Company History

HOW MOONSCOOP STARTED OUT

In 1990, brothers Benoît di Sabatino and Christophe di Sabatino set up Antefilms Productions, an audiovisual production and distribution company.

Their first kids’ series was In the Picture, which focused on introducing young viewers to the world’s great painters. It won the UNESCO prize for best scenario.

Ever innovative, in 1994, the firm developed a new animation process integrating traditional animation and computer generated images (CGI) to produce The Christmas Pirates, an animated TV show. It generated great interest when France 3 aired it.

Next, the di Sabatino brothers swiftly moved to expand by setting up Antefilms Studio. They chose to locate it in Magelis, the city of Angoulême’s image creation park. The studio’s specialization in CGI and motion-capture animation gave it a leading edge for original shows like Fred the Caveman, Funky Cops, and Code Lyoko.

With its success on the domestic and international markets, in 2003, Antefilms Production acquired France Animation, one of the leading producers and distributors of children’s programming (founded in the 1980s).

The Moonscoop Group, born from the merger of Antefilms Production and France Animation, has taken its place as Europe’s leader in the production and distribution of children’s entertainment.

MOONSCOOP GROUP’S EXPANSION

Moonscoop is a French audiovisual group and a European leader. It is specialized in the creation, production and commercialization of animated series distributed worldwide.

To further the group’s international expansion, in 2005, brothers Benoît di Sabatino and Christophe di Sabatino acquired Mike Young Productions, the leading independent producer in the USA, located in Los Angeles. This addition makes the Moonscoop Group one of the world’s top independent players in the area of children’s entertainment. Its assets include properties such as Code Lyoko, Tootuff, The Fantastic Four, Doctor Dog, Toddworld, Dive Olly Dive!, and Pet Alien, along with the rest of the programs in a catalogue now totaling over 3,000 half-hours of broadcast time.

Today, the group has offices in Paris, Angoulême, Los Angeles, London, Shanghai, and in Wales. It employs over 350 people.

In July 2006, the Caisse des Dépôts, a state-owned financial institution, bought stock in the Moonscoop Group.

The group is presently involved in setting up “new media” channels. It has purchased Queen Bee and launched two channels, Taffy and Kabillion.