A few black and white pencil strokes, a diary of a ten-year-old child and a funny and melancholic atmosphere at the same time: the series Samuel becomes a big hit for the Arte platform, where it is available for free, as well as on social networks. A lively gem, worth a detour.
If you grew up in the early 2000s, between the pages of Diddl and Zizou’s goals, you will inevitably recognize yourself in the comic adventures Samuel. This little 10-year-old, who recounts his childhood in small clips of about 5 minutes, made a total surprise on Arte.
The result: 21 episodes of the series, released in mid-March 2024, are now being consolidated 25 million views, all media combined. It must be said that next to its publication online on the Arte website, Samuel it is particularly successful in reaching audiences on social networks, from Instagram to TikTok.
A return to childhood for all millennials
A kind of distant cousin Lou and from Titeuf, Samuel represents a piece of the childhood of each of us. Secretly in love with Big Julie, this little boy has made a list of what he has to do to become cool, is chased by a tall lady with a long neck when he has a fever, and hates Dimitri, the popular one in his class. He also forms very strong friendships with Corentin and Bérénice, with whom he sometimes experiences difficult situations.
Samuel tells us all these details of his childhood in an extremely fast flow, with the ability to speak openly, as if in a diary. All this, in the background of references to the early 2000s, between two exchanges of Diddle sheets or discussions on MSN.
Émilie Tronche, voice and pencil stroke behind Samuel
If the series works so well, it is primarily because it is played by a young director: Émilie Tronche, who conceived the drawings, the script, but also gave her voice to all the characters in this animated short format.
On her social networks, she shared the making of this unique creation, for which she filmed herself for hours before reproducing her gestures in animation. Émilie Tronche especially reveals behind the scenes of the dance scenes, of which there are many in the series.
Samuel, your next tattoo?
If the minimalistic animation of the series, without colors and decorations, may seem disgusting at first glance, it still allows this little boy so close to us to touch our hearts directly. Published online under shorter formats, around 1 minute, on TikTok, Samuel He did it into our everyday lifeeven without any special telling.
The 21 episodes were so successful that many fans they are already playing sequences in their videosor even think about it tattoo the main character. Far from the frankly anxiety-inducing news of recent months, Samuel thus it offers a pleasant space, a kind of bubble of loveliness, in which we would like to stay tucked away forever.
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