About

About

Based in Lier, in the Flemish part of Belgium, Fabrique Fantastique develops, produces, licenses, and operates high-quality intellectual properties (IP) and brands globally. Our focus is on creating a unique universe filled with wonder and fantasy, grounded in strong storytelling and featuring authentic characters, meaningful for a broad audience.

Fabrique Fantastique is the parent company within the GFF group. The group also includes Fabrique Productions, a production company, Studio Fantastique, an animation studio, and Brac a Bric, our line-extensions company.


BASELINE:

‘Beyond Wonder’

Wonder refers to the extent to which you look at the world with curiosity and a sense of amazement. Wonder stimulates curiosity, encourages the search for what is different. Wonder can lead to pushing boundaries, daring to surrender to the unknown, allowing oneself to be filled with beautiful beauty, intense power, and a lot of wisdom. And that is exactly where Fabrique Fantastique wants to take you, to a world that continues to amaze, in a universe that goes beyond wonder.


TEAM:

CEO Tom van Gestel, born in 1985, earned his master's degree in Audiovisual Arts-Animation in 2007 from Erasmushogeschool RITCS in Brussels. Tom, who previously worked as an animator, director, and art director for various animation studios until 2013, has been managing his own production house and animation studio, Fabrique Fantastique, since 2014. He remains creatively involved in each project and has contributed to notable works such as the feature films "Brendan and the Secret of Kells" and "Jack et la Mechanique du Couer," as well as directing series like "Picnic with Cake," "Fox and Hare," "Sir Mouse Season 1 + 2", and "Interstellar Ella Season 1".

CCO Tim Verschure, born in 1973, studied communication sciences and marketing. Before joining Fabrique Fantastique in 2022, Tim worked internationally as the head of sales for Smart Toys & Games and managed various departments for the Smurfs (IMPS).

 

EDITORIAL VISION:

  • Creation

Creating a universe refers to the fact that the core task of the Fabrique Fantastique Group is creation. In 2013, CEO Tom Van Gestel founded the production house and animation studio Fabrique Fantastique. Over the past 10 years, Fabrique Fantastique has grown into the Fabrique Fantastique Group, an entertainment company consisting of a production company, animation studio, brand extension company, heritage company, and a soon-to-be-established game studio. The Group primarily works with permanent contracts in its animation studio and other entities, setting itself apart from other production houses. The group now employs more than fifty staff, including 2D and 3D artists, writers, animators, illustrators, graphic designers, directors, project managers, event managers, actors, and more. To achieve optimal creation, Tom Van Gestel and Head of Production Koen Vermaanen believe that a strong team, where employees have the opportunity to grow in their competencies and develop expertise in multiple disciplines, is crucial. Efficient collaboration is prioritized, and investments are made not only in projects but also in people.

  • Unique Universe

Developing a unique universe primarily refers to a total concept where separate worlds are created, each unique in itself. Each world is designed according to the content or the story's atmosphere. Each individual world stands out from the others due to its Unique Selling Proposition (USP). The total concept also refers to the aspect of experience. The universe Fabrique Fantastique creates goes beyond audiovisual fulfillment. True to the USP of the concept, a genuine connection is created with the audience through the story and characters. This connection takes the audience beyond wonder. One characteristic found throughout the universe is fantasy. Fantasy gives the worlds a magical quality, making them escapist and bringing wonder with them. Fantasy was specifically chosen as a fundamental common denominator because it plays a significant role in the development process of children, adolescents, and adults. Fantasy is crucial because it stimulates creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, and creative problem-solving.

  • Strong Storytelling

The Fabrique Fantastique Group believes that everything starts with a strong story, one that touches, moves, attracts attention, and matters. Stories that are not casual but provoke thought and reflection leave a lasting impression and fuel the desire to step further into the created world. Only a story that proves its raison d'être can take its audience into and beyond wonder.

  • Authentic Characters

A strong story depends on the characters. A story is always about something or someone. The narrative perspective often determines the target audience. Characters are not only crucial to the story itself but also the relationships between them and their coherence with events. The Fabrique Fantastique Group believes in the power of characters and their relationships. Characters for Fabrique Fantastique must be authentic and real. They must be consistent and layered, never superficial, strong, and have a reason for existence. Each character is unique and fits perfectly into the story and the created world, contributing to the sense of wonder.

