Between Reality and Lyoko: Hybrid Animation and Digital Identity in Code Lyoko

國立臺灣師範大學科技與工程學院圖文傳播學系 碩士論述報告 Between Reality and Lyoko: Hybrid Animation and Digital Identity in Code Lyoko 現實與 Lyoko 之間：〈Code Lyoko〉中的混合動畫與數位身分 指導教授：張晏榕 教授 研究生：Alejandro Jose Fuentes 馮翰軒 中華民國114年12月

Introduction

It would be difficult to imagine life in 2025 without the ubiquitous and ever-evolving presence of technology. Artificial intelligence (AI) now sits at the forefront of this technological development, as it becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life. While contemporary discussions of AI often frame it as a novel and unprecedented phenomenon, there were similar anxieties surrounding emerging technologies in the early 2000s. This period was marked by widespread cultural unease towards the internet, AI, and virtual environments, reflected in popular films of the time such as The Matrix franchise, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004), and I, Robot (2004). A lesser-known but equally revealing animated series that engages with these concerns is Code Lyoko.

     Created by Thomas Romain and Tania Palumbo, Code Lyoko is a French animated cartoon that aired between 2003 and 2008 on France 3 and Canal J in France, and on Cartoon Network in the United States. The series spans four seasons and 97 episodes, following a group of five teenage boarding school students–known as the Lyoko warriors–as they battle X.A.N.A., a malevolent artificial intelligence seeking to infiltrate and destroy the world–all while they also deal with the ups and downs of adolescent life. The narrative unfolds across two distinct spaces: the everyday “real world,” depicted through traditional hand-drawn animation, and Lyoko, a virtual cyberspace rendered in 3D computer-generated imagery. While a later live-action sequel exists, this essay focuses exclusively on the original series.

Through its deliberate visual separation between the 2D real world and the 3D cyberspace of Lyoko, as well as the contrast between the characters’ real-world ordinary appearances and their digital avatars with superhuman abilities, Code Lyoko employs its hybrid animation aesthetic as a means of exploring how technology shapes individual identity and influences the structure of reality itself. In doing so, the series reflects early-2000s cultural anxieties surrounding artificial intelligence and virtual existence, using animation form not merely as a storytelling device, but also as a central component of its thematic critique.

Production Background

The conception of Code Lyoko originated from a film short titled Les enfants font leur cinéma, directed by Thomas Romain with the help of Tania Palumbo and produced by visual art school students (Lachasse, 2020). The French animation company Antefilms was interested in this film and offered the duo a contract to develop it into a series (Lachasse, 2020). This became what would be called Garage Kids.

The idea behind Garage Kids was the predecessor to what would later become Code Lyoko; inspired by films and anime like The Matrix, Serial Experiments Lain, and Neon Genesis Evangelion, Garage Kids was about a group of four French boarding school students that discovered a secret virtual world that was created by a "Professor" character (Lachasse, 2020). The virtual world was called Xanadu and was inhabited by malevolent creatures the group of students fought against (Lachasse, 2020). Following Antefilm’s suggestion to make a clear distinction between the physical world and the virtual world of Xanadu, the physical world was illustrated through traditional 2D animation while Xanadu was depicted through computer generated imagery (Lachasse, 2020). Initially serial in nature, the writing format for Garage Kids eventually became more episodic to allow networks to air the episodes regardless of order of episode and address an initial hesitation of alienating viewers who missed the first episode (Lachasse, 2020). It is important to note also that Romain and Palumbo wanted to avoid the series becoming “too playful and superficial,” so they made sure to write episodes with more suspenseful and tense moments (Lachasse, 2020). 

Garage Kids would later be sold to France 3 and Canal J who requested a name change to the series, thus the show became known as Code Lyoko, with Lyoko coming from the Japanese word “旅行” (ryokō, meaning travel) to further emphasize the idea of entering the virtual world of the same name (Lachasse, 2020). The original name Xanadu was shortened to X.A.N.A and became the name of the malevolent artificial intelligence computer program and overarching antagonist of Code Lyoko. The garage kids came to be known as the Lyoko warriors, and were five in number: Jeremie Belpois–founder and “brains” behind the Lyoko warriors, Aelita “Stones” Schaeffer–deuteragonist and most valuable member of the Lyoko warriors with deep connections to Lyoko, Odd Della Robbia–the goofy and comedic relief, Ulrich Stern–the reserved but agile and athletic member, and Yumi Ishiyama–the eldest, most mature and serious member of the Lyoko warriors (Code Lyoko Fandom, n.d.). Along with the five Lyoko warriors, several other recurring characters and entities make appearances throughout the show either in the physical world or on Lyoko.       

