At the 1997 Convention and Conference of the National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE), our reporter on the scene, asked animation distributors: "What are some of the considerations involved in developing, producing, and ultimately distributing animation to the international market?" Herein are a selection of answers followed by some comments drawn from a panel discussion "Animation: The Universal Language," moderated by Cartoon Network President Betty Cohen , which discussed the realities of the much-hyped global marketplace for animation.

Joel Andryc, Saban's Senior Vice President of Development.

Joel Andryc, Senior Vice President of Development, Saban Entertainment, says he looks for properties that "transcend cultural boundaries" by having evergreen appeal, or universal animal characters, citing as examples the Saban shows The Adventures of Oliver Twist based on the classic literature of Charles Dickens, and 20,000 Leagues in Outer Space a modern adaptation of the Jules Verne classic. "Most importantly," adds Andryc "a show has to have compelling characters and stories. If you don't have those elements, you have a show that won't entertain and won't sell internationally or domestically." Andryc attributes the success of Saban as a global company to the vision of its founder, noting that, "Ten years ago, when most production companies were developing only for the US market, Haim Saban had the foresight to be international in scope and predict today's global economy. As you can see here at NATPE, the world really has become one market."

Nadia Nardonnet, Executive Vice President of Bohbot International discussed some of the challenges involved in producing animation for an international audience: "Bohbot distributes product in over 55 countries, and animation is the product that sells well internationally, having the most transferable cultural content. But the international market is a very complex market, and their demands are often contradictory. They want an animation series that has notoriety, yet at the same time they want something new. They want non-violence, but they also want action. They want ratings as well as educational content. You have to balance all of these issues in developing animation product for the international market."