Cartoon Movie, the annual co-production and pitching event for Europe’s feature animation sector, opens today, Wednesday March 5, in Bordeaux.
Backed by Creative Europe Media, the event is part of the Cartoon ecosystem that also includes the annual Cartoon Forum series event and various business development and training initiatives.
Since launching in 1999, nearly 500 films with a total budget value of €3.2 billion have been pitched at and raised financing via Cartoon Movie. Recent highlights include Loving Vincent, Flee, and 2025 Oscar-winner Flow.
Overseen by general manager Annick Maes, this year’s lineup of 55 projets includes the first animated features of Werner Herzog (The Twilight World ) and Will Sharpe (Absolute Surrender), and the latest anticipated titles from Vincent Paronnaud & Alexis Ducord (Treasure Island) and Anca Damian (Short Stories About Love And Space). Just 14 films are directed by women but Maes points out that of these, 64% are directed by first-time feature filmmakers, which could bode well for gender equality in the future.
Maes talks to Screen about this year’s event and the projects by rising filmmakers for which to look out.
How does the animation sector benefit from a dedicated co-production and pitching event in Cartoon Movie?
The main Cartoon achievement is to have succeeded in structuring a sector that, at that time [it was launched], was extremely disparate and fragmented, facing intense competition from the Japanese and the US. Initiatives like Cartoon Movie have fostered trust and increased cross-border co-productions. With the Creative Europe Media support, European animation has transitioned from a craft to a vibrant cultural industry, pioneering advanced technologies.
Is it getting easier or harder to finance animated features?
With a combined budget of €316.9 million, this year’s films average €5.7 million, reflecting a 20% budget drop amid the economic crisis.
This mirrors the economic context. With more than half of the 55 projects produced among two or more Creative Media countries, co-production emerges as the main financing model for European animated feature films. France, Czechia, Belgium and Germany are the most active co-producers this year, while non-Creative Media countries –including Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the UK and the US - are engaged in seven co-productions.
In an uncertain economic context, Cartoon will continue supporting producers through these challenges in the spirit of playing a leading role in European animation.
What themes stand out in this year’s edition?
Cartoon Movie spotlights a different European region annually. This year, it’s Latvia, whose storytelling tradition shines through Oscar-winner Flow, which started at Cartoon Movie in Bordeaux in 2022 where it was presented as an in-development project.
The deep diversity of films this year is reflected in the broad array of genres featured in the selection, including adventure, comedy, drama, documentaries, fantasy, and sci-fi, while inclusion, gender equity and sustainability concerns are among the tackled topics. Literary and comic adaptations, along with folklore-inspired films, are also significant.
Literature remains a very rich source of inspiration for animation, but also life experiences, such as Gainsbourg, Rue De Verneuil, an animated interview documentary with Serge Gainsbourg. There is remarkable creative dynamism across Europe.
Which rising talents should attendees look out for?
Veronika Zúbek Kocourková is the Slovakian director of In My Head, a film in-concept about mental health aimed at young adults, and the co-founder of its production company Super Film.
Latvian filmmaker, Sniedze Kale, producer at Studija Kokles, is here with the in-production project The Northern Star.
Will Sharpe, UK writer-actor-director, most recently seen on screen in The White Lotus and A Real Pain, is here as a director to present Absolute Surrender, a love story set during WWII in an incarceration camp for Japanese-Americans following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Lucrèce Andreae is the French director of Bergeronnette, which is in development. She won the César for best short animated in 2018 and the audience award in Annecy for Grandpa Walrus.
Germany-based Bolivian filmmaker Matisse Gonzalez is in development on Condenaditos, a film about a young woman confronting her family’s past during the Bolivian dictatorship.
Finally, Belgian animator Gerlando Infuso is here with Hyacinthe, also in development, an adventure about a young baker who undergoes a magical transformation.
How do attendees benefit from attending Cartoon Movie?
Producers have the opportunity to pitch their project to all potential financial partners gathered in the same room, in order to find co-producers, speed up financing, as well as negotiate deals with distributors, sales agents or even book editors or game companies.
In one pitching session, the potential business opportunities can be huge. The 30-minute pitching sessions are a core element of Cartoon Movie, with participants choosing between two theaters where projects are pitched by the teams.
One of the strengths of Cartoon Movie is the network of distributors and sales agents from Europe, South and North America and Asia who come to pick the best projects and ensure a pan-European and international distribution and sales of the films.
What conversations do you expect to arise around AI during Cartoon Movie?
Cartoon has clearly defined its policy towards AI in the beginning of the year. We reaffirm our commitment to transparency and responsibility in the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Our fundamental principles are artistic integrity, the appreciation of human creativity, and transparency.
We require project representatives to declare the use of AI and specify the areas it applies to, ensuring a clear understanding of the works presented and strengthening trust between creators, partners and audiences.
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