The writing process for each episode of Code Lyoko generally took around 2-3 weeks and went as follows: the head writer would ask for pitches from the other writers. Good pitches would receive approval from the directors, production and broadcasting team. The writers would then submit a four-page synopsis and seek approval a second time. After receiving second approval, the script was written and after being approved once more, would be sent over to the production team (Code Lyoko France, n.d.). Production would require the writing team to approve a minimum of four scripts per month (Code Lyoko France, n.d.).

In terms of animation, the traditional, 2D hand-drawn animation was handled overseas by Animation Services Hong Kong Limited, Fantasia Animation, and Welkin Animation for the first two seasons of the show (Tchoucky et al., n.d.). From the third season onwards, Hong Kong Limited’s studio had a team specifically dedicated to animation for Code Lyoko, supervised by members of the Antefilm Paris office (Tchoucky et al., n.d.). This was done to ensure visual consistency and quality. The 3D CGI animation was produced in-house at the Antefilm office in Angoulême by their CGI team (Tchoucky et al., n.d.).   

Narrative Structure and Themes

In terms of Code Lyoko’s narrative structure, it follows the “monster-of-the-week” format common for serialized cartoons (Lachasse, 2020). This was done per request of the networks airing Code Lyoko to avoid alienating its viewers and draw in consistent viewership (Lachasse, 2020). However, although most plots are episodic in nature, Code Lyoko does have its own set of lore that is explored throughout the series, namely related to Dr. Franz Hopper, the original creator of Lyoko and father to Aelita, who under mysterious circumstances disappeared. The plots of each episode are also connected to each other within each season, especially within the final two seasons, and mechanics introduced in earlier seasons tend to stay consistent throughout the different seasons unless explicitly changed in the storyline.   

A typical episode of Code Lyoko follows the following structure: the Lyoko warriors go about their normal daily routine in the real-world when suddenly some malevolent occurrence causes the team to suspect X.A.N.A’s doing. The team (or part of the team as X.A.N.A. tries its best to prevent the Lyoko warriors from accessing Lyoko) transport to Lyoko to fight digital monsters and ultimately thwart X.A.N.A’s plans, albeit temporarily. As for the heroes in the real-world, they are left to fend off whatever menacing force X.A.N.A has sent them, and often find themselves in near-death situations, only saved last minute by the team’s success on Lyoko. A “return-to-the-past” mechanism is triggered, returning the characters back to the time at the start of the episode and erasing everyone’s memories of the day’s events, with the exception of the Lyoko warriors (Code Lyoko Fandom, n.d.).

In addition to the overarching themes of good vs evil and humans vs technology, other prominent themes developed in the show include coming-of-age, friendship and romance, secrecy and identity. Being of school-kid age, the Lyoko warriors not only deal with dangers posed by X.A.N.A’s schemes, they also deal with external pressures of school, family, and relationships–the latter of which X.A.N.A often exploits to thwart the Lyoko Warrior’s attempts at stopping it. The themes of secrecy and identity are also prominent throughout this show and are strongly interconnected. Other than a few select individuals, only the Lyoko warriors are allowed to know about the existence of Lyoko and X.A.N.A, and only do the Lyoko warriors themselves have any recollection of the dangers they face and the heroic acts and sacrifices they make for the greater good go unthanked.

Furthermore, the malevolent portrayal of X.A.N.A and its creations as well as the hazardous nature of the Lyoko cyberspace and its inhabitants within the show are metaphorical portrayals of uncertainty and paranoia towards technology.  

