Passion Paris and ADN Forge Strategic Alliance to Adapt Global Webtoon Hit

In a significant development for the European animation landscape, industry powerhouse Passion Paris has announced a strategic partnership with the France-based anime streaming giant Animation Digital Network (ADN). The collaboration is set to produce a high-profile adaptation of an undisclosed South Korean webtoon, a project that signals a deepening convergence between Western animation production and the booming Asian digital comics market.

The partnership, unveiled on the eve of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Mifa market, aims to capitalize on the massive global popularity of South Korean webtoons. According to Caroline Audebert, Managing Director of Passion Paris, the source material for this upcoming series has already garnered a staggering 80 million views worldwide, providing a built-in audience for the transition to the screen.

Main Facts: A New Axis in Global Animation

The core of this partnership lies in the synthesis of two distinct strengths: Passion Paris’s reputation for high-end animation production and creative pedigree, and ADN’s deep understanding of the anime market and direct access to a dedicated audience.

The adaptation is slated to begin production at the end of this year. While the title of the webtoon remains under wraps, an official announcement is scheduled for the Annecy Mifa market session, "From China to Global Animation Synergy with Bilibili." Attendees of the session will be treated to an exclusive teaser, providing the first glimpse into the aesthetic direction of the project.

Audebert emphasized that the production will strictly adhere to an "anime style," a creative choice driven by both cultural shifts and market demand. "Its directors have watched anime from near birth," Audebert noted. "A lot of Passion’s animation talent is inspired by anime. According to one study, 44% of our 18-45 target now watch anime."

Chronology and Strategic Evolution

Passion Paris, a studio renowned for its work on high-concept projects like 400 Boys and Not a Box, has spent the last few years restructuring its operations to better respond to the shifting sands of the global entertainment industry. This partnership with ADN is not a sudden pivot but rather a calculated expansion of the studio’s existing footprint in Asia.

The studio is already deep in development on Yojimbot, an anime-adjacent project based on the sci-fi comic series by French author Sylvain Repos. This project, which features an island of samurai-themed amusement park robots in a dystopian near-future Japan, serves as a blueprint for how Passion intends to blend Western creative talent with Eastern narrative structures.

The evolution of the studio is reflected in its recent slate:

• 2025: Initial discussions and the announcement of the Endless Space collaboration with Amplitude Studios at the Annecy Festival.
• Early June 2026: Announcement of Free Range, a comedy series that serves as the first major prototype of the integrated production model between Passion London and Passion Paris.
• Late 2026 (Current): Partnership with ADN finalized, with the webtoon adaptation project entering pre-production.

Supporting Data: The Power of Integrated Pipelines

The decision to bridge the London and Paris offices into a unified development pipeline is a direct reaction to the changing economic climate of the animation industry. With traditional broadcaster acquisitions and global streaming service orders seeing a sharp decline, Passion is looking to maximize regional fiscal incentives.

By leveraging the "muscular" tax breaks and production subsidies available in both the U.K. and France, the two studios are creating a sustainable financial model. As Debbie Crosscup, Managing Director of Passion Pictures Animation in London, noted, "Having a studio in France and the U.K. offers us the opportunity to gather up all the elements that we have in both countries—like tax rebates and also subsidies—to create new IP."

This integrated approach was effectively tested with Free Range, which was developed jointly across both territories. The success of this model has encouraged the leadership to formalize the cross-border pipeline, allowing the studio to move fluidly between various formats, partners, and funding structures.

Official Responses: Balancing Commerce and Art

The leadership at Passion is acutely aware that surviving the current industry contraction requires a delicate balancing act. "It is imperative to balance commercial opportunity with creative ambition as it builds on diversification," Audebert explained. "Commercial IP provides scale and sustainability, while auteur-led projects create differentiation, attract talent, and build cultural value beyond individual productions."

This philosophy is evidenced by the studio’s diverse portfolio currently heading to Annecy and the Cartoon Forum. From the commercial, YA-focused comedy Apocalypse Mojito—a story of two friends navigating a climate-ravaged 2100—to the auteur-driven, SXSW-winning short film HAG by Anna Ginsburg, the studio is refusing to be siloed into a single genre or target demographic.

"Caroline and I want to create really exciting teams together of artists, innovators, storytellers, and creators," added Crosscup. "We are very excited to lean into this—the funding and talent—going forward, figuring out the right kind of collaboration."

Implications for the Industry

The move toward "anime-adjacent" content produced by Western studios with Western sensibilities is likely to become an industry standard rather than an outlier. As Audebert predicted, "More and more, we will be seeing this kind of anime-adjacent content coming from talent here, because it’s part of our culture now."

The implications are threefold:

1. Cultural Hybridity: As European creators who grew up consuming anime take the reins, the distinction between "Western" and "Eastern" animation will continue to blur. This creates a unique aesthetic that satisfies the global appetite for anime while maintaining the narrative sensibilities of European creators.
2. Economic Resilience: By moving away from a reliance on single-source funding—such as massive, unpredictable Netflix commissions—and toward a model of decentralized, tax-incentive-driven financing, studios like Passion are building a more resilient business model that can weather the current "streamer crunch."
3. The Rise of Webtoons: The decision to adapt a webtoon with 80 million views highlights the shifting power dynamics of IP acquisition. Publishers are increasingly looking toward the massive, pre-validated audiences of digital platforms rather than relying solely on traditional literary sources or original scripts.

The Slate: A Snapshot of Passion’s Ambition

Beyond the undisclosed webtoon, Passion’s upcoming slate offers a glimpse into their strategy of high-variety, high-quality output:

• Apocalypse Mojito: A YA comedy exploring climate change through the lens of two friends and their mobile café.
• Burnham All: A quirky series centered on 1696 witch trials, currently fueling a Kickstarter campaign.
• Endless Space: A high-stakes sci-fi epic co-produced with Amplitude Studios.
• HAG: A bold short film tackling dating, fertility, and the patriarchy, now being eyed for a potential long-format spin-off.
• The Lion Inside: A heartfelt adaptation of a bestselling children’s book, focusing on themes of confidence and self-discovery.
• Please: A poignant, stop-motion exploration of loneliness featuring the voice talents of Stellan Skarsgård.

As the animation industry faces a crossroads between traditional broadcasting and the rise of niche, digital-first content, the partnership between Passion Paris and ADN represents a forward-thinking attempt to bridge the gap. By combining the scale of global digital hits with the artisanal quality of European auteurism, Passion is positioning itself as a vital player in the next generation of animation.

Whether the undisclosed webtoon becomes the next breakout hit remains to be seen, but the infrastructure behind it—a blend of strategic tax-incentive utilization, deep talent pools in two of Europe’s most creative hubs, and an eye for global trends—suggests that Passion is well-equipped to navigate the volatile landscape of 21st-century entertainment.