Cartoon Forum Unveils Selection

Cartoon Forum has revealed the lineup for its next edition, to be held in person in Toulouse from September 20 to 23.

There will be 84 new TV series, miniseries and specials involving independent studios from 21 countries. Shortlisted from 141 submissions, the 84 selected projects have a total budget of €326.1 million with an average cost per series of €3.9 million.

Additionally, 37 percent of the projects (31) are co-productions between two or more European countries, and only one non-European country, Canada, participates as co-producer. France leads the selection with 33 projects, followed by Ireland with 11, Germany with 8, Spain with 6, Belgium with 5 and Portugal with 4. The Czech Republic and Denmark participate with four projects each, and Italy and Poland with three, while Finland, Latvia and Ukraine are present with one project each. With nine projects, Central and Eastern European countries keep the animation production momentum going.

Series aimed at children 6 to 11 account for almost half of the selection (41 projects). With 25 projects, preschool series represent almost a third of the selection, while YA/adults projects increased to 17 percent.

Over half (56 percent) are done in 2D, while 3D series grew to 28 percent.

Les Armateurs (Abyss Special Case Unit), Autour de Minuit (Freaked Out), Dandelooo (It’s Your Body!), Vivement Lundi! (Me and My Compost), Xilam Animation (Piggy Builders), Cyber Group Studios (The McFire Family), Ellipsanime Productions (Under the School), Les films du poisson rouge (Voro), Magical Society (Mister Crocodile) and Studio 100 Animation (Rek & Nola) are among the French production companies presenting their new projects at Cartoon Forum.

Further selections include Belgium’s Fabrique Fantastique (Gardener Gavin), Germany’s Ulysses Filmproduktion (Butterfly Academy), Italy’s Red Monk Studio (Nadia), Poland’s Animoon (Icky & Poo), Portugal’s Sardinha em Lata (Pete & Bern’s, and in co-production for The Saskatoons), Spain’s Peekaboo Animation (My Little Heroes) and Ukraine’s Animagrad (Hrafn Academy).

There is also new talent presenting their first projects. Four of them already took their first steps at Cartoon Springboard, the pitching event for new talents: Anselmo Wannabe (Italy’s IBRIDO Studio), Hygge (Germany’s Dreamin’ Dolphin Film), What it Takes (France’s Les Astronautes) and Space Ham (Denmark’s MiniCosmos).

Five projects were selected directly through cooperation agreements. The Polish project Robot and the Martians (Badi Badi) entered the lineup after being selected by CEE Animation Forum; the German series Lambs (Studio FILM BILDER) and Bugs and Guns (Wolkenlenker) were selected from Animation Production Days (APD); and the Belgian fund Créanimation, with the help of FWB (Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles) and RTBF, brought two more projects: Muscaria (Galmar Films) and Bookworms (Mad Cat Studio).

Toulouse and Occitanie/Pyrénées-Mediterranée Region animation will be presenting the TV special Sacha and the Christmas Creatures (Xbo films).

Some 20 of the selected projects are adaptations of comic books or books, including My Dog, God and the Pokethings (TNZPV Productions), Freaked Out (Autour de Minuit), Living with Dad (Dupuis Edition et Audiovisuel), Blue Wolfie (Label Anim), Suzon (Mondo TV France) and Corgi, A Royal Family (Studio Redfrog) from France; Tales of Terror (Dream Logic) and Freddy Buttons Wacky Mysteries (Treehouse Republic) from Ireland; and Hello, Oscar! (Atom Art, Latvia), Welcome to Mamoko (Pigeon, Poland) and Fio Lina and the Maestro (Serienwerk, Germany), among others.