Visual Styles and Hybrid Formatting 

Code Lyoko takes place across two spaces, the physical “real” world and the cyberspace called Lyoko. The animation delineates the separation of these two worlds clearly through the different visual styles–traditional, hand-drawn 2D animation for the real-world and computer generated 3D images for Lyoko and different world laws; however, it is important to note that the separation between the physical world and Lyoko is not untraversable as both X.A.N.A and the Lyoko warriors are able to travel between both realms, albeit following specific principles.   

While Code Lyoko for the most part is culturally ambiguous, it canonically takes place in France. The creators were intentional about portraying the real world as accurately as possible within the universe of Code Lyoko, wanting to depart from the tradition of Americanifying French settings done by other French animation of the time (Lachasse, 2020). The physical world settings in the cartoon are thus based on the real places in France. The Kadic Academy (based on the real Lycée Lakanal located in the Paris metropolitan area, and the alma mater of Thomas Romain) where the Lyoko warriors are matriculated is located in the real city of Boulogne-Billancourt (Lachasse, 2020; Code Lyoko France). The Factory-another key location in the real world of Code Lyoko-is also based on a real Renault factory (Lachasse, 2020). 

In the physical world, the Lyoko warriors' ordinary appearances and outfits are somewhat reflective of their personality. Their appearance is consistent throughout the first three seasons, but in the fourth season they are portrayed with updated outfits.

Between seasons 1-3, Jeremy wears big glasses and simple clothes, reflecting his modest and academic aptitude. Aleita has bright pink hair and also wears simple clothes, and similar to Jeremy is also very intelligent and vulnerable, but brave and resourceful. Yumi wears an all black outfit with black boots, reflecting her initial coldness towards people but ultimately she is loyal to those she cares for. Odd’s signature look features spiked Blonde hair with a purple streak and purple clothes, suitable for his otherwise eccentric character. Finally, Ulrich sports a casual and loose fitting look that works with his agility and athleticness. In the fourth season, all the characters get updated wardrobes; however, the changes can be summarized as the characters gaining a slightly more mature appearance.    

On the other hand, Lyoko as a digital world is abstract and only loosely based on biomes of the real world. Lyoko is composed of five sectors: the Ice Sector, Desert Sector, Forest Sector, Mountain Sector, and Sector 5 (a celestial dome that acts as the “heart” of Lyoko). Along with these five sectors, there is the Digital Sea which represents the Global Internet (Code Lyoko Fandom, n.d.). Although water-like in appearance and vast like the ocean, the Digital Sea is a hostile and forbidden environment that deletes anything that falls into it with the exception of a few entities. In earlier seasons, only the outer sea is visible; only until later seasons when the Lyoko Warriors develop the Skidbladnir, a ship that allows them to navigate the Digital Sea, are we able to see the inner deep sea (Code Lyoko Fandom, n.d.).

With the exception of Jeremy who almost never enters Lyoko and instead operates the supercomputer to aid the other Lyoko warriors, the appearance of the Lyoko Warriors on Lyoko and their respective superhuman abilities are deeply tied to their personalities. In seasons 1-3, Aeilita’s Lyoko has an elf-like appearance with her signature pink hair, and due to her connection to Lyoko, she is the only one able to perform coding actions on Lyoko. While her power of producing energy fields is weaker than the abilities of the other Lyoko warriors leaving her vulnerable, she has the ability to create and manipulate objects with her mind. In season 4, her updated outfit includes the addition of retractable pink energy wings that allow her to fly and carry up to one other person. Yumi's outfits throughout the show are inspired by Japanese Kimono, a nod to her Japanese heritage. She wields two fans that work like boomerangs as her weapon, and she also has the ability of telekinesis. Odd has a cat-like outfit with a tail that allows him to climb steep terrains and shoot lazer arrows from his knuckles. This outfit is probably due to him secretly keeping a pet dog in his dorm. Finally, Ulrich’s outfit is based on Samurai and Noh theater, and he wields a single katana (two katanas in the fourth season) as his main weapon. He also has the abilities of super sprint and replicate which allow him to run at high speeds and create holograms of himself to confuse X.A.N.A’s monsters. This outfit and his abilities are based on his real-world athleticism and proficiency in Pencak Silat along with Yumi (Code Lyoko Fandom, n.d.).  

