From my childhood, it was obvious the French had a love of anime from series that made it to the UK, like Ulysses 31 [0] and The Mysterious Cities of Gold [1], co-productions between French and Japanese TV companies. I also thought Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds [2] was French, but it was produced in Spain.
Tangentially, Mysterious Cities of Gold played in the U.S. in the 80s, on the children's cable network Nickelodeon, along with another French show they called Spartakus and the Sun Beneath the Sea, evidently titled Les Mondes Engloutis in France. I also loved these shows as a kid!
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_31
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysterious_Cities_of_Gold
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogtanian_and_the_Three_Muskeh...