– We present an overview of the most interesting projects presented at this year’s Cartoon Forum, which took place in Toulouse from September 21 to 23
The creative team behind Space ham pitch your project
Cartoon Forum is finally back in physical format. This year, the prestigious forum for pitching and co-production of animated TV projects took place in Toulouse from September 21 to 23. For three days, European producers had the opportunity to pitch their projects in front of 1,000 broadcasters, investors and other potential partners from 40 countries. Since its creation in 1990, 873 series have found funding, representing a total budget of 3.1 billion euros.
Here we present an overview of some of the most interesting projects presented at this year’s gathering:
Tales of Terror – Kealan o’rourke (Ireland / United Kingdom)
This 10×11 minute project follows Edgar, an 11-year-old who longs to escape his mundane world. Her enigmatic uncle Montague lives nearby in a Victorian mansion full of the most curious objects. There is nothing Edgar loves more than listening to his uncle tell some of the scary stories he knows. With each episode, Edgar is faced with a new story, but as each story unfolds, a strange pattern begins to emerge. The project is produced by Irish company Dream Logic and co-produced by UK company Lupus Films.
Tommy pepper – Domien Huyghe (Belgium / Luxembourg)
The team behind this 13×22 minute series came on stage disguised as the chief to present their project. He follows young Tommy Pepper, who is struggling to become a Master Mingler. When he discovers that his mother may have been captured by the dreaded Gulzar, he brings a Mixocopter back to his home country, the magical island of Papilonia. The series has already secured 45% of its budget thanks to VAF, Ketnet, the European funding program of MEDIA and the Belgian Tax Shelter. Budgeted at € 4.5 million and delivered in 2024, it is produced by Luname and co-produced by Melusine Productions.
Space ham – Nicolas vielwerth (Denmark / France)
Described as a ‘post-apocalyptic comedy’, Space ham focuses on two young pigs guarding a space station on a distant asteroid. They are best friends, knowledgeable in their engineering and botanical professions, but unable to reliably manage their positions of trust, as their “trying to be adult” attitude only causes chaos. The team said they are currently in talks with the BBC. The 52×9-minute 2D and 3D show, budgeted at 8.5 M € and scheduled for delivery in 2023, is staged by MiniCosmos and Dandelooo.
Adventures of a Creative Family – directors to be confirmed (Italy / Ireland)
The story of this 26×11 minute project features a series of comedic adventures about the Panebarcos, a very eccentric Italian family who run a truly quirky creative agency. We focus on young Nora, who dreams of working as an intern for the family business, run by the daughter’s mother, Mary Bla-Bla. According to the show’s creative team, it will tackle “themes such as loneliness, harassment, inadequacy and other fish-out-of-water issues.” Executive-produced by Steve walsh, the show is directed by Panebarco, co-produced by Telegael and co-financed by the Emilia-Romagna Film Commission.
Under the school – MMaleo ax (France)
The 26×22-minute project, budgeted at 8.5 million euros, is expected to go into production in the second quarter of 2022 and be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2023. The series is set at St Joseph’s, a school known to welcome into its ranks. “less efficient” children. . In its basement, the institute houses a whole reconditioning system capable of transforming any student into the best student in the class. During the pitch session, the team presented an animatic teaser. Under the school is a co-production between Ellipsanime Productions and Timpel Pictures.
Fables about dinosaurs – director (s) to be confirmed (Czech Republic / Serbia / Romania)
Produced by Prague-based Krutart and co-produced by Serbs To Blink Animation and Romanians Domestic Film, this 26×7 minute series for preschoolers focuses on ‘socio-emotional learning’, addressing themes such as “Why grandparents are so slow”, “be different”, “not feeling brave enough” and “afraid of the dark.” The project, supported by the Czech Film Fund and commissioned by Czech Television, is expected to be distributed by the French company Dandelooo, where we will see Father Megatherium telling his triplets animated stories about dinosaurs to calm them down.
Hygge – Planet Rikke and Philippe Piaget (Germany / Denmark)
In Rumble Village, Bea, Diego, and Bo will explore the wonderful forest, meet many unknown and magical creatures, and learn how to use Hygge to overcome the many unexpected obstacles they encounter along the way. Hygge is a “feeling of security, comfort, harmony, peace and friendliness”. In this 52×11 minute series, children will understand how to “go through difficult experiences, learn to cope and become more resilient and optimistic”. Hygge is set to become 360-degree intellectual property, with more seasons and a feature film already planned. It will go into production by the end of 2022. The project is a co-production of Dreamin ‘Dolphin Film, Ouros and Parka Pictures.
VHS tape – José Fernandez de Vega (Spain)
Produced by GLOW, the 26×8 minute series is set in the 1990s and follows three siblings on countless adventures, where reality mingles with the fictional worlds of classic fantasy and horror films. Commissioned by RTVE and other regional channels, it is budgeted at € 2.5 million. The PI will include the publication of a comic book and a video game.
Butterfly Academy – Sophie roy (Germany / Canada)
After their blow Butterfly tale, Ulysses Filmproduktion and CarpeDiem have joined forces to present a 52×11 minute spinoff series, set in a school where young monarchs learn to become the best butterflies possible. It focuses on Patrick, an overly optimistic, one-winged monarch; Marty, a wacky caterpillar; Lily, the queen of empathetic drama; and Jennifer, the brains of this quartet. Pink Parrot is in charge of its distribution.
Anselmo Wannabe – Massimo Ottoni (Italy)
Created by Massimo Ottoni and produced by Federico turani for Ibrido, this 26×7 minute series (budgeted at around 1.2 M € and intended for children aged 6 to 9) is centered on the titular child who begins to imagine himself involved in the most common or most common professions. absurd. Ottoni and Turani said that Anselmo Wannabe will help children understand that there are no “humble or nasty jobs” and “no male or female jobs in a world still oppressed by gender inequality”. RAI Ragazzi and AIM Creative Studios, based in Porto, have already expressed their interest in the project. The team plans to extend it by making it a transmedia project as well as through merchandising, in particular the creation of a wiki where children can learn more about the different trades.
You can find the full list of selected projects here.