In the competition at Cartoons on the Bay, Folimage’s imaginative SPUD AND THE VEGETABLE GARDEN took home three prizes. The 5th Cartoons On The Bay International Festival of Television Animation was held in Positano (Amalfi Coast), Italy from April 5 - 9. Cartoons on the Bay is the only festival in the world dedicated to television animation. The festival is an international event with awards, workshops, lectures and events centering on the ever-changing world of television animation. The festival also grants a lifetime achievement award, which this year was granted to Phil Roman, a true pioneer. At the event Pulcinella Awards were presented to highlight top achievements in TV animation. This year's jury was comprised of: Jean-François Laguionie (author, France) as President of the jury, Joel Andryc (executive vice president kid's programming & development, Fox Family Channels, USA), William Hetzer (former chief broadcasting communication, UNICEF, USA), Guido Manuli (author, Italy) and Colin Rose (executive producer animation, BBC, United Kingdom). After viewing all of the 35 programs in competition, the jury awarded the prizes and gave their reasons for awarding particular projects. Below is a complete list of winners.



Pulcinella Award for the Best Character of the Year

PEO IN SWITZERLAND

Prod: TSI - Swiss Television

Director: Fusako Yusaki



Peo is a loveable and expressive character who has great appeal to a pre-school audience. His expressive face and magical clay transformations tell the stories without Peo speaking any words. Peo's humorous antics have universal appeal that will touch the hearts of children around the world.



Pulcinella Award for the Best Programme of the Year

SPUD AND THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

Prod: Folimage, in co-production with France 3, Teletoon, TPS Jeunesse, SWR WDR

Director: Benoît Chieux, Damien Louche Pélissier



SPUD AND THE VEGETABLE GARDEN distinguished itself among all the programs in competition by the quality of its direction together with a clear and universal message of rejection toward genetic experimentation, expressed in the manner of an entertaining fable.



Pulcinella Award for the Best Series for Infants

PETTSON AND FINDUS

Prod: ZDF in co-production with TV Loonland AG, Happy Life Animation AB

Director: Albert Hanan Kaminski



This series respects the intelligence of very young children and, by means of two well contrasted characters, introduces them to an imaginative world which possesses both a sense of established security and potential for initiative and adventure.



Pulcinella Award for the Best Series for Children

WHAT ABOUT MIMI?

Prod: Studio B Productions, in co-production with EmTV & Merchandising AG

Director: Coleen Holub, Josh Mepham



Mimi is a believable and attractive character poised at the border of childhood and adolescence who provides a positive inspirational model for children approaching this stage in their lives. This well-observed, skillfully scripted and thought-provoking comedy series stakes out entertaining territory, which this age group can claim as their own. The jury took a considered decision to change the nominated category of this program because they found it served the needs of the children's audience in a particularly effective and refreshing way.



Pulcinella Award for the Best Series for Young Adults and Adults

PSYKO FERRET

Prod: Klasky Csupo

Director: Cathy Malkasian



For its humor, imaginative design and the inventiveness of its plot.



Pulcinella Award for the Best Series for All Audiences

XCALIBUR

Prod: Ellipsanime, in co-production with France 2, TVA International, Gribouille, Canal+, Y TV, Ex Machina

Director: Didier Pourcel