Cartoon Forum 2022 Begins

This year’s edition of Cartoon Forum, featuring 80 new animated series from 19 European countries, begins today, September 19, and will run through September 22.

The event will host around 1,075 participants from 40 countries, and broadcasters, distributors, investors, streamers, book publishers and game representatives are among the 292 buyers and decision-makers attending.

Shortlisted from 137 submissions, the 80 projects chosen have a total budget of €367.2 million, with an average cost per series of €4.5 million. The programs represent 473 hours of new content.

France leads the selection with 37 projects, followed by Spain with 8, while Ireland and Germany are represented with 6 each. Italy participates with 5 projects, Poland with 3, and Belgium and Denmark with 2 each. Austria, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Serbia and Sweden are represented with 1 each.

Of this year’s selected titles, 30 are adaptations from comic books and books.

The wide range of topics addressed show some prevailing trends, including environmental issues, diversity and social inclusion. Also of note in this year’s selection is the number of projects created from a female perspective and starring strong female characters.

Series targeting children (from preschool to age 11) and families remain the focus of European animation, with 85 percent of the titles targeting this group. The remaining 15 percent of projects target young adults/adults (11 percent) and teens (4 percent).

On the final day of Cartoon Forum, the Cartoon Tributes will be awarded. The nominees for broddcaster of the year are Germany’s KiKA, Slovakia’s RTVS, France’s TF1 and GLITCH. The candidates for investor/distributor of the year are Denmark’s DR Sales, Italy’s KidsMe, France’s Nathan Univers Jeunesse and Spain’s GoldBee. Producer of the year nominees are France’s Normaal and Watch Next Media, Poland’s Letko and Spain’s Peekaboo Animation.