"The Legends of Paris: A Tale of the 19th century Artistic Scene" seems to have captured the attention of buyers even before its official launch at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous market in Le Havre, where it debuted on Tuesday.

Created by Silex Films and Arte , the four-part series offers an intimate look into the lives of some of France’s most beloved artistic and literary figures. Immersing viewers in the vibrant heart of 19th-century Paris, it chronicles the fascinating lives of iconic artists such as Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, George Sand, Louis-Hector Berlioz, Honoré de Balzac and Charles Baudelaire.

The international interest in the period and personalities is evident: Arte Distribution has already inked pre-sale deals for “The Legends of Paris” with TV Unam in Mexico; The Arts Channel in New Zealand; Swiss broadcaster SRF; Hrvatska radiotelevizija in Croatia; Radio and Television of Montenegro; Georgia’s LEPL Public Broadcaster; and Hellenic Parliament TV in Greece. Arte will air the series in France and Germany.

"The Legends of Paris" is directed and co-written by Amélie Harrault, who previously directed Silex and Arte’s 2015 acclaimed animated series “Adventurers of Modern Art,” which explored the Parisian scene at the turn of the 20th century.

Following the international success of that series, Arte was enthusiastic about continuing the collaboration on a subsequent project. For Amélie, "this era was her dream," notes producer Judith Nora of Silex Films, who produced alongside Priscilla Bertin. Harrault wished that "she would have had a series like that as a teenager to understand the poetry, literature, music. So she crafted the series she envisioned.”

This particular period was challenging, Nora adds. "Politically, it’s very complex — there are three revolutions. So we really aimed to make it accessible for everyone.”

The show is intended for a family audience, making its art and politics themes accessible to viewers as young as 12. Nora notes that French students begin learning about Romanticism at age 14, so the series would be a helpful introduction. “Even if you are 10, you don’t understand everything, but you have the flavor of it. That was our goal.”

Development began in 2017 and proved quite challenging: “It’s six years of writing; it’s 44 years of art history, 30 characters. You have 2,000 Parisian settings. It [entailed] extensive research, deep dives into this period. … It was 90 people working for two years doing the animation.”

“Amélie used different animation techniques. Everything is digital; we used computers and she created tools to recreate her own painting style. That’s something very innovative.”

Indeed, the team worked with Escape Motions’ Rebelle painting software to develop a tool that enabled the animators to work more efficiently. They also utilized TVPaint Animation software for the project.

In terms of the story, Harrault chose specific characters from the period and “focused on the friendship and artistic influence between them,” Nora adds.

“We can say that 44 years of art history, all those iconic figures, in animation, using both fiction and documentary – it’s something that has never been done before,” she points out. “With ‘Adventurers of Modern Art’ it was already a significant step. We did a lot of masterclasses on the boundaries between fiction and documentary. With this new project, we are truly elevating everything.”

"It’s a pivotal moment in storytelling," emphasizes Joséphine Létang, head of international distribution and marketing at Arte Distribution. "We strongly believe in animation — it significantly enhances storytelling, expands the audience, and can effectively introduce history and historical figures to young viewers.”