This paper analyses the linguistic and translation challenges posed by a product that we define as `hybrid': the French cartoon series Il etait une fois... la vie (Albert Barille, 1986), which aims to show a very specific audience -children -how the human body works. It is an audiovisual product that draws on specialised translation, intended for consumption by children for didactic and pedagogical purposes. This particular confluence of characteristics makes it an interesting object of study to explore the use of AV in the biomedical field.