Maria Stevnbak Westergren
Producer
Vilstrup Films and Projects, Toolbox Film
Denmark
Pitch: Drink
What’s the biggest problem facing the animation industry?
The industry wants more animation and demands more volume at lower prices, but still expects high quality. It is therefore very difficult to make it meet in the middle and to find a balance between the creative ambition and the needs of the presenters.
What is your business doing in response to this?
We go with high quality projects in the sense of design and history, but with a small configuration to keep costs down so that we can meet the demand for volume. Otherwise, we end up with a project that is magnificent, but which cannot be brought to life. We also need to take care of our creativity, so we don’t want to say yes to something that we know will be too difficult if the budget doesn’t match the ambition.
Are physical animation studios essential or is working from home the future of the industry?
What I need from our creatives and our team is to be in the same room together, but working remotely can create greater opportunities for co-productions. Working from home can therefore help to make more co-productions in the future, but I also believe in basic human contact. We need to be in the same room with those we work with every day.
What do you think of Disney’s decision to shut down several of its TV channels around the world?
It doesn’t surprise me; we live in a digital world. In the Nordic countries we have new online platforms for children’s entertainment and this will happen more and more. So I’m not that nervous about it.
Tell us about the project you are presenting at the Cartoon Forum.
Woodlings (52 × 4 ‘) is a series of short, poetic and fun stories about cute forest animals. The focus is on all four seasons, with one season represented in each episode, and it’s based on core emotions and core colors to match our target audience ages 0-5. He has commercial potential because he has a lot of heart, as well as humor. We have a Danish broadcaster and a Danish streaming platform wanting to join us, but I’m waiting for Cartoon Forum before making any deals.