Piwi+
Piwi+ (formerly Piwi) is a French pay television channel for children aged 3 to 6, owned by the Groupe Canal+.[1][2]
History
Piwi was first launched on October 20, 2002 as a preschool block on Télétoon, and then on December 3, 2003 as the preschool channel from Télévision Par Satellite.[3] In 2007, TPS merged with its competitor Canalsat.
In 2016-2017, Piwi+ became a Canal+ exclusive all around the world. It is also distributed on VOO in Belgium and Teleclub Les + in Switzerland.
The Happy Planet series
Happy Planet is a French-Canadian computer-animated multimedia franchise for preschoolers produced by Paris-based animation company EnSky Studios, notable for the Smart Planet series.
The series debuted in Canada with the French-language debut on June 12, 2001, and then in France on September 25, 2001.
The series takes place in a colorful island made of rainbows and stars, populated by seven colorful mascots, and primarily focuses on the Eurodance group of seven children, known as the Piwi Club.
The stories follow the children's adventures playing in a colorful island and learning life lessons, such as being kind to others, being imaginative, having responsibility, and being curious about the world around them.
Mascots
- Soleil
- Voiced by: Naïke Fauveau (2002-2004), Lucile Boulanger (2005-2011)
- Color: Yellow
- Soleil is a 3-year-old female Piwi with yellow body and orange rays. She is the adventurous leader of the group. She is also the mascot partner of Béthanie, a 4½-year-old girl with fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a yellow t-shirt with a sunshine, an orange skirt and yellow sandals.
- Gourmand
- Voiced by: Brigitte Guedj (2002-2004), Lara Saarbach (2005-2011)
- Color: Orange
- Gourmand is a 6-year-old male Piwi with orange body and green bubbles. He is the silly clown of the group. He is also the mascot partner of Billy, a 4½-year-old boy with tan skin, brown hair and brown eyes, wearing an orange t-shirt with a carrot, green shorts, white socks and orange sneakers.
- Étoile
- Voiced by: Caroline Combes (2002-2004), Annabelle Roux (2005-2011)
- Color: Violet
- Étoile is a 6-year-old female Piwi with violet body and yellow feathers. She is the cutest princess of the group. She is also the mascot partner of Éloïse, a 4½-year-old girl with fair skin, brown hair and green eyes, wearing a violet t-shirt with a star, a yellow skirt and violet sandals.
- Radar
- Voiced by: Valérie Lecot (2002-2004), Annabelle Roux (2005-2011)
- Color: Indigo
- Radar is a 8-year-old male Piwi with indigo body with red satellites. He is the athletic superhero of the group. He is also the mascot partner of Joël, a 4½-year-old boy with fair skin, brown hair and green eyes, wearing an indigo t-shirt with a crescent moon, red shorts, white socks and indigo sneakers.
- Ventouse
- Voiced by: Fily Keita (2002-2004), Annabelle Roux (2005-2011)
- Color: Green
- Ventouse is a 7-year-old female Piwi with green body and red suction cups. She is the sweetest gymnast of the group. She is also the mascot partner of Alice, a 4½-year-old girl with tan skin, brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a green t-shirt with a four-leaf clover, a red skirt and green sandals.
- Ressort
- Voiced by: Sauvane Delanoë (2002-2004), Lara Saarbach (2005-2011)
- Color: Red
- Ressort is a 9-year-old female Piwi with red body and indigo springs. She is the friendliest cheerleader of the group. She is also the mascot partner of Samantha, a 4½-year-old girl with fair skin, red hair and green eyes, wearing a red t-shirt with a heart, an indigo skirt and red sandals.
- Peinture
- Voiced by: Blanche Ravalec (2002-2004), Kelly Marot (2005-2011)
- Color: Blue
- Peinture is a 5-year-old male Piwi with blue body and yellow fountain tanks. He is the smartest artist of the group. He is also the mascot partner of Willy, a 4½-year-old boy with fair skin, blond hair and blue eyes, wearing a blue t-shirt with a cloud, yellow shorts, white socks and blue sneakers.
Production
Jérôme Roulet designed and created the characters and developed the pilot with Alexandre Raveleau, using Alias Wavefront Maya animation software as previously they used Softimage 3D.
In the early months, before funding, Jérôme Roulet lived in a studio in Paris so he could afford to develop the series on television. The pilot led to the series being commissioned by TPS and then in many other countries around the world. It was the first French-Canadian multimedia franchise for preschoolers to make it on to television.
Other animators who made their significant input were Emilie Lopez, Adeline Stachowiak, Tony Cotte, Aurélie Demarcy, Claire Varin, making each story with only ten days to complete each one in order to meet the schedule.
