Yakari
Yakari is a Franco-Belgian comic book series, aimed at a younger audience, originally written by Job, and illustrated by Derib, both from Switzerland. The series is now written by Frenchman Joris Chamblain. "Yakari" is one of the best-known Franco-Belgian comics in Europe. Yakari has (on two occasions, 1983 and 2005) been adapted into a cartoon series on television. A French animated movie adaptation was released in 2020. Concept. Yakari is a young Sioux Native American who has the ability to understand and speak animal languages. During his adventures, he meets all sorts of North American animals . His best friends are a girl Sioux, "Rainbow", a Sioux boy "Buffalo Seed" and his pony "Little Thunder". He has a totem animal, "Great Eagle", who frequently appears to him to give him critical advice. The setting is the North American Great Plains, mainly. Horses have already been introduced by the Spanish, but there is no mentioning of white man whatsoever in the series. (In one book, there's even a mention by an old tribesman that there's a mystery how the horse came to the land, and that it hasn't always been there.) It can therefore be  assumed that Yakari's adventures take place after the 15th century, but long before the settling rush in the late 18th/19th century. The comic shows a very positive view of the culture of the Sioux and depicts them as peaceful people who live in harmony with nature. Characters. Humans: Mounts and wild animals: Totem animals: Albums. The books have been translated into at least 17 languages including English, Portuguese, German, Dutch, the Scandinavian languages, Finnish, Breton, Indonesian, Polish, Chinese, Turkish, Arabic, Inuktitut, and Catalan. Original French versions. "Only the original French language publication is indicated." English versions. Cinebook Ltd is  the current publisher for the English version of the series. Adaptations. Television series. Original stories involving original and additional characters were written for both television series. The 1983 version, made in French for the French station Antenne 2 and also aired by the Swiss Télévision suisse romande (TSR), had 52 episodes. The 2005 version, also in French, was a Franco-Belgian co-production made for France 3 and RTBF. An initial season of 52 episodes was followed by three more, 26 episodes each, and nine more episodes on VHS & DVD. The fourth season is different from previous seasons as it  is completely CG-animated. A movie sequel is in the making. The series was nominated for the TVFI Export award. Animated film. A French animated film adaptation, "Yakari, A Spectacular Journey", was released in France on 12 August 2020. The film has grossed $3,734,725 in France, Germany, and Hungary, and it has sold 454,806 tickets in France and Germany.