At any Annecy Animation Festival edition, some of the most captivating instances stem from cross-fertilization – observing the obvious impacts of global animation. For instance, “Dragon Striker,” an upcoming series from Disney EMEA, produced by Chouette Studios, showcases this international exchange, as it clearly draws inspiration from anime. During a Studio Focus session at MIFA, the creative team behind the series openly discussed the show’s significant anime influence.
Sylvain Dos Santos, both co-creator and producer, openly acknowledged the impact on “Dragon Striker” and Chouette’s entire body of work. He characterized the studio, comprising 200 artists with 75 animators among them, as a collective founded by enthusiasts of Japanese animation and comics, who aspired to create in that distinctive style.
Introduced in 2022, the animated series “Dragon Striker” symbolizes a strong desire for something unique, developed from a diverse mix of inspirations. The show, planned for 22 twenty-minute episodes, primarily revolves around soccer, though it’s more akin to a battlefield version of it. Each team fields only five players who employ magical powers such as time manipulation, creating copies of themselves, and summoning spectral dragons to overpower their adversaries and score goals.
EbMaster has been given exclusive access to an early look at one of the show’s teams, seen below.
In the universe of “Dragon Striker”, it’s a beloved national pastime played on grand and custom-made fields that mirror each team’s unique identity. A significant portion of the story unfolds at an elite school, where young students learn the essential skills for excelling in this game. The two principal characters are Ssyelle, a goalkeeper, and Key, a forward. At the start of the series, Ssyelle is already aware of her power, while Key doesn’t realize he possesses one initially. His ability, or “tama” in the show’s language, has a connection to his deceased mother, who was also a star player.
The first episode showcased fast-paced gameplay scenes that mirrored the dynamic visual elements typically found in action-oriented anime. This wasn’t only limited to character design but also encompassed the sequence and pacing of their movements, coupled with the corresponding special effects on screen. It’s not just about style; further into the discussion, it was revealed that the team drew inspiration for their workflow from the Japanese animation production methodology, tailored to suit the French approach.
Charles Lefebvre, another co-creator of the show and co-founder of Chouette following his time at La Chouette Co., emphasized that a portion of our team had previously worked on popular anime series like “My Hero Academia” and “One Piece”. He demonstrated some crucial poses and explained that in this production, each animator has complete control over their individual shots.
The discussion regarding the anime industry collaborations persists, as the team is considering bringing in composer Kevin Penkin onto the project. Penkin, recognized for his work on shows such as “Made in Abyss,” recently collaborated with an 80-member orchestra in Japan to produce music for “Dragon Striker.
To begin with, the creative process was divided into stages before showing the encounter between Ssyelle and Key. Initially, Dos Santos discussed earlier versions of the series. He confessed that it started out as more than just a soccer show, revealing that the initial concept wasn’t even related to soccer. Instead, it originated as a rugby series set in an Arthurian world called “Ovalon.” Later, Gerardo Orlando, a producer from Disney EMEA, discussed the transformations. First, the sport changed from rugby to football, and later, they abandoned the Arthurian legend aspect since he encouraged the team to create their unique myths.
As a movie enthusiast, I proudly confess that the anime influences are strikingly evident in its conception. The show boasts an exhilarating montage of opening credits reminiscent of fast-paced Japanese series. Yet, the influences extend far beyond this medium. Lefebvre acknowledged various sources: a dash of “The Vision of Escaflowne,” “Final Fantasy IX,” and “Chrono Trigger” significantly shaped Kal Asterock’s fictional landscape as much as real-world cities like Rio de Janeiro did.
The design of these environments wasn’t solely based on referencing popular tales, but also aligned with the team’s perspective on visual narrative. As Concept Artist Claire Sun explained, “We often see writing and visuals as separate entities, but they’re actually two sides of the same coin.” They emphasized that in their pursuit to “show, not tell,” they integrated world-building aspects directly into the artwork wherever possible.
Paul McKeown emphasized the significant character developments inspired by a sport known for its violence and intensity. He stated, “It might be a children’s program and it’s amusing, but I believe we’ve ventured into uncharted territories in certain aspects.” When queried whether the team had prepared content beyond one season, McKeown responded affirmatively, adding that there was sufficient material to extend the series for “an impressive 15 seasons of scriptwriting!
The characters in this production are not just well-written, but also visually rich and varied. A blend of distinctive styles was utilized, with costumes that combined elements from historical clothing and modern street fashion, and an array of unique hairstyles. This artistic choice aimed to create a dynamic, realistic world.
The players demonstrated considerable passion for minor aspects, even inspiring artists to create fan art during their leisure time, showcasing embroidery, dolls, and stickers. Concept artist Sun was humorously referred to as the “first president of the official Dragon Striker fan club” due to the vast amount of comics and artwork she has already produced about secondary characters. It’s hard not to be amazed at what could accumulate if the series were to extend its 15 seasons, as suggested by one of its co-creators.
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2025-06-11 12:49