"Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be" is a 2022 animated feature from France, Canada and Luxembourg that turns the drawing board itself into part of the story, imagining illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempé and writer René Goscinny at work between Montmartre and Saint-Germain-des-Prés as they bring a mischievous schoolboy to life on paper.
What is Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be about?
The film moves between two layers at once: the two creators sketching and arguing over their new character, and the boy himself, Nicolas, tearing through a merry, ordinary childhood of schoolyard games, playground fights, and summer camp pranks. Rather than simply illustrating a printed comic strip, the animation lets Nicolas step off the page to needle his makers, question their choices for him, and nudge the story in his own direction. The result is as much about the act of creating a beloved character as it is about the character himself, with the boy's camaraderie and everyday scrapes bringing new life to Sempé and Goscinny in turn.
About the cast
The French-language voice cast is led by Alain Chabat and Laurent Lafitte, joined by Simon Faliu, Alban Aumard, Alicia Hava, Aurélien de Branche, Claire Dumas and Delphine Baril, filling out Nicolas's classroom, family and neighborhood with the kind of warm, comic ensemble energy the source material is known for.
Context & significance
Directed by Benjamin Massoubre and Amandine Fredon, the film is a joint France-Canada-Luxembourg animated production released in 2022, running 86 minutes and holding a 7.1 rating with audiences. Its Animation and Family billing suits viewers who grew up on the printed Little Nicolas books as much as younger children meeting the character for the first time, and its hand-drawn, storybook-adjacent style keeps a visible link to Sempé's original line-and-wash illustrations.
Watching Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be on Ktime
"Little Nicholas: Happy As Can Be" streams on K-Time with Persian dubbing, making it an easy pick for Farsi-speaking family movie nights. Watching requires a free K-Time account login; the film page itself is open to browse without one, and the whole experience, from menus to search, is built around a Farsi-first audience.