The 34th edition of the pitching and co-pro event brings producers and their projects together with broadcasters, investors, and other potential partners; the 3-day event’s selections include 76 new animated series from 16 EU countries.
The pitching and co-production event, Cartoon Forum, kicked off today in Toulouse with over 1,000 participants and 76 new animated series from 16 European countries. The three-day event aims to speed up the production and distribution of participating projects. This year, 270 broadcasters, distributors, investors, streamers, book publishers, and game representatives will attend the pitching sessions.
From 120 shortlisted submissions, the 76 projects total 473 hours of new content and a budget of 393.5 million € with an average cost of 5.1 million € per series. Since its start in 1990, Cartoon Forum has helped 967 animation series obtain financing of over 3.49 billion €.
France leads this year’s selection with 32 projects, followed by Ireland with seven, Germany and Belgium with six, and Spain with five. Italy has four projects, while the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Poland, and Ukraine will each present two. Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, and Netherlands will each present one film.
Series targeting children aged 5-11 is the focus of European animation, with 59% of the line-up. The balance includes preschool (21%), young adults/adults (14%), and family (6%). More than half the selections (55%) are 2D projects, with books, comics, and films to series adaptations accounting for 25%.
A rundown of this year’s projects is available here.
This year, the event showcases British animation as part of the ‘Animated UK Meets Europe’ initiative, spearheaded by Animation U.K. in partnership with the BBC, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and SKY and supported by agencies across the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland Screen, Screen Scotland, Creative Wales, and Film London.
Five new projects in development from U.K. creative voices will be pitched together with a U.K. broadcast partner in a 90-minute session – including:
- Duck & Frog - Sun & Moon Studios - Broadcaster: BBC Children’s and Education)
- Huggy the Hugasaurus - Yamination Studios/Threewise Entertainment - Broadcaster: Warner Bros. Discovery
- Magic Animal Friends- Coolabi Productions/Paper Owl Films - Broadcaster: Sky Kids
- Pleasure Beach - Nexus Studios - Broadcaster: Disney+
- The Wolfbjorns - BBC Studios Kids & Family - Broadcaster: BBC Children’s and Education
Cartoon Forum Tributes 2023
12 companies from 10 countries have been nominated for the Cartoon Forum Tributes, recognizing leading names in European animation over the current year. Three categories include Broadcaster, Investor/Distributor, and Producer of the Year – determined by 1,000 professionals voting while attending the forum. Check out the nominees here.
Cartoon Forum Initiatives
Coaching Programme: Cartoon Forum’s training initiatives are aimed at students from regional animation and business schools, offering an opportunity to discover the animation industry and benefit from the forum’s promotion of new talent.
Cartoon Forum also participates in two initiatives to promote the animation industry in Toulouse and the Occitanie region.
Les Toons D’ici: September 18-20
Organized by APIFA (Association of Independent Producers of Occitanie) in partnership with the Mairie and the Metropole of Toulouse, it provides students from the region the chance to explore different animation techniques through series, feature-length films, and shorts.
Les Toons Débarquent: October 1 - November 5
Organized by CINEPHILAE (Association of art-house cinemas in South-West) and the Region Occitanie – it features screenings in theatres within the region aimed at the general public - the program is available here.
Source: Cartoon Forum
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
