Just like Netflix is doing, Disney is starting to work stronger with the different countries where the platform is available. No wonder that the choice fell on France – the European capital of Disney entertainment. How did the first fantastic production from Disney come out in collaboration with the French team on their platform?
Alpine team
Imagine the French Alps, picturesque streets, wild nature, a bunker and time travel and parallel worlds. Sounds nice? Well, it is, although all that glitters is not gold.
The layout of the characters is also interesting. When we meet the main characters in the first minutes – Samuel, Victor, Romaine and Bilal, they are children. Samuel seems to be the natural leader of the pack – a handsome, cultured, but also intelligent young man. After disrupting the time of space, he becomes the youngest member of the team, and besides, without any special ability to manipulate time, not like his Romaine or Victor, and far from the look of playboy Bilal. It is also impossible not to mention the mother of one of the characters – Sofia Belkbebirs played by Naider Ayadi. This character serves as a guide explaining to the viewer the physical and theoretical complexities related to interdimensional travel.
Confusion with confusion
In places this series reminded me of the Secrets of Sagala,although apart from the young heroes, it had nothing in common with this youth TV hit from the 90s. I think that, however, apart from focusing on the mysterious aura, we could also see the everyday problems of the presented characters, which gave them a certain depth. Bilal – the big brain, but without success with the girls, Sam – the older brother who cannot plead with his parents for his younger brother Victor, suffering from his parents’ inflated ambitions and finally. The female main character seems to be the best characterologically developed. A maturing young woman has problems not only of a love nature, but also has to face the loss of her friends, the problems of her mother, caring for her younger sister and face an insidious stepfather, who may not be an abuser, but robs his own family of money, thus leading to the monetary ruin of all its members. Surprisingly, it seems that someone may have Russian roots (the actor’s name is Dimitr). Well, the show was shot almost a year ago, but with that twist it tied in with the current political situation.
Another interesting hero is Victor. His older character, played by Jules Houplain, is downright mesmerizing. Interestingly, if it were not a family series, I think that the creators could easily create a psychopathic murderer, towards which the character of Victor was leaning. Nevertheless, he still remains the most terrifying, brutal and complicated (with his baggage of experiences) Disney character in the youth series. Thank you France for this great step for Mickey Mouse TV and streaming.
Of course, this series has its weaknesses. One of them is the overwhelming aura accompanying the heroes. I get the impression that the creators are trying to create an atmosphere of eternal tension, fear, approaching by convention something on the border of thriller and horror, which is intertwined with strange and not funny interjections. Despite the lack of a conceptual whole, this story is watched as it is, and waiting for the resolution of subsequent threads over the course of six episodes.
French tendency to rummage through the past
This is not the first time travel series Disney has produced with its French partners. In 2018-2020, Find Me in Paris was broadcast on the Hulu platform about a young ballerina who got embroiled in a great intrigue related to time travel. In addition to a well-matched soundtrack, tailored to the Smallvile Secrets, and a great set design presenting both Paris and southern France, it was another teen drama aimed primarily at a young viewer.
Due to my love for France, its culture and language, and cinema, I will probably watch new series or movies, also for young viewers. However, I’d rather see more than just a time travel theme, or perhaps more polished than the ones Disney has been giving us recently. A few special effects based on a freeze frame are not the top of the special effects that we can see in the latest productions. Finally, I would like to add that all six episodes have been uploaded from the very beginning and if you do not want to wait for the premiere of Disney + in Poland, all episodes are dubbed in Polish.