10 Feature Projects We’re Excited To Learn More About At Cartoon Movie 2024
We’re a month away from Cartoon Movie, Europe’s premiere showcase for animated feature projects. To prepare ourselves, we went through this year’s program and picked out a few titles we’re excited to learn more about at the event, which takes place March 5-7 in Bordeaux, France.
Cartoon Movie will host 55 projects from 16 counties this year. Most are still in development or concept stages, but a handful are already in production, and four will screen early sneak previews.
Since launching in 1999, Cartoon Movie has helped finance 458 film projects with more than 3 billion euros ($3.24 billion) distributed in that time. The event is an invaluable resource for the continent’s animation industry.
Here’s a closer look at 10 exciting projects (in alphabetical order) looking to impress at this year’s event.
Dog My Cats!
Director: Alain Gagnol
Producers: Parmi les Lucioles Films (France)
Status: In development
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Alain Gagnol (A Cat in Paris) helms this 2d feature about Jules, whose life takes a sad turn after his parents’ divorce and is further disrupted by the unexpected arrival of his grandmother Jeanne. Things get turned completely upside down when Grandma Jeanne reveals she can talk to cats and dogs.
Into the Wonderwoods
Directors: Alexis Ducord, Vincent Paronnaud
Producers: Je Suis Bien Content (France), Zelit Productions (Luxembourg), Gao Shan Pictures (France) Co-Producers: Amopix (France), EV.L prod (France)
Status: In production
A recent Annecy Work in Progress title, Into the Wonderwoods blends 2d and cg techniques to tell the story of Angelo, a youngster who dreams of becoming an explorer and a zoologist. When he hits the road with his family to visit his beloved, ailing granny, his distracted parents leave him behind at a rest stop. Left to his own devices, Angelo decides to cut through the forest in search of his family. He enters a dark and mysterious world inhabited by strange creatures.
Kensuke’s Kingdom
Directors: Neil Boyle, Kirk Hendry
Producer: Mélusine Productions (Luxembourg) Co-Producers: Lupus Films (UK), Le Pacte (France)
Status: Sneak peek
In this 2d family feature adapted from the book of the same name, Michael and his family leave home to travel the world by boat. During a storm, the boy is thrown overboard and washes up on an island where he must adapt to life alone. The film’s A-list voice cast includes Sally Hawkins, Cillian Murphy, Raffey Cassidy, Aaron MacGregor, and Ken Watanabe.
The Little Run
Director: Julien Bisaro
Producer: Picolo Pictures (France)
Another MIFA standout, The Little Run is a cg kids and family project with a lot of heart and an important lesson. The film turns on a young male blue penguin thrust into a paternal role when a volcano places a soft echidna egg in his path. The film’s touching family narrative is used to deliver a green message about humanity’s place in the world and how our actions affect other living things.
Living Large
Director: Kristina Dufková
Producer: Barletta (Czech Republic) Co-Producers: Novinski (Slovakia), Novanima Productions (France)
Status: Sneak peek
In this Eastern European stop-motion feature, 12-year-old Ben’s weight becomes a problem for him and for everyone else. Kids bully him, and his divorced parents don’t know what to do to help the young man. Despite his love of food and an emerging talent as a chef, Ben decides to take matters into his own hands and starts to diet. Will losing weight make the boy happier? Or is what’s inside more important?
MouMoush – The King of Plastic
Director: Milorad Krstic
Producer: Mumus Production (Hungary)
Status: In development
Another 2d proposal, MouMoush turns on Margo and Liam, siblings whose summer break turns into an adventure fighting a powerful man who dreams of world domination. The siblings travel back in time to prevent MouMoush from his sinister plans but make several era-spanning stops before landing in the right place.
Ogresse
Directors: Cécile McLorin Salvant, Lia Bertels
Producers: Miyu Productions (France), Umedia (Belgium)
Status: In development
A standout at last year’s MIFA Feature Pitches, Orgresse is a tragic musical comedy about an Ogresse who lives alone in the woods until a young man determined to kill her arrives and fatally wins her heart.
Pale Pink
Director: Kuba Mikurda
Producer: Madants (Poland) Co-Producer: Letko (Poland)
Status: In development
Targeting YA audiences, Pale Pink is a sci-fi story about love, loss, and hope. The 2d hand-drawn film unspools in parallel worlds on opposite sides of a black hole. In one, Kuba and his young daughter crash land on a desert planet. While the girl explores the new world, Kuba tries to repair the rocket by listening to noises from space. On the other side of a nearby black hole, the girl’s mother falls ill and ends up in the hospital. As the black hole comes closer to the planet, the two narratives intertwine.
Summer in the Hood
Directors: Jean-Pascal Zadi, Louis Clichy
Producers: Silex (France), Douze Doigts Productions (France)
Status: In development
Based on a Jean-Pascal Zadi’s own experiences, this cg project turns on Kali, a 13-year-old who leaves his home in Normandy for the first time to spend summer vacation in a housing project outside Paris. In Bondy, la cité, he’s a fish out of water: new slang, new music, new styles, new attitude. He’ll have to make a place for himself in this urban jungle, armed only with his sense of humor.
The Wild Inside
Director: Patrick Imbert
Producer: Folivari (France)
Status: In development
In the Alaskan wilderness, a lonely and fierce 17-year-old girl lives with her father and brother in an isolated and deteriorating house. After the girl’s mother goes missing, Tracy must grapple with uncontrolled outbursts, sleep disorders, and mysterious visions, unaware that her inherited gift connects her to nature and wild animals on a level she can’t imagine yet. Produced by Oscar-nominated studio Folivari, the film is helmed by The Summit of the Gods director Patrick Imbert.
Pictured at top: Summer in the Hood
