82 Animated TV Projects Were Presented This Week At Cartoon Forum

Cartoon Forum, the prestigious European co-production platform for animated television and new media projects, wrapped up earlier today in Toulouse, France.

The annual forum is an essential event for the European tv animation industry, bringing together more than 900 producers, distributors, investors, and broadcasters. In the event’s 28 years, over 700 animated series presented at the forum have gone on to obtain production financing, representing a total budget of 2.5 billion euros.

This year, 82 projects were pitched at Cartoon Forum, totalling 279.8 million euros in budget and 464 hours of programming. The average budget for each project was 3.4 million euros, with half of the projects aimed at children 5-12 years old.

Twenty-three European countries participated in the forum. France lead the way with 28 projects, followed by Ireland (9 projects), Belgium (5), Poland (5), Finland (4), Italy (4), Spain (4), United Kingdom (4), Germany (3), and Portugal (3). Guest country South Korea was also invited to present two projects.

Below is a more in-depth statistical breakdown of the 82 projects presented this year:

Below is a look at 14 projects that illustrate some of the diverse concepts, styles, and formats that were on display at Cartoon Forum 2017. For a full list of projects, see the Cartoon Forum website.

Akissi

(78 x 7′)
Children 5-8
2D computer/drawing
Cross-media concept
Producer: GHWA Productions (France)

Welcome to childhood, welcome to the life of Akissi and her friends. It’s impossible to get bored with her! Every day is a new idea… or a terrible mischief. One thing is certain, our unpredictable Akissi is going to shake the life of the entire neighborhood.

Autocafet

(26 x 7′)
Young adults/adults
2D computer/3D computer
Producer: Kawanimation (France)

Lodged at the junction of the RN75 and the four way to Besançon, Autocafet is also marginal to the 3 Mountains commercial park. This almost ideal location brings Dijon bound travellers as much as it does the local Shoe-O-Rama and Repairs R US employees, eager to cut corners on their lunch spending. You guessed it, Autocafet’s customers flock here more for the all-you-can-eat fries, less so due to gastronomic finesse. By the way, there aren’t that much customers actually so Dan, Mat, Daphné and the rest of the team spend most of their time in the kitchen waiting for orders, talking, chilling and usually do everything except working.

Botos Family

(54 x 3:30′)
Family
Stop-motion puppets
Producers: Comma Studio (South Korea), SKB (South Korea), KBS (South Korea), SBA (South Korea)

Taking place in a fictional village called Botos, there are pets who have secret lives. They watch TV, cook stew, wear clothes or paint when people are not around. They return to their original lives when humans are in the shots. Mr. A is a cat owner who runs a village coffee shop. He is warmhearted and always cares about his cats, which are the sweet Siamese cat named Bori, the cool Russian Blue named Toto, and the playful Korean Shorthair named Mozzi. They enjoy a peaceful life, but soon, more animals show up in the neighborhood, and unusual things start happening to and around the Botos family.

Brazen

(30 x 3′)
Young adults/adults
2D computer
Producer: Agat Films & cie (France)

Josephine Baker, Annette Kellerman, Christine Jorgensen, Delia Akeley… These women all have something in common: every one of them, at their own level, acted in an outstanding manner that changed the course of their life and, eventually, the time and society they lived in. Whether renowned or unknown, they faced adversity, overcame prejudice and tore down walls. Because they had the nerve to do as they pleased they were, pardon our French, pretty damn “culottées”. Brazen is the animated adaptation of Pénélope Bagieu’s work, published by Gallimard.

Chicken of the Dead

(10 x 7′)
Young adults/adults
2D computer
Producers: Anoki (France), Melting Productions (France)

Everything was going well for Bernard Lepique, a food-processing tycoon and the boss of “quasi” chickens, a “quasi-bio” and strictly low-cost product. That, however, was before the launch of the “quasi-braised” chicken, an enhanced recipe that has turned all its consumers into humanoid Zombie Chickens, with violent and destructive behavior. Held responsible by the authorities, surrounded by Zombie Chickens and tailgated by a multitude of enemies, there is only one way for Bernard Lepique to save himself: to find the mysterious “Zero Chicken” to get him out of trouble.

Crayon’s Let’s Play!

(78 x 7′)
Pre-school 3-6
3D Computer/live-action
Cross-media concept
Producers: B-Water Animation Studios (Spain), Dreamlife Studio (Spain), GHC&A Production (France)

Aupa, Odo, Koke, Bing and Koma are born out of childrens drawings and become alive as 3D animated characters. They are living daily adventures in the home of “the nice family.” While the family is out of the house, the Crayons jump out of the drawings pint on the walls and explore the universe of household, full of discoveries and great adventures. Every small item can transform into a miracle. No matter what our friends do together, every situation can escalate to epic dimensions! Each Crayons is strongly attached to typical children emotions or state of mind and as children’s drawings are not perfect the characters are just authentic misfits. But nobody is perfect, and imperfect is fun!

