After three busy days of pitching sessions, introductions and reconnections, Cartoon Forum 2022 wrapped another successful edition last week showcasing a slew of high-quality, creative animated series projects from across Europe.

Contemporary challenges were hot topics for these toons, and French co-pros proved a hit at the Toulouse event, with crowds packing the presentation rooms for The Tern (Cyber Group Studios), F****ing Cat (Autour de Minuit Productions), Phil & Sophia (Xilam Animation), Shepherdess Warriors (Vivement Lundi !) and Witch Detectives (Method Animation).

This year, 80 projects of animated TV series were presented this year from 19 European countries, for a total budget of 367.2 million EUR, representing 473 hours of animation. The countries who brought the most projects are: France (37), Spain (eight), Ireland & Germany (six), Italy (five) and Poland (three).

Top 10: Pitch Attendance for European Co-Pros

(Ranked by number of participants in the pitching room for projects co-produced in at least two European countries)

1. 1. Lisa & Kolos – Melting Productions (France), Andarta Pictures (France), Squarefish (Belgium)
   2. Leo’s Workshop – Foliascope (France), Curiosity Studio (Ireland), Aerial Contrivance Workshop (United States)

1. 1. Mekka Nikki – Squarefish (Belgium), Dada ! Animation (France)
   2. Louca – Media Valley (France), Belvision (Belgium)
   3. Chill Out, Zeus! – arx anima animation studio (Austria), die film (Germany)

1. 1. My Superhero Husband – Funny Tales (Greece), The Alphabet Initiative Agency (Germany)
   2. Star Stable: Mistfall – Ferly (Finland), Atmosphere Media (Germany)
   3. The Last Whale Singer – Telescope Animation (Germany), Big Bad Boo (Canada), Big Bad Boo Entertainment (Netherlands)

1. Delù from the Jungle – Animoka Studios (Italy), Nalu Animation (France)
2. Polka Dot Zebra – Sygnatia (Spain), Bro Cinema (Portugal)

Top 10: Percentage of Buyers Attending

(Ranked by percentage of buyers present in the pitching room.)

1. 1. Tiger and Bear – Wolkenlenker (Germany), Janosch film & medien (Germany) > 58%
   2. Wild Danish – Zebra Animation Studios (Denmark), Belga Productions (Belgium), Metropolitan Norway (Norway) > 57%
   3. Trotro & Zaza – Ellipsanime Productions (France) > 55% 4.

1. 1. BeddyByes – JAM Media (Ireland) > 55%
   2. Hakan Super Brakan – Nuttery Entertainment (Sweden) > 54%
   3. Max – Submarine (Netherlands) > 52%

1. 1. Umami – Distillery Films (Ireland) > 51%
   2. Aquaworld – Les Films de l’Arlequin (France), JPL Films (France) > 51%
   3. Sleepy’s Dream Team – bigchild Entertainment (Germany), Freebird Pictures (Germany) > 50%

1. The Tinies – MIAM ! animation (France) > 48%

The matchmaking event welcomed 1,075 participants from 40 countries, including 292 buyers, on site in Toulouse. This included 13% new buyers from around the world, such as Hop! Media Group (Israel), Ox Eye Media (United States), Editions Kinaye (France), Disney Branded Television (United States) and La Petite Agence (France).

Cartoon Forum was also proud to boast a 50/50 gender balance of women and men attending this year’s confab. As for the producers behind this year’s selected projects, 54% were men, 26% were women and 20% of shows had both women and men as producers.

Top Trends of Cartoon Forum ’22

Preschool projects trigger creativity. Shaping tomorrow’s animation audience; the 20 projects aimed at preschool & upper preschool viewers — including BeddyByes, Trotro & Zaza, Gouti’s Great Journey, Mogu & Perol and Max — were ‘bursting with creativity.’ This selection hailed from nine different countries.

Edutainment is very strong. Making learning fun is a major challenge in television, but several of this year’s projects tackle important social themes in a very fun way. Graine and Princess Bilboquet encourages viewers to discover their personal identity Polka Dot Zebra to embrace what makes them unique, and Umami to find their own place in the world.

Sustainability as a challenge. Awareness about the climate change crisis is not just for grownups. Many projects were dedicated to exploring this contemporary issue with tomorrow’s eco warriors, such as The Last Whale Singer, Keiko and the Floating World and Welcome to Permacity.

Supporting new voices. Cartoon Forum is very keen to encourage new voices. The 2022 edition had 34 new producers pitching for the first time, displaying different points of view and storytelling references from people with diverse cultures, ideas, and worlds to explore in shows like My Superhero Husband, Feathered Vignettes and Best Friends Forever… Stranded!.

Plus, the Coaching Program dedicated to local animation students as well as the student activities of the 2022 Spotlight on Spain gave young talents a sneak peek into the animation industry.

Pre-recorded pitches are still available to stream on the Cartoon Forum digital platform until October 9 at 23:59 CET.

Cartoon Forum 2023 will be held September 18-21 in Toulouse. Because the Rugby World Cup will also be held in the city around these dates, registration will open April 2023 and those planning to attend are encouraged to reserve travel and accommodation in a timely manner.

cartoon-media.eu/forum