  • Meaningful

Authentic, experiential, diverse, real, escapist, imaginative, equal, inclusive, magical, socially engaged, emotional, value-added, not casual, absorbing, original, strong, accessible, unique, wonder-filled, humorous, for all ages, for everyone, for you...

Fabrique Fantastique aims to create added value for everyone within its universe by including humane values that are important and contribute to a better world.

  • For Everyone

The Fabrique Fantastique Group wants to create added value for everyone. This means that everyone should be able to find themselves in the universe of Fabrique Fantastique. By everyone, we refer to target groups segmented by age through the diversity in storytelling and design, as well as the diversity within a target group itself through the creation of a total concept that accommodates every child, young person, and adult, in any role or relationship. Some experiential aspects will be geared towards the entire family, while others may focus on, for example, preschoolers. Some derivatives may target grandparents and grandchildren, others specifically target parents and children. It's essential that no one is excluded, that there is an offering in the universe for everyone, and that everyone feels addressed and even VIP in the universe of Fabrique Fantastique. In concrete terms, this means paying attention to the following guiding principles:

  • The universe and its individual worlds are inclusive: In developing the universe and its separate worlds, diversity is taken into account from the outset, both in design and storytelling, with a correct and adequate representation.
  • The universe and its individual worlds are accessible: We ensure that the Fabrique Fantastique universe is as accessible as possible by considering the interests, needs, and desires of the target audience as much as possible.
  • The universe and its individual worlds foster connection: Within the total concept, we strive for complete accessibility to connection between people.
  • The universe and its individual worlds have a role model function: Fabrique Fantastique stands for equal opportunities and equality. We assess employees solely on their talents, invest in people, and aim to stimulate talent because everyone has the right to wonder.


360° STRATEGY

A comprehensive 360 strategy, with a significant focus on Live Entertainment, is developed for all IPs. The group has established the brand extension company “Brac a Bric”, responsible for licensing out IPs, creating and selling merchandise, publishing books, and developing and exploiting Live Entertainment concepts. These concepts are initially tested in Belgium and expanded globally upon success.

Currently, “Sir Mouse” is well-established in Belgium and Ireland, airing on the national broadcasters. The brand has expanded to include commissioned podcast series and successful glamping events and interactive expo’s, with plans to bring these events to the Netherlands and Ireland in 2025. The Sir Mouse Series won the Kids Choice Award 2022 on the Irish public broadcaster Rte. In addition to Belgium, the series is broadcasted in Australia, Germany, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Israël.

Since 2013, the group has been actively involved in producing and co-producing animated content. Notable projects include the animated series “Sir Mouse”, “Bim”, and “Interstellar Ella”. “Sir Mouse” has been sold to over 7 countries worldwide, and “Bim” had its theatrical release in Belgium, with global distribution by Pulsar Content (FR) and recently won the “Juniors’ Jury Best Film” award at the “Black Nights Film Festival” (PÖFF) in Estonia. “Interstellar Ella Season 1” has recently been completed and is distributed by Aardman (UK), sold to Warner Discovery, and airing in over 150 countries including China.

Projects currently in the final stages of financing include “Juul”, a magical realistic animated feature film for young adults, and “My Little Heroes”, a 52x11’ series co-produced with Peekaboo (SP). 

Projects in production at the moment include Sir Mouse Season 2, a co-production with Avalon Films (IR), and Interstellar Ella Season 2, a second series about young space adventurer Ella Ryder. For this second season we are teaming up with Apartment11 (CAN) and Amuse Animation (SP). It will be distributed by Aardman and is allready sold to VRT Ketnet (BE), NRK (NO), TFO, TVO, Radio Canada, Knowledge (CAN) and NRK(Norway).

 

Within our group, Studio Fantastique also provides service work and is currently contributing to Miss Moxy, an 80-minute, high-end 3D animated feature film. Our studio handles a wide range of tasks, including storyboarding, set design, lighting, rendering, FX, and compositing.

Contact 

Fabrique Fantastique
Sterrenstraat 48
2500 Lier

 info@fabriquefantastique.be