'Miss Saturne': A Retro-Inspired Teen Animation from the Creators of 'Arcane'
French studio fortiche develops 1980s-themed animated miniseries targeting young adults.
At the Annecy Animation Festival today, Fortiche, the renowned French animation studio behind the hit series Arcane, revealed its plans to create an original IP with a new miniseries titled Miss Saturne. This 10-episode animated project, each episode lasting 10 minutes, is currently in development in collaboration with ARTE France and Les Storygraphes. Originally pitched as a feature film and showcased at Cartoon Movie in 2017, Miss Saturne has been reimagined as a shorter series to better suit younger audiences and digital platforms. While details on how closely it follows the original pitch remain unclear, producers describe it as “generational fiction infused with music.”
Based on Barbara Israël’s novel, Miss Saturne aims to appeal to teenagers and young adults with a visually stylized 2D aesthetic and a strong 1980s pop atmosphere. The story follows 16-year-old Mercy and her companion Tom as they escape their past aboard a night train leaving Nice. The narrative unfolds through flashbacks triggered by a New Wave mixtape, exploring themes of adolescence, grief, and identity.
Screenwriter Louise Silverio — known for Happiness and Ceux qui rougissent — is leading the writing team, while Anne Raffin, an alum of Arcane and music videos, serves as art director and director. The series is based on Israël’s novel, with Israël and Vincent Tavier involved in developing the literary bible.
Annelyse Vieilledent of Les Storygraphes emphasized that Miss Saturne captures adolescence’s emotional and musical intensity while resonating across generations. Jérôme Combe of Fortiche added that the project reflects their desire to explore indie animation for today’s youth, highlighting Silverio’s coming-of-age storytelling style and Raffin’s aesthetic sensibilities.
Fortiche is actively seeking international partners, broadcasters, and distributors for this young adult project. Funding has been secured from Région Occitanie and Pictanovo. Production is led by Fortiche Films with co-producers ARTE France and Les Storygraphes.
