EBU Selects New Animated Co-Production for Development

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), France Télévisions and CARTOON have selected the French production Elle(s) for further development out of more than 70 projects presented at the 2025 edition of Cartoon Forum.

Produced by GO-N Productions and aimed primarily at viewers aged 9 to 12, Elle(s) is an animated adaptation of the graphic novels by Kid Toussaint and Aveline Stokart. Under the coordination of the EBU and at the initiative of France Télévisions and CARTOON, a group of nine public-service broadcasters have committed over €60,000 to the development of the series.

Elle(s) will be the fourth series developed within the EBU Animation Co-Development initiative, followed by Ray & Ruby, Pig & Andersen and My Life is a Manga.

Development materials from Elle(s) will be delivered at Cartoon Forum in 2026, after which EBU member broadcasters will be able to exercise a first-look option to acquire rights to the series.

“Serving young audiences is a core mission of public service media, and it’s a mission we fulfill best when we work together,” said Matthew Trustram, head of television at the EBU. “Our animation co-production initiative brings broadcasters into close collaboration, enabling them to support independent creators and develop standout content—such as Elle(s)—for children across Europe. By joining forces in this way, we are safeguarding a diverse and thriving European animation sector in an increasingly competitive world.”

“We are delighted that Cartoon Forum has once again hosted this initiative, helping pave the way for stronger European and collective cooperation,” commented Annick Maes, general director of CARTOON. “As unilateral funding becomes increasingly difficult, this initiative provides an opportunity for both producers and public commissioners to rethink what European distribution can be and to promote cross-border distribution among European public broadcasters. Building on the success of the 2025 edition, we look forward with confidence to those that will follow.”