les Films du Poisson Rouge provided light/shadow, texturing, and crowd animation services. Won Best Animation Film at the Asian Academy Creative Awards 2024.
• Josep Animated feature film, 90 minutes runtime. Co-produced with Les Films d'Ici, Tchack, EJT Labo, and Imagic TV. Won César 2021 for Best Animated Film.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Les Films d'IcicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2018Long-standing co-production partner on multiple animated projects including 'Quand l'histoire fait date' (Arte series), 'Voyage au pays des maths', and 'Josep'. Les Films d'Ici is a renowned French production company specializing in documentary and animated works.
• Why not AIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for the adult animated series 'Open Bar' released on Canal+ in 2021. The nature of collaboration appears to be creative/production partnership.
• TrollfilmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for the science fiction short film 'Gunpowder Man'. Trollfilm serves as the primary producer while Les Films du Poisson Rouge is credited as co-producer.
• SPA StudioscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided texturing production services for 'Klaus' feature film produced by SPA Studios. The film received Oscar and BAFTA nominations/awards. This established the studio's credibility in providing high-quality animation services.
• Studio PonoccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided light and shadow, texturing, and crowd animation services for 'The Imaginary' feature film produced by Studio Ponoc (Japanese studio founded by former Studio Ghibli staff). The film won Best Animation at Asian Academy Creative Awards 2024.
• TchackminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for the animated feature 'Josep' which won the César 2021 for Best Animated Film.
• EJT LabominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for the animated feature 'Josep'.
• Imagic TVminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for the animated feature 'Josep'.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Gaumont Animation: Animation arm of major French studio Gaumont, producing series and features for global platforms. Larger incumbent in the same French/European animation market serving overlapping broadcasters.

Direct peers

• Ankama: French animation and games studio with a comparable boutique-to-mid scale and a similar mix of original IP and co-produced projects. Closely matches Les Films du Poisson Rouge's French-base, multi-format production profile.
• Cyber Group Studios: French animation producer specializing in series for broadcasters and streamers (including co-productions with Arte, Canal+, etc.). Directly comparable B2B broadcaster-focused service and co-production model.
• Laika: US indie feature-animation studio (Coraline, Kubo, Missing Link) with a comparable boutique, awards-driven positioning and focus on original animated features. Closest US analogue in indie feature-animation craft.
• SPA Studios: Spanish animation studio and producer of Klaus. Direct partner on the studio's highest-profile credit and an indie feature-animation peer of similar scale and aesthetic ambition.
• Les Films d'Ici: French documentary and animation producer; long-standing co-production partner on Josep, Quand l'histoire fait date and Voyage au pays des maths. Closely comparable in French documentary-animation hybrid production.
• Aardman Animations: UK animation studio with a strong indie/awards brand across features and series. Comparable as an independent, award-recognized animation studio operating across multiple formats and broadcasters.
• Cartoon Saloon: Irish indie animation studio behind Oscar-nominated features (Wolfwalkers, Song of the Sea, The Breadwinner). Comparable boutique indie studio with multi-Oscar/BAFTA pedigree and a similar original-IP focus.
• Studio Ponoc: Japanese animation studio founded by former Studio Ghibli staff (Mary and the Witch's Flower, The Imaginary). Direct counterpart: an existing client/partner with comparable indie feature-animation scale.
• Xilam Animation: Independent French animation studio producing series and features (e.g., Oggy, I Lost My Body). Shares the same European broadcaster-driven revenue model and animation-style versatility as Les Films du Poisson Rouge.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/les-films-du-poisson-rouge

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about LES FILMS DU POISSON ROUGE