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.
Left: Justine Cheynet. Right: Clément Savoyat.
Where did the concept of “witch detectives” come from and how did this idea allow you to build the series, its narrative and its characters?
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…