Universum creates S3D animation arm

Paris-- Within the run-as much as the February. 7-10 Kidscreen Summit in NY, Jeremy Zag's French animation production company Univergroup is starting a movie division, Zag Pictures, and it is joining up with leading Korean studio SamG. Zag Pictures is going to be devoted to creating high-profile S3D animated features, allocated above 20 million ($26.4 million), and is aimed at tapping European and Anglo-American scribes and helmers who've done Hollywood animated tentpoles, Zag stated. Zag's development roster includes $50 million "Miraculous Lady Bug," a Paris-set fantasy focusing on a teenage girl with super forces, that is co-created by Aton Soumache's Method Animation and $$ 30 million "Kobushi," a comedy a la "Tom and Jerry" activating a household of sushi samurai.Both "Lady Bug" and "Kobushi" are now being developped as TV series via Zag Toon, Univergroup's TV subsidiary.Gallic animator and storyboard artist Thomas Astruc, who produced the initial idea of "Lady Bug," will co-direct the television skein and also the toon feature. Zag, who intentions of creating a "Lady Bug" franchise, stated he was finalizing an expert Toy deal.Univergroup was founded in 2008 by youthful entrepreneur Zag and Jacqueline Tordjman, an animation vet who labored alongside Haim Saban for pretty much two-and-a-half decades and introduced cult shows like "Goldorak" and "Gadget and also the Gadgetini" to French TV. Meanwhile, Zag Toon is growing to Korea by merging with SamG, whose credits include French cartoons "Monk" and "7Cs," a set and have project developed with U.S. shingle Guy of Action. Renamed Mike Zag, the Seoul-based studio works solely on Univergroup's animated photos and television skeins. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com