Three companies from Denmark, Ireland and Germany banded together to present Angelo © A Film/nDF/Magma Films.

Another stop-frame project was The Christmas Bunny, a 50-minute special from Living Doll in Cardiff. Producer Jackie Edwards and director Tracy Spottiswoode have created a beautiful story about Truffly the Easter Bunny, who gets mixed up with the Christmas decorations and is determined to make it to the top of the tree. Welsh broadcaster S4C has already put up €400,000 of the €1.7 million budget.

TV-Loonland’s offering this time came in the shape of the highly original Sam Hamwich, Superhero Sandwich. The 52x11 series will tell the story of a flying ham sandwich and his sidekick Chip Sideorder as they take on the likes of evil Dr Broccoli and Gina Fettucine!

The return of The Amazing ANDRENALIN! Brothers raised expectations. © Pesky Limited 2003. All rights reserved.

Angelo was jointly presented by Karsten Kiilerich of Denmark’s A Film, Ralph Christians from Magma Films in Ireland and Matthias Walter of NDF in Germany — all successful animation producers in their own right as well as having strong co-production track records. The show tells the story of a 12-year-old nerd and his wild and fun-loving guardian angel. The 26x22 series has a budget of €6M and is aimed at a 8-12 audience.

One of the most exciting bits of news at the Forum was the return of Pesky’s The Amazing ADRENALINI! Brothers. Already stars of a series of two-and-a-half minute shorts on CBBC, Nickelodeon and channels around the world, the most fearless stunt performers of all time are preparing to team up once again for 26 expanded 11-minute shows. David Hodgson and the Pesky team even set up a live satellite link with Xan, Adi and Enk in an effort to raise the €200-230,000 per half-hour needed to make the series.

The Trials of an Orange Aardvark might wind up as a set of interstitials. © 2003 Spider Eye Ltd.

Cartoon Forum regulars Siriol Prods. were on hand with Holly’s Helpline, a 26x11 stop-frame preschool series about an agony aunt for the animal kingdom. A quarter of the €2.8 million budget has already been secured from Welsh broadcaster S4C.

Elephant Prods. presented a recreation of a classic British animation series from the 1980s. Willo The Wisp, is set to be directed by Bobbie Spargo, daughter of original creator Nick Spargo. Plans are for an initial series of 13 five-minute episodes.

The Trials of an Orange Aardvark was a charming concept created by Iranian writer Behzad Farahat and presented by Morgan Francis of British studio Spider Eye. Pitched as a 26x5 series at €4,275 a minute, broadcasters in the room said it’s future was more likely to be as a shorter package of amusing interstitials.