Analysis of Visual Identity of Code Lyoko

Antefilm’s initial suggestion to animate the digital world aspects of Code Lyoko with CGI was done with the goals of making the show more unique, developing a videogame-like theme, and making the separation between the ordinary physical world and digital world clearer (Lachasse, 2020). I agree that this dual-visual style approach to Code Lyoko is not only effective, but also crucial to tell the story that Code Lyoko tells. Additionally, having a clear distinction between the 2D physical world and 3D digital world gives the creators more creative freedom in world building in a way that avoids the show becoming too fantastical or inconsistent with its own rules. In other words, the creators could create the 2D physical world of Code Lyoko to be parallel to our world and follow the same laws as ours, while simultaneously creating a separate 3D world with its own logic and rules.

 However, beyond this, I think this style of animation is especially significant for the portrayal of the theme of technology anxiety of the early 2000s era. Through this 2D real-world vs 3D digital world format, Code Lyoko is able to holistically portray how technology affects individuals and society, both positively and negatively.

Although X.A.N.A (and Lyoko) is a piece of technology gone rouge, its malevolent nature is what ultimately brought the Lyoko warriors together and blossomed into their friendship, cemented by their shared goal of stopping X.A.N.A and keeping the world safe. The digital landscape of Lyoko provides a space for Aelita, Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd to temporarily escape the pressures of the real-world and instead be the heroes and fight against evil. They are able to grow more confident and brave together, skills that then transfer into their real-world lives. As for Jeremy, although he does not physically enter Lyoko, as the operator of the supercomputer and de-facto leader of the Lyoko warriors, it is his keen knowledge of computers that allows him to transform from being a meek character into an adaptive and strong leader. The 3D world is thus a fantastical landscape in which the characters are able to develop themselves freely; this freedom is also reflected in the vastness of Lyoko and its different sectors as well as the distinct costumes, powers and abilities the Lyoko warriors wield. Beyond Code Lyoko, virtual worlds exist in many different forms in modern society, and often it is a place that allows for individuals to connect with others in an environment that can sometimes be more comfortable than the real-world, such as on social media.  

On the flipside, Code Lyoko very clearly highlights the negative sides to technology, however. Even though X.A.N.A is never directly illustrated as an entity, its existence manifests through its ability to possess and create anthropomorphic representations of itself, both on Lyoko and in the physical world. In a sense, X.A.N.A represents what happens when technology becomes too advanced and we no longer have control over it. The mishaps that X.A.N.A causes in the physical world, such as causing circuit shortages, gas leakages, bus brake failure, airplane engine failure, and rerouting military missiles are all plausible dangers that can happen in real life due to technological difficulties. Though X.A.N.A lacks a physical body, it can still be represented visually through these actions. That these incidents are portrayed in the 2D world of Code Lyoko makes it less abstract, and more connected to our real world. 

The negative consequences are further illustrated when the boundaries between the physical and digital world are crossed by X.A.N.A, specifically when it spawns its monsters that normally only exist on Lyoko into the real world. These 2D versions of the monsters not only pose real threats to humanity, but they also represent the blurred lines between the physical world and the digital world. By having the normally 3D monsters cross the threshold and enter the 2D world, Code Lyoko is sending the message that there is no longer a real boundary between the physical and digital world, or rather, it is no longer possible to go into the real world to escape the problems of the digital world as they will just follow along. By allowing technology to become such a ubiquitous part of society, we also open ourselves to the risks posed by the misuse of said technology as there is no longer a clear separation between the two. In other words, while technology gives people certain advantages, it also introduces unprecedented dangers that cannot be simply mitigated by ceasing its use because technology has already become such an inseparable part of our lives.  

Conclusion

In conclusion, Code Lyoko as a cartoon show deals with issues that go beyond borders and features themes that are mature for its intended young audience. Its story and plotlines are a direct reflection of the cultural anxiety around technology in the early 2000s, and it strategically uses a dual 2D traditional animation and 3D CGI animation style to diverge and converge the boundaries between the physical world and digital world to holistically explore the nature of the relationship between humans and technologies. In this current age of widespread AI use, the message Code Lyoko tells is especially important to consider, even if it seems far from reality at the moment.

References

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