Director Jules Bourgès, whose creative trajectory first caught the industry’s attention back in 2019 as a student co-director on the celebrated Gobelins animated short film Déjeuner sur l’herbe, has officially unveiled his latest project. Bourgès has just released a visually striking, hand-crafted animated fantasy music video titled “Belle” for the composer and producer Mistthom. Produced through the renowned Paris-based studio WIZZ, the project marks a significant milestone for the emerging filmmaker, representing his very first foray into the world of music video direction.
According to representatives from WIZZ, stepping into the fantastical world crafted by Jules Bourgès feels akin to entering a timeless literary realm. The film is structured intentionally like a classic fairy tale, yet it carries the weight and dark resonance of a cautionary myth. At its narrative core, the animation portrays the consuming madness of a monarch who will stop at nothing, and sacrifice everything, to satisfy an insatiable greed. The resulting visual narrative blends intricate hand-drawn aesthetics with a sweeping, epic sense of scale, perfectly mirroring the atmospheric depth of Mistthom’s musical composition.
For the production team at WIZZ, bringing this ambitious vision to life has been a deeply rewarding collaborative experience. Representatives for the studio noted that transitioning Bourgès into the realm of music video direction was a major privilege, praising the dedication and artistry of the entire creative crew. Furthermore, the production acknowledged the vital financial and institutional backing provided by Le CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée). The French public establishment’s ongoing support for projects of this nature plays an essential role in bringing bold, emerging animation talent into the wider international spotlight, allowing young directors to execute their artistic visions without compromising on craft or scale.
The creation of “Belle” was a massive undertaking that relied heavily on traditional, meticulous animation pipelines, bringing together a talented ensemble of artists, designers, and technicians in Paris. The comprehensive production credits reveal a collaborative effort spanning multiple specialized roles to achieve the film’s distinctive textured look.
The artistic direction, storyboard development, layout posing, and layout decor were spearheaded directly by Jules Bourgès, establishing the foundational visual grammar of the fairy tale. The rich, evocative color scripts that define the emotional transitions within the film were crafted by Leila Courtillon and Lélia Rolland. Meanwhile, the intricate background paintings—which set the mood for the king’s crumbling domain and the mystical landscapes of the narrative—were executed by a dedicated team comprising Jules Bourgès, Edouard Guise, Juliette Laboria, and Lélia Rolland.
The animation phase itself brought together a powerhouse roster of animators, including Louise Bailliet, Jules Bourgès, Gianni Bouyeure, Jocelyn Charles, Vic Chhun, Pacôme Noblet, and Benjamin Oualid. This core group was ably supported by an extensive team of animation assistants: Louise Bailliet, Solène Belleli, Jules Bourgès, Gianni Bouyeure, Vic Chhun, Florent Decorne, Pauline Joury, Anaïs Maumet, Pacôme Noblet, and Sue Poirier-Kobayashi. The production also integrated valuable hands-on contributions from a cohort of animation interns, featuring Solène Belleli, Florent Decorne, Anaïs Maumet, Pacôme Noblet, and Sue Poirier-Kobayashi, ensuring that mentorship and skill-sharing remained central to the WIZZ studio environment during the making of the project.
With the release of “Belle,” Jules Bourgès successfully transitions from his celebrated academic beginnings at Gobelins to establishing a distinct auteur voice in commercial and artistic animation. By pairing Mistthom’s intricate sonic landscapes with a deeply traditional, hand-crafted aesthetic, the director has delivered a memorable debut that signals a bright future in narrative-driven music video direction. Supported by WIZZ and Le CNC, the project stands as a testament to the enduring power of collaborative, artisan-driven animation in contemporary media.
