Acclaimed French animation house, Xilam Films have signed on new collaborators for their highly anticipated family movie, Lucy Lost, inspired by esteemed children’s author and former UK Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo’s 2014 book – Listen to the Moon. Gebeka International, a Hildegarde-Goodfellas company (The Boy and the Heron, Spirited Away) has agreed to oversee international sales. French company Le Pacte (Kensuke’s Kingdom, Panda Bear in Africa) will manage the French theatrical releases, while pay-TV rights have been secured by French broadcasters Canal+ and Cine+. Following its successful introduction at Cartoon Movie earlier this year, the production of Lucy Lost is now under way with a set release date for March 2026.

Lucy Lost (Xilam Films)

The film Lucy Lost has been co-written by Olivier Clert (Klaus, The Little Prince) who is also in charge of directing – marking his debut as lead director. Clert has previously worked as a series animator for Monster in Paris and The Lorax, before moving on to join as a story artist for Mark Osborne’s The Little Prince. Clert has also previously worked on projects by Sergio Pablos including Smallfoot (Warner Bros.) and Klaus (Netflix). He has also served as Netflix’s Head of Story for Mark Osborne’s Escape from Hat and Entergalactic.

Lucy Lost was co-authored with award-winning screenwriter Helen Blakeman (Dustbin Baby, Hetty Feather) and is produced by Academy Award nominees Marc du Pontavice and Lucie Bolze from Xilam. Production of the feature film will be hosted at Xilam’s animation studio in France.

The film features Lucy, a spirited young girl with exceptional abilities who seems an extra-terrestrial amidst the Scilly Isles fishersmen. Despite the love and protection she accrues from Alfie and his family, she can’t hide from the gossip and superstition her peculiar existence stirs. Lucy then encounters a riveting adventure in pursuit of her real origin after she meets Milly, a mystique.

The original novel Listen to the Moon paints a captivating representation of themes such as family, love, and memory against stunning landscapes. I am thrilled how Olivier and Helen have remarkably translated this into our magnificent adaptation of Lucy Lost . As we kick off this production of a visually breathtaking and touching story of perseverance, we are joined by Gebeka International, Le Pacte, and Canal+ – who we couldn’t have hoped for better travel mates. We hope this film stirs a desire in our audiences to understand each other’s uniqueness with compassion and to have the bravery to surmount challenges.

-Marc du Pontavice (CEO and Founder, Xilam)

Lucy Lost extends an enthralling journey across time and space, tackling complex themes such as identity search and friendship. We are extremely proud of this prodigious venture which we are certain will have a profound impact on those who experience it. Lucy’s grand adventure is certain to resonate with audiences worldwide, both children and adults.

-Vincent Maraval (President of Goodfellas, co-parent company of Gebeka International)

Post the massive success of Kensuke in France, we are excited to distribute Lucy Lost which is also based on a Michael Morpurgo novel. It is a privilege to distribute the film which has been fantastically adapted and designed by the talented Olivier Clert and produced by Marc du Pontavice.

-Jean Labadie (CEO, Le Pacte)

Lucy Lost builds on Xilam’s reputation for creating successful animated features. Their 2019 title for adults, I Lost My Body received an Oscar nomination for ‘Animated Feature Film’ and also won the title for ‘Best Animated Film’ and ‘Best Score’ at the 45th Cesar Awards along with three Annie Awards.

Michael Morpurgo OBE, best loved for his children’s books with over 35 million copies sold. He has written over 150 books including the ever famous War Horse, which was later modelled into a widely successful war film. He served as the UK Children’s Laureate and was knighted in 2018 for his contributions to literature and philanthropy.