A new French animated miniseries, 7 Bears, is now available on the Netflix streaming platform. The production, with the original French title Les 7 Ours, centers on a group of seven bear siblings who become entangled in classic fairy tales and is an adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novels by French author Émile Bravo.
A Furry Twist on Familiar Fables
Each episode follows the clumsy but well-intentioned troupe of bear siblings as they attempt to play the hero, only to cause comedic chaos within well-known stories like Snow White, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood. Their meddling rewrites the narratives, offering a fresh and humorous take on the source material. The series is designed for a broad audience, recommended for children aged six and over, but also crafted to engage adults with multiple layers of humor, including visual gags and satire that subverts fairy tale conventions, drawing comparisons to the Shrek franchise. Beyond the comedy, 7 Bears explores themes of questioning stereotypes, promoting creative problem-solving, and highlighting the value of family teamwork.
From Acclaimed Graphic Novels to a Global Audience
The series is based on the graphic novels of Émile Bravo, a celebrated French author and artist. The original book series, titled Les 7 ours nains (The 7 Dwarf Bears), includes several volumes that playfully mash up different fables. Bravo is a respected figure in the Franco-Belgian comics world, also known for his work on the Jules series, which tackles complex themes like cloning and mortality for young readers, and the award-winning Spirou, l’espoir malgré tout, a story set during the Nazi occupation of Belgium. The adaptation aims to preserve the tender and satirical spirit of Bravo’s work while making it accessible to a global audience. A key change was simplifying the title from Les 7 ours nains, a direct reference to Snow White’s companions. The broader title 7 Bears shifts the focus to the bears’ interactions with a wider range of fairy tales and creates a more distinct identity for international markets.
A Pedigree of French Animation Excellence
The production is spearheaded by Folivari, a distinguished French studio with a strong track record in high-quality animation. Folivari’s portfolio includes the César Award-winning film The Summit of the Gods and the Oscar-nominated Ernest & Celestine, both lauded for their sophisticated storytelling and distinct visual styles. The animation for 7 Bears was handled by the studio Le Cube, with additional services from Xilam Animation. The series is directed by Guillaume Rio, whose credits include Rabbids Invasion and Pat the Dog, and showrun by Robert Vargas, an Emmy-winning writer and producer with experience on projects like The Smurfs (2021) for various global platforms including Netflix and Disney+. The original author, Émile Bravo, is also credited on the screenplay, alongside Reid Harrison and Robert Vargas, indicating his involvement in the adaptation. The score is composed by Le Feste Antonacci. The project’s profile was raised through presentations at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Visual Style and Voice Cast
Visually, the series utilizes a polished 3D animation style that remains faithful to Émile Bravo’s original graphic universe while infusing it with a contemporary feel. The character designs are expressive with fluid movements, set against luminous and brightly colored backdrops. In a notable casting decision for the English-language version, all seven bear siblings are voiced by a single actress, the Paris-based American Tiffany Hofstetter. The wider cast, voicing the various fairy tale characters the bears encounter, includes Stefan Ashton Frank, Leigh Gill, Elizabeth Chu, Mia Sinclair Jenness, Melina Farahani, and Keith Wickham.
The series was released globally on Netflix on July 10, 2025.
