French animation house Xilam goes direct to consumers with streaming app, India included

PARIS: Xilam Animation is taking on the streaming giants—or at least carving out its own small corner of the kids’ entertainment universe. The Oscar-nominated French animation group has launched Toon Box, a subscription-based, ad-free streaming app stuffed with over 1,000 pieces of content from its back catalogue, plus exclusive videos, activities, storybooks and games. It’s aimed at three-to-10-year-olds and rolled out today across 11 territories: the UK, US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, India, Mexico, Brazil and Australia.

For now, Toon Box is iOS-only, with an Android version promised for next year. New subscribers get a free first month before choosing between a monthly subscription or an annual plan. Episodes can be downloaded for offline viewing, and Xilam pledges to refresh the app with new content monthly.

The app features some of Xilam’s most recognisable properties—Oggy and the Cockroaches, Zig & Sharko, Where’s Chicky?, Mr Magoo, The Daltons, Lupin’s Tales and Paprika—series that have already built Xilam a substantial digital following of 125m subscribers across YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat globally.

Xilam chief executive and founder Marc du Pontavice calls the launch “a significant milestone” as the company goes direct to consumers for the first time. He’s pitching Toon Box as “an ad-free, safe and engaging environment” where families can access Xilam’s portfolio “in one convenient and trusted place”—a not-so-subtle dig at YouTube’s algorithmic chaos and dodgy advertising.

The inclusion of India in the initial rollout is notable. The country’s burgeoning middle class and smartphone penetration make it a prime hunting ground for streaming services, though convincing parents to pay for cartoons when free options abound is no small feat. Xilam is betting that its library of slapstick, dialogue-light animation—which travels well across language barriers—combined with a promise of child-safe content will be enough to prise open wallets.

Whether families will fork out for yet another subscription in an already crowded market remains the question. But with 125m fans already hooked on free Xilam content, du Pontavice reckons there’s a paying audience in there somewhere. Now comes the hard part: finding them.