Dimitri & Kim

(8 x 10′)
Children 6-11
2D computer/3D computer/drawing
Cross-media concept
Producer: Eipix Entertainment (Serbia)

Dimitri & Kim is an animated series about two Eastern European boys surviving everyday boredom by going on imaginary quests and finding treasure in the most bizarre abandoned places like factories and old military nuclear complex. Free of school and most of their chores, Dimitri and Kim find themselves in all sorts of weird, crazy adventures, usually started by Dimitri’s own imagination. Over the course of the summer, they grow fond of each other, but their differences still get them in a lot of conflict.

Knuckle

(26 x 22′)
Children 6-10
2D computer/3D computer
Cross-media concept
Producer: Giant Animation (Ireland)

Knuckle is an action-adventure show that follows a team of mighty warriors from Earth’s history – a Knight, a Ninja, a Samurai, an Apache, a Gladiator and a Viking who have been summoned to the future to stop an intergalactic evil from destroying the universe… along with the help of their 14 year old leader, Jake. Their dangerous quest takes them on a breakneck journey across strange and distant worlds where they’ll face deadly enemies, battle unstoppable hordes and ultimately have to overcome their own differences to become the heroes the universe needs them to be.

Little Who Who

(52 x 7′)
Pre-school 4-6
2D computer
Cross-media concept
Producer: Recircle (Croatia)

Little Who Who is a 2D animated series for 4 to 6 year olds that explores the world of grown-ups and the jobs they do through the eyes of a curious little owl called Who Who. Little Who Who loves to learn about grown-ups and what they do in the world because he wants to get a head start on choosing who he wants to be when he grows up. He aims to meet as many adults from as many backgrounds with as many different jobs as he can. Lucky for Who Who his mum, Mother Who, runs the Station and Café in Big Forest and it’s here where he hangs out with his funny little forest friends, Franky the fox, Bernard the hare, Higgles the hedgehog and Dot the woodpecker, eagerly waiting for the next train to come so he can meet someone new.

Mr. Passenger

(26 x 5′)
Children 6-12
2D computer/3D computer
Cross-media concept
Producer: Aim Animation Studios (Portugal)

In a hypothetical world where, as in our dreams, places and situations are connected through a system of communicating vessels, Mr. Passenger opens Pandora’s box of questions and assumes the role of the Quiz Master. Just as there are people who seem to attract misfortune, Mr. Passenger attracts adventure and poetry. Thanks to his huge mental legs and to the wit of his companion named Sign Bird, plenty of questions lead to plenty of fascinating paths. Mr. Passenger lives every little epic journey as if it were the last. In fact, Mr. Passenger never quits. Travelling is Mr. Passenger profession but he always acts with the enthusiasm and the obstinacy of an amateur.

Papertoyz

(26 x 22′)
Children 6-12
3D computer/live-action
Producer: Samka Productions (France)

PaperToyz: a series that lets it rip! Papertoy: a character based on a template, made of cut-out and folded paper. Inside a house, a gang of paper characters led by an intrepid heroine explore a dangerous world… our world. All have surprising shapes and personalities. They are all “too much”: too vain, too fast, too slow, too big, too fragile… so getting along is anything but easy and the greatest danger they must face… is themselves! But these very different characters always end up sticking together, because in a hostile world their survival depends on their ability to help each other. The danger and friendships create bonds that are stronger than glue!

Sol & Liv

(13 x 10′)
Children 6-11
2D computer/cut-out
Producers: Letko (Poland), Animoon (Poland)

Sol & Liv is a children story, inspired by the Slavic and Scandinavian myths, that takes place in a small village. Sol is a curious and adventurous boy, who lives with his younger brother Hav, and his father Vindur. Their Mum, who works as an astronomer is absorbed with her work, and rarely visits home. The boys often escape to the fascinating, yet dangerous world of dreams and magic. Vindur wants to protect his children from this danger however he struggles to keep up with them. One night, Sol meets a girl at the beach, Liv. They quickly become friends and together discover the mysterious world of nature…

Stinky Dog

(52 x 13′)
Children 6-11
2D computer
Producers: Dandelooo (France), Folivari (France), Panique! (Belgium)

Stinky Dog and his friend Flatcat are a couple of misfits who live in a trash can and that society regards as nobodies. Stinky Dog feels no hatred towards those who reject him. He likes living in his trash can, surrounded by his friends, and aspires to nothing else. But because he acts a little too fast and isn’t the world’s greatest thinker, his quests are always complicated and only accentuate his eccentricity. On the surface, Stinky Dog’s adventures are crazy and touching, but deep down our hero is questioning society. During his wild and hairy pursuits, he sends hypocrites flying and knocks thieves for six… even if it’s usually only through clumsiness.

Tulipop

(52 x 11′)
Children 7-12
2D computer
Cross-media concept
Producers: Tulipop ehf. (Iceland), Blink Industries (United Kingdom)

Tulipop is a fun and exciting universe where nothing is what it seems. The absurd and surprising Tulipop island has volcanoes, mountains, beaches, the dark deep Forgotten Forest, and three moons. Its inhabitants are Tulipoppers: quirky, flawed, loveable characters who include Gloomy, an adventurous and hyperactive mushroom girl; and Fred, a furry, smelly forest creature who looks scary but has a gentle soul. The island itself is also a character: it can hinder or help the inhabitants, and each location might not be exactly where you last left it! Tulipop is a world of unexpected situations, comedy and adventure.