Cartoon Forum, the pitching and co-production forum for animated TV projects, wrapped up the online catch-up sessions and other events that were held till 15 October, following an in-person event between 20 to 23 September in Toulouse. A total of 1018 professionals (867 in Toulouse, 151 online) from all over the world, including 267 buyers were able to get to know the next generation of European animation series.
“Complying with the current health measures, the opening of the 32nd Cartoon Forum was celebrated on 20 September with a welcome dinner held at the Pierre Baudis Convention Centre, a long-awaited reunion after last year’s break due to the health crisis. Welcoming words were made by Cartoon general director Annick Maes, Jean-Luc Moudenc (Mayor of Toulouse and President of Toulouse Métropole), Occitanie Region Cultural VP Claire Fita, Centre National Du Cinéma et de l’image Animée (CNC) general director Olivier Henrard, and Luis Chaby Vaz, President of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual of Portugal (ICA), this edition’s Spotlight country,” Cartoon Forum mentioned on their official website.
With the event already underway, the 84 selected projects (460 hours of animation in total) were presented throughout three days in inspiring pitching sessions. They were shortlisted from 141 submissions, the projects involved 21 countries and had a total budget of 326.1 M€ with an average cost per series of 3.9 M€.
The selected titles include 41 projects aimed at six to 11 year olds, 25 projects for preschoolers, 14 projects aimed at young-adults/adults. 2D remains the most widely used animation technique employed by European producers (56 per cent), although 3D series grows to 28 per cent versus 20 per cent in 2020.
France led the selection with 33 projects, followed by Ireland with 11, Germany with eight, Spain with six, and Belgium with five. Czech Republic, Denmark and Portugal participated with four projects each, and Italy and Poland with three, while Finland, Latvia and Ukraine were present with one project each.
Nearly a quarter of the selected projects are adaptations of comic books or books, including My Dog, God and the Pokethings (TNZPV Productions), Blue Wolfie (Label Anim), and Suzon (Mondo TV) from France; Tales of Terror (Dream Logic) and Freddy Buttons Wacky Mysteries (Treehouse Republic) from Ireland; as well as Hello, Oscar! (Atom Art, Latvia), Welcome to Mamoko (Pigeon, Poland), and Fio Lina and the Maestro (Serienwerk, Germany), among others.
The line-up also included animation documentary series such as Cannabiz (Lardux Films & Neos Films, France), and Starting with Hope (Moukda Production, France).
Five projects with largest (onsite + online) attendance: (All French projects)
Mister Crocodile (Joann Sfar’s Magical Society),
Me and My Compost (Vivement Lundi ! & Superprod),
Under the School (Ellipsanime Productions & Timpel Pictures)
Living with Dad (Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel in coproduction with Belgium’s
Freaked Out (Autour de Minuit & FKLG)
Top five coproductions:
Living with Dad (Dupuis Edition & Audiovisuel & Belvision, France / Belgium)
Corgi, a Royal Family (Studio Redfrog & nWave, France / Belgium)
Tales of Terror (Dream Logic & Lupus Films, Ireland / United Kingdom)
Tommy Pepper (Lunanime & Melusine Productions, Belgium / Luxembourg)
Space Ham (MiniCosmos & Dandelooo, Denmark / France).
Top five projects of new producers: (Projects by new producers, the top five pitching sessions with the largest attendance)
Mister Crocodile (Joann Sfar’s Magical Society, France)
What it Takes (Les Astronautes, France)
Beaver & Co (Plip ! Animation, France)
The Seniors (Vernes & MAUR film, Czech Republic),
Space Ham (MiniCosmos & Dandelooo, Denmark and France)
As the spotlight country, Portugal took centre stage at the 32nd Cartoon Forum. With a mission led by the Institute for Cinema and Audiovisual (ICA) and the Portugal Film Commission (PFC), the country featured five projects at the Forum.
They were:
Biriki (Sparkle Animation/Abano Producións),
Pete & Berne’s (Sardinha em Lata),
The Adventures of Princess P (Ukbar Filmes),
The Saskatoons (Spain’s Pikkukala in co-production with Sardinha em Lata)
What’s It All About? (Take It Easy).
Throughout the event, participants had the opportunity to learn about Portugal’s main animation production companies and the economic incentives they offer to produce and co-produce in their territory.
The Cartoon Tributes were awarded to Belgium’s Ketnet-VRT, France’s MIAM! Animation and TAT productions.
Ketnet was recognised as ‘Broadcaster of the year’. As the children’s brand of VRT, the public broadcaster in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium, their programmes are aimed at children up to 12 years old. While Ketnet Junior is a sub-brand aimed at children up to six years old.
Both a production and distribution company and a studio, MIAM! Animation was awarded as ‘Distributor/Investor of the year’. One of the main studios in Toulouse and the Occitanie Region, TAT productions was recognised as ‘Producer of the year’.
All the winners were voted online by the professionals registered at the event.
Other activities held during the event were Cartoon Forum’s ‘Coaching Programme’, which gives students from animation schools, based both in the region and in the spotlight country, the possibility of discovering the animation industry from the inside. Cartoon Forum also helped with the organisation of ‘Les Toons Débarquent!’, a festival organised by the association ACREAMP to celebrate the richness of animation in Toulouse and Occitanie.