Cartoon Forum Predicts A Bright Future For European TV Animation

Cartoon Forum is taking place in Toulouse this week, where many of Europe’s most exciting animated shows of the future will be pitched for the first time.

From 137 submissions, 80 new tv series, mini-series, and specials were shortlisted to participate in this year’s projects sidebar. On average, the projects run a budget of around €4.5 million.

Notably, according to Cartoon Forum the cost-per-minute of animation (€12,815/minute in 2022) among this year’s projects has increased slightly from last year (€11,887/minute in 2021), and has surpassed that of pre-pandemic levels (€12,250/minute in 2019). Surely that’s a hopeful sign for Europe’s animation sector.

This year’s selection features pitches from majority producers in 19 countries; the bulk, of course, coming from France. Spain is this year’s second leading contributor, a clear sign of the region’s continued growth in original animation production. Other countries with significant contributions include Germany, Ireland, and Italy.

Below, we look at a handful of tv projects pitching at this year’s Cartoon Forum. To see the entire pitching lineup, check out the Cartoon Forum website here.

Max

• This pre-school series is based on Ed Vere’s New York Times bestselling books Max the Brave and will be adapted by Phil Molloy, a creative executive on Bob the Builder. Submarine in the Netherlands is producing the 2d computer animated series.

Mervyn’s Album

• Jody Gannon (The School for Vampires) directs from a screenplay by Marie Beardmore (Angry Birds Toon, Sonic Boom), with Germany’s BigB producing. The 3d animated series will add a bit of adventure and magic to the classic past-time of stamp collecting with a protagonist who can visit the worlds inside his stamps and change realities by drawing his own.

The Last Whale Singer

• This adventure-comedy series comes from A Stork’s Journey writer Reza Memari and is being produced by Telescope Animation in Germany with Big Bad Boo in Canada and the Netherlands. Set in the depths of the world’s oceans where whale songs protect the creatures of the sea, the show presents a message of hope and activism to young audiences.

The Tern

• One of this year’s more grown-up projects, this series is intended for older kids and their families. Produced by Cyber Group Studios (Gigantosaurus), this sci-fi adventure series is directed by Slimane Aniss from a screenplay by Julien Dinse (The New Adventures of Oggy) and Christian Lachenal (Détectives). Set in a post-apocalyptic flotilla of ships that orbit a devastated Earth, the series features a cast of outsiders who work to uncover the secrets of their oppressive leaders.

Nino Dino

• From standout French indie studio Folivari, Nino Dino is a pre-school-aged show about friendship from directors Aurélie Raphaël (art director on Pachamama) and Jeanne-Sylvette Giraud (Spotted) and screenwriter Jean-Louis Momus (Rabbids Invasion, Mr Magoo).

Next Level: Odyssey

• Didi­er Ah-Koon (artist on Despicable Me 2, The Lorax) directs this adventure comedy from France’s TeamTO. Aimed at kids between six- and nine-years-old, the show mixes the worlds of video gaming and Greek Mythology to tell the story of an unlikely friendship.

Phil & Sophia

• Xilam Animation produces this pre-school series from writer Martine Gasparov. Programmed in five-minute blocks, the series features two siblings and their feline-sopher cat Patmos who face a different problem that needs resolving in each episode. Rather than simple solutions, however, the show will ask deeper life questions in a manner relatable to its young audience.