Picture: Arte
During its Netflix Series Animation: Get Ready for What’s Next!, which previewed Netflix’s upcoming slate of animated titles, the streamer dropped the news that it had acquired a show from France: the beloved Samuel. Netflix has picked up the first season for an exclusive international release in late 2025.
Created by Émilie Tronche, the black-and-white series began as a deeply personal project for the creator before being commissioned by Arte. Tronche both writes and directs the award-winning animation series, working on the show with producers Pablo Jordi, Damien Megherbi, and Justin Pechberty, with David Imbault and Ivan Cester composing the score.
The series follows 10-year-old Samuel, who keeps a diary and is suddenly caught in a whirlwind of confusion when his friend Basile tells everyone he’s in love with Julie—something Samuel insists isn’t true… even if, deep down, it might be. It was first released in early 2024.
Deadline’s Melanie Goodfellow reported late last year that the series was soon due for an international push, dubbing it a viral hit for Arte, which streams all 21 episodes that make up season 1. Each episode ranges from just a couple of minutes in length to six, making it a collection of shorts, essentially.
This is one of the few major new project announcements at Annecy, with Netflix spending much of its time throughout the week promoting its already announced and upcoming 2025 and beyond slate. It saw the world premiere of Fixed from Genndy Tartakovsky, as well as a big push for In Your Dreams, scheduled for a November 14th release. Stranger Things was also a big topic of conversation with the animated spin-off set inside the lore of the main show, expected to release in 2026.
An exact release date is expected to be released down the line.
Picture: Arte
Picture: Arte
Picture: Arte
Will you check out Samuel when it joins Netflix later this year? Let us know in the comments.
