Rai to open Esther’s Notebooks, secures Paddington S2 from StudioCanal

Animated book adaptation Esther’s Notebooks

MIPCOM: Rai in Italy has acquired three seasons of children’s animation series Esther’s Notebooks as well as new episodes of The Adventures of Paddington from StudioCanal.

Adapted from the books Les Cahiers D’Esther by comic artist and filmmaker Riad Sattouf, the series looks at life today through the eyes of a 10-year-old who provides fresh, innocent and yet very frank observations about her family, friends and the people she meets every day.

Created and written by Sattouf and Mathias Varin, the series is a Canal+, Folimage, Les Films du Futur and Les Compagnons du Cinema production.

Rai began airing season one of The Adventures of Paddington this year

Rai has also secured the forthcoming second season of The Adventures of Paddington from StudioCanal, having begun airing the preschool series earlier this year, as Mipcom gets underway in Cannes today.

The series is written by Jon Foster and James Lamont and produced by Heyday Films, StudioCanal and Copyrights Group with the participation of French broadcaster M6.

Beatriz Campos, senior VP of global sales and production financing at StudioCanal, said: “While at the outset both series appear very different, they each deliver a unique take on life as seen through innocent and curious eyes and we are sure that they will have strong appeal to young viewers throughout Italy.”