Global Animated Hit ‘Ballerina’ (‘Leap!’) Gets ‘Ballerina 2’ Movie Sequel, TV Series
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- Good Hero is producing 'Ballerina 2' alongside an animated TV series, with the company describing an ambitious expansion of the franchise across film, television, and digital platforms including YouTube.
- Laurent Zeitoun, who co-founded Good Hero with Gregory Ouanhon, wrote the sequel's screenplay and will direct; production on the film begins this month.
- Gaumont is returning as the French and international theatrical distributor for 'Ballerina 2,' with a planned global release scheduled for late 2029.
- The original 'Ballerina' (released as 'Leap!' in some markets) grossed $120 million across more than 100 countries and was voiced in English by Elle Fanning and Dane DeHaan and in French by Camille Cottin and Malik Bentalha.
- Zeitoun and Ouanhon said the original's 'aspirational story of female empowerment' has continued resonating over the last decade and 'is even more relevant today,' framing the expansion as targeting a new generation of young women.
- Gaumont's Alexis Cassanet called 'Ballerina' 'one of the most successful independent animated films at the worldwide box office,' asserting the franchise's 'DNA is timeless' and capable of 'delighting multiple generations of families.'
Why it matters: Good Hero is making a multi-year, multi-platform bet on a nearly decade-old indie animated property whose original $120 million global gross — strong for an independent animated feature — will now be tested against a 2029 theatrical sequel budget and the economics of simultaneous TV and YouTube content. The move signals continued faith in female-empowerment animated IP with cross-generational appeal, with Gaumont retaining distribution control across both French and international markets.
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