Music and songs were written and composed by Akad Daroul.
Animation
The Happy Planet series was produced by Paris-based animation company EnSky Studios, notable for the Smart Planet series and was the company's first production to use a new Alias Wavefront Maya animation software as previously they used Softimage 3D.
Several characters were completely modeled, rigged and animated using Alias Wavefront Maya. Rendering was done with Mental Ray, while compositing work was completed in Adobe Premiere and Media Composer.
Several Hewlett-Packard and Dell computers running on a Microsoft Windows operating system were utilized and powered by Intel. Texturing was done with Adobe Photoshop, while audio production was completed in Pro Tools.
There were also visual effects created with Adobe After Effects and Avid DS.
Television movies
The first movie, Happy Planet, premiered in Canada on Télé-Québec and TFO with the French-language debut on July 10, 2001, and then in France on France 5 as part of Les Zouzous block and Télétoon on October 21, 2001.
The second movie, Super Happy Planet, premiered in Canada with the French-language debut on July 9, 2002, and then in France on October 20, 2002.
Television shows
The show, originally airing as Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi for its first two seasons, premiered in Canada on Télé-Québec and TFO with the French-language debut on July 9, 2002, and then in France on France 5 as part of Les Zouzous block and Télétoon as part of the Piwi block on October 20, 2002.
The show was renewed for a second season, which premiered in Canada with the French-language debut on January 7, 2003, and then in France on April 8, 2003.
A third season was renewed one year after, leading to the show being renamed as Les Aventures de Piwi for its last two seasons, premiered in Canada on Télé-Québec and TFO with the French-language debut on July 8, 2003, and then in France on France 5 as part of Les Zouzous programming block and Télétoon as part of the Piwi block on October 19, 2003.
The show was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered in Canada with the French-language debut on January 6, 2004, and then in France on April 7, 2004.
Dessine avec Piwi
Dessine avec Piwi is a French-Canadian computer-animated mini series that teaches young children to draw pictures of your very own. The mini series premiered on Piwi in France on September 3, 2005 and TFO in Canada on December 3, 2005.
The mini series was produced by Paris-based animation company Image-In, notable for the Smart Planet and Happy Planet series. The mascots were modeled, rigged and animated using Cinema 4D and Blender, with Adobe After Effects and Avid DS used for visual effects. Rendering was done with Mental Ray, while audio production was completed with Pro Tools.
Several Hewlett-Packard and Dell computers running on a Microsoft Windows operating system were utilized and powered by Intel. Texturing was done with Adobe Photoshop and GIMP, while compositing work was completed with Premiere Pro and Media Composer.
Bouge avec Mimik
Bouge avec Mimik is a French-Canadian computer-animated/live-action mini series that teaches young children how to get up and move to the music. The mini series premiered on Piwi in France on April 4, 2009 and TFO in Canada on July 4, 2009.
The mini series was produced by Paris-based animation company Image-In, notable for the Smart Planet and Happy Planet series. The mascots were modeled, rigged and animated using Cinema 4D and Blender, with Adobe After Effects and Avid DS used for visual effects. Rendering was done with Mental Ray, while audio production was completed with Pro Tools.
Several Hewlett-Packard and Dell computers running on a Microsoft Windows operating system were utilized and powered by Intel. Texturing was done with Adobe Photoshop and GIMP, while compositing work was completed with Premiere Pro and Media Composer.
Nathalie Hougay (aka Mimik) the children were shot in front of the green screen; one method of transferring the live-action humans into the background was using computer graphics and visual effects.
Merchandising
Happy Planet has books, videos, DVDs, toys, games and magazines that have been marketed in 2002.
Books
In 2002, Fleurus published a full Happy Planet range of books, some had lifted the flap features and some had sounds from both TV movies and TV shows, these usually retailed for £8.99 when they were released from Hemma/EnSky Studios.
Videos and DVDs
Several video and DVD releases of both TV movies and TV shows were released by Christal Films in Canada with the French-language debut, and then in France by Universal Studios and StudioCanal.
The first movie, Happy Planet, released in Canada by Christal Films in Canada with the French-language debut on December 18, 2001 and then in France by Universal Studios and StudioCanal on March 26, 2002. The second movie, Super Happy Planet, released in Canada by Christal Films with the French-language debut on December 17, 2002 and then in France by Universal Studios and StudioCanal on March 25, 2003.
Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi
| Release name | Canadian release date | French release date |
|---|---|---|
| Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi - Volume 1 | December 17, 2002 | March 25, 2003 |
| Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi - Volume 2 | January 14, 2003 | April 22, 2003 |
| Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi - Volume 3 | February 18, 2003 | May 20, 2003 |
| Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi - Volume 4 | March 18, 2003 | June 24, 2003 |
| Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi - Volume 5 | April 15, 2003 | July 22, 2003 |
| Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi - Volume 6 | May 13, 2003 | August 26, 2003 |
| Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi - Volume 7 | June 17, 2003 | September 23, 2003 |
| Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi - Volume 8 | July 15, 2003 | October 21, 2003 |
| Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi - Volume 9 | August 12, 2003 | November 25, 2003 |
| Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi - Volume 10 | September 16, 2003 | December 23, 2003 |
| Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi - Volume 11 | October 14, 2003 | January 20, 2004 |
| Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi - Volume 12 | November 11, 2003 | February 24, 2004 |
| Le Nouvelle Monde de Piwi - Volume 13 | December 16, 2003 | March 23, 2004 |
Les Aventures de Piwi
| Release name | Canadian release date | French release date |
|---|---|---|
| Les Aventures de Piwi - Volume 1 | December 16, 2003 | March 23, 2004 |
| Les Aventures de Piwi - Volume 2 | January 13, 2004 | April 20, 2004 |
| Les Aventures de Piwi - Volume 3 | February 17, 2004 | May 25, 2004 |
| Les Aventures de Piwi - Volume 4 | March 16, 2004 | June 22, 2004 |
| Les Aventures de Piwi - Volume 5 | April 13, 2004 | July 20, 2004 |
| Les Aventures de Piwi - Volume 6 | May 18, 2004 | August 24, 2004 |
| Les Aventures de Piwi - Volume 7 | June 15, 2004 | September 21, 2004 |
| Les Aventures de Piwi - Volume 8 | July 13, 2004 | October 26, 2004 |
| Les Aventures de Piwi - Volume 9 | August 17, 2004 | November 23, 2004 |
| Les Aventures de Piwi - Volume 10 | September 14, 2004 | December 21, 2004 |
| Les Aventures de Piwi - Volume 11 | October 12, 2004 | January 25, 2005 |
| Les Aventures de Piwi - Volume 12 | November 16, 2004 | February 22, 2005 |
| Les Aventures de Piwi - Volume 13 | December 14, 2004 | March 22, 2005 |
Music
Several albums were released in Canada by Madacy Kids and then in France by Universal Jeunesse.
The Happy Planet soundtrack was released in Canada by Madacy Kids with the French-language debut on December 17, 2001 and then in France by Universal Jeunesse on March 25, 2002.
The Super Happy Planet soundtrack was released in Canada by Madacy Kids with the French-language debut on December 16, 2002 and then in France by Universal Jeunesse on March 24, 2003.
The album from the first TV show, Les Hits de Piwi, was released in Canada by Madacy Kids with the French-language debut on December 16, 2002 and then in France by Universal Jeunesse on March 24, 2003.
The album from the second TV show, Les Super Hits de Piwi, was released in Canada by Madacy Kids with the French-language debut on December 15, 2003 and then in France by Universal Jeunesse on March 22, 2004.
Toys
The series' producers, EnSky Studios, signed a deal to make the Paris-based toy company Silverlit a French partner before the show was first aired and merchandise was first made available in December 2002. Prior to its debut, the range includes plush toys, deluxe figures and deluxe play sets.
In March 2003, several new toys arrived, including talking plush toys, talking interactive deluxe figures, talking deluxe play sets and more. Silverlit won the 2003 "Best Licensed Toy or Game range" Licensing Award for their Happy Planet range.
In December 2003, a new Paris-based toy company, Ouaps Toys have also made a range of Happy Planet toys, featuring the re-releases of the original products exclusively at Toys "R" Us, JouéClub, La Grande Récré and King Jouet. These products include the talking electronic Happy Rainbow Learning Center and the musical Happy Rainbow Piano as well as the musical Happy Rainbow Guitar.
In March 2004, more new toys were released like the talking electronic Happy Rainbow Storybook and the musical Happy Rainbow Boombox as well as the musical Happy Rainbow Dance Mat.
- "BLOG.lenodal.com : Avant-première : le nouveau système visuel des chaînes Canalsat". blog.lenodal.com.
- "BLOG.lenodal.com : Avant-première : le nouveau Canalsat : Télétoon+ et Piwi+". blog.lenodal.com.
- "La chaîne Piwi pille-t-elle Tiji ?". Libération.fr (in French). 2003-12-02. Archived from the original on 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2018-06-29.