Premiere - Marsupilami: laughter, applause, and animatronics for this premiere at UGC Ciné Cité La Défense

By Mulder, Puteaux, UGC Ciné Cité La Défense,, 30 january 2026

On January 30, 2026, our media outlet was present at UGC Ciné Cité La Défense in Puteaux to cover the premiere of Marsupilami, in a decidedly festive and family-friendly atmosphere that perfectly matched the film's DNA. Before the screening, the audience and press were treated to a friendly meet-and-greet with Philippe Lacheau, Jamel Debbouze, Tarek Boudali, and Julien Arruti, as well as animatronics manager Nicolas Herlin and VFX supervisor Sébastien Nebout, all of whom were visibly happy to present this highly anticipated project, marked by contagious energy and genuine collective pride. After the screening, Nicolas Herlin and Sébastien Nebout returned to answer numerous questions from the audience and, above all, to present the Marsupilami animatronic. This film is undoubtedly a pure feel-good movie, generous, fast-paced and genuinely funny, which provoked laughter and applause throughout the screening, confirming that it will be one of the major family events in French cinema in 2026.

Scheduled for nationwide release on February 4, 2026, Marsupilami marks the return to the big screen of one of the most iconic characters in Franco-Belgian comics, created in 1952 by André Franquin and already adapted for cinema in 2012 with Sur la piste du Marsupilami, directed by Alain Chabat. This new version, directed by Philippe Lacheau, seeks neither to deny the past nor to copy it, but to offer a modern and confident reinterpretation, deeply rooted in the world of Fifi's gang. The project was born out of an initiative by the Pathé group, producer and distributor of the 2012 film, which saw Philippe Lacheau as the ideal director to reinvent the character while respecting its heritage, thanks to his precise sense of rhythm, his well-oiled team dynamics, and his avowed love of pop culture and adventure films from the 1980s and 1990s.

Narratively, the film opts for a very accessible style, designed to appeal to all generations. David, a man who is in danger of losing his job, accepts a dubious mission: to bring back a mysterious package from South America. Aboard a cruise ship, accompanied by his ex-girlfriend Tess, his son Leo, and his colleague Stéphane, a character as clumsy as he is unpredictable, the situation escalates when the package is opened by mistake, revealing a Marsupilami baby that is as adorable as it is unmanageable. From there, the story descends into carefully orchestrated chaos, with a series of chases, visual gags, and misunderstandings, while developing a genuine emotional subtext around the family unit, separation, and the parent-child relationship. The idea of the baby Marsupilami, which was worked on at length during the writing process by Philippe Lacheau, Pierre Lacheau, Julien Arruti, and Pierre Dudan, brings a central emotional dimension, clearly inspired by the relationship between Elliott and E.T., without ever sacrificing comic effectiveness, the result of numerous rewrites and very precise collective work.

The particularly rich cast reflects this ambition to create a great popular epic. Philippe Lacheau, Tarek Boudali, Élodie Fontan, Julien Arruti, Alban Ivanov, Corentin Guillot, Reem Kherici, Gérard Jugnot, Didier Bourdon, and Jean Reno make up a gallery of characters designed as much to serve the plot as to fuel the gags. Jamel Debbouze's highly acclaimed return in the role of Pablito Camaron, which he had already played in 2012, is one of the most talked-about elements of the film. Without officially being a sequel or a reboot, Marsupilami skillfully plays on ambiguity, creating an obvious link with the previous film while leaving the viewer complete freedom of interpretation. According to the press kit, the collaboration with Jamel Debbouze was characterized by a great deal of freedom to improvise, with the famous “Jamel take” being systematically shot at the end of each sequence, often bringing extra energy or a totally unpredictable comic pause.

Technically, Marsupilami stands out for its bold and confident choice to use animatronics to bring the baby Marsupilami to life, under the supervision of Nicolas Herlin, in order to preserve a physical and emotional presence that Philippe Lacheau considered essential. Visual effects take over in the most spectacular sequences, but being able to actually “hold” the animal on screen greatly enhances the viewer's attachment, especially in scenes shared with Corentin Guillot, whose casting from among more than 5,000 children proved decisive for the film's emotional credibility. Filming, which took place over 62 days between July and November 2024, took the team to Thailand, Greece, and France, to impressive natural settings, particularly in the Krabi region, sometimes shared with major international productions, giving this adventure comedy a visual scope rarely achieved in this genre in France.

Finally, Marsupilami is full of nods and references, from Jurassic Park to Gremlins, Titanic to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Les Goonies, The Big Blue and Ice Age. Far from being a simple gratuitous catalog, these tributes function as a common language with the viewer, reinforcing intergenerational complicity. Carried by the music of Michaël Tordjman and Maxime Desprez, and by particularly careful sound work led by Frédéric Le Louët, the film fully embraces its role as unifying entertainment. With a running time of 99 minutes and distributed by Pathé Films, Marsupilami promises to be one of the major family events of 2026, carried by a team that is conscious of the legacy it is managing and clearly eager to pass it on with sincerity, humor, and contagious enthusiasm, already widely confirmed by this preview screening.

You can see our photos on our Flickr page here, here and here

Synopsis:
To save his job, David agrees to a risky plan: to bring back a mysterious package from South America. He finds himself on a cruise with his ex Tess, his son Léo, and his colleague Stéphane, who is as naive as he is clumsy, and whom he uses to transport the package for him. Everything changes when Stéphane accidentally opens it: an adorable baby Marsupilami appears and the trip turns into chaos! Fifi's gang is back and has made a new friend...

Marsupilami
Directed by Philippe Lacheau
Written by Philippe Lacheau, Pierre Lacheau, Julien Arruti, and Pierre Dudan
Based on the character created by André Franquin
Produced by Patrice Ledoux and Jérôme Seydoux
Starring Philippe Lacheau, Jamel Debbouze, Tarek Boudali, Élodie Fontan, Julien Arruti, Jean Reno, Corentin Guillot, Gérard Jugnot, Didier Bourdon, Alban Ivanov, and Reem Khouri
Starring Philippe Lacheau, Jamel Debbouze, Tarek Boudali, Élodie Fontan, Julien Arruti, Jean Reno, Corentin Guillot, Gérard Jugnot, Didier Bourdon, Alban Ivanov, Reem Kherici, Booder, Vincent Desagnat, Romain Lancry, Paco Boisson, Laurent Spielvogel, Claudette Walker, Arthur Sanigou
Director of photography: Pierric Gantelmi d'Ille
Editing: Antoine Vareille
Music: Michaël Tordjman, Maxime Desprez
Production companies: Pathé Films, BAF Prod
Distribution: Pathé Films (France)
Release date: February 4, 2026 (France)
Running time: 99 minutes

Photos and video: Boris Colletier / Mulderville