Cartoon Forum 2024: 5 Standout Pitches For French Animated Series
Coming from all over Europe, producers, investors, distributors and broadcasters gathered in Toulouse, France, last month for the 35th edition of Cartoon Forum.
Cartoon Forum is the leading animated tv series pitching event for Europeans, and provides opportunities for both intriguing niche series and established franchises and soon-to-be blockbusters from major producers.
This year, 75 projects from 20 different countries were pitched over the whirlwind three-day event. France is always the most-represented country at the event, due to its strong institutional support for series production and co-production.
In this piece, we’re examining five of the French pitches that stood out due to their particular approach, the reputation of their production team, or simply the overall quality of their visual concept arts and trailer.
A Lamb’s Stew
Country: France, Belgium
Studios: La Cabane Productions, Thuristar
Audience: Family
Format: Half-hour tv special
Technique: 3d/2d digital
Eight years after they brought Mush-Mush and the Mushables together to Cartoon Forum, producer Perrine Gauthier and director Joeri Christiaen once again took the stage to present their first original tv special, A Lamb’s Stew. The world they unveiled to the captivated Forum’s audience turned out to be far bigger than that of a special.
The project showed their trademark family-friendly and inclusive approach to the world of Billie, a young lamb determined to prove that sheep are just as brave as other animals by luring a big bad wolf into a trap, only to discover that he isn’t the monster she thought he was. Gauthier and Christiaen created a palpable and delightful universe filled with cg anthropomorphic wonders. The level of animation achieved feels more like a feature film, where 3d animation enriches the sheep’s wool and the wolf’s fur with stop-motion-like textures.
A Lamb’s Stew is written and directed by Christiaen. Claire Paoletti’s (Shoom’s Odyssey) and Julia Smuts Louw (The Smeds and the Smoos, Star Wars Visions: Aau’s Song) support as story consultants. This special aims to challenge stereotypes with its simple yet universal story of tolerance and seeing beyond appearances. Gauthier and Christiaen already have plans to expand the project into a broader IP. From the depth of material they presented, one can indeed wonder what could stop Billie from winning over children in the coming years.
H.O.M.E.
Country: France
Studio: TeamTO
Audience: Children 6-9
Episodes: 52 x 12’
Technique: 3d computer
Based on the humorous graphic novel by French authors Hervé Bourhis and Rudy Spiessert, H.O.M.E. is a sci-fi comedy that follows Ariane, Arthur, Ursula, and Philippe, an irreverent blended family of four who move into their suburban dream house without realizing their new home is actually a decommissioned intergalactic war robot.
H.O.M.E., which stands for Humanoid Outdated Metagalactic Electronic, is as much a protagonist as location of this Rick and Morty-esque intergalactic kids adventure series. A witty and fast-paced ambitious show where avoiding your room cleaning duties may lead you to face a giant alien-eating vacuum on a foreign planet.
Turning Spiessert’s pop-comic universe into cg animation could have altered its originality, but French studio TeamTO unveiled a beautiful and quirky animated teaser reminiscent of The Mitchells vs. the Machines style that seems to fit the tone of the series perfectly. H.O.M.E.’s future existence may rely on international partners and streamer support, as the project announced a 9 million euro (USD$9.9 million) budget for the first 52-episode season. But with its rich universe and strong inspirations, one can only hope this imaginatively silly yet touching show about an overly positive family gets picked up after their Cartoon Forum pitch.
5 Worlds
Country: France
Studio: Andarta Pictures
Audience : Children 6-9
Episodes: 8 x 26’
Technique: 2d computer
In the last seven years, Andarta Pictures has risen from a local 2d animation studio to become a major player in European animation. Located in ‘La Cartoucherie’, France’s third major animation production hub, Andarta is already well established in the French landscape for adapting the French young adult sensation Ewilan’s Quest, which started production this July for an expected delivery at the end of next year.
Meanwhile, CEO Sophie Saget and her team have already embarked on another adaptation endeavor, partnering with French-American writers Mark and Alexis Siegel and graphic authors Xanthe Bouma, Boya Sun, and Matt Rockefeller to adapt their bestselling saga 5 worlds into animation. Described as a “mix between Star Wars and The Last Airbender” by co-creator Siegel, 5 Worlds is a space-opera odyssey where sand dancers try to reawaken forgotten gods while evil threatens the already fragile interplanetary peace. In this setting, three unlikely heroes led by 12-year-old Oona will become the key to save the five worlds from the brink of destruction.
Supercharged by a mind-blowing teaser and backing by U.S. producer Kane Lee, 5 Worlds has the potential – and fanbase – to become European animation’s next big hit.
Mia Moké
Country: France, Luxembourg, Cameroon, Senegal
Studios: Special Touch Studios, Creative Touch Studios, African Touch Studios, Paul Thiltges Distributions, Ozemnia
Audience : Children 6-9
Episodes : 52 x 13’
Technique: 2d digital/3d computer
African French-speaking animation is a growing industry, thanks to many talented artists and producers, including French producer Sébastien Onomo. Having created a trio of companies in order to achieve his ambition to bring new voices and talents to the animation industry, Onomo presented Mia Moké at Cartoon Forum.
The project, which has a four-country co-production plan, is already a 10-year-old IP tested in African schools through comic book and illustrated book formats. Mia Moké tells the tale of a strong-hearted girl who, with the help of her friends Kouko and Diko, has taken on the mission of protecting the nature that surrounds their village, which is threatened by the installation of a brick factory.
“It’s important for us to create everyday heroes that African children can relate to”, said Mia Moké’s team. “There’s a lack of African-driven content in kids tv series right now, and we believe these strong and relatable characters can touch the heart of African and global audiences alike.” French-speaking African animation still has to catch up with its English counterparts, which boast projects like Iwaju, Mama K’s Team 4, and Kizazi Moto, but Onomo’s initiatives, including Mia Moké, paints a bright future ahead.
Our Lil’ Adventures
Country: France
Studio: XBO Films
Audience: Pre-School 2-4
Episodes: 52 x 3’30”
Technique: 2d digital, drawing, live-action
Expanding on his own 2018 short film Amimaginaire, French director Robin Barrière helms Our Lil’ Adventures with the same dedication and tenderness. This preschool tv series, co-created with French animation vet Eric Tosti, who founded TAT Productions and co-created The Jungle Bunch franchise, is brought to Cartoon Forum by Toulouse-based XBO films, which has already received regional support for the project and is looking for international co-producing partners and broadcasters.
Our Lil’ Adventures tells the story of modern-day children and their adventures and issues – problems and challenges that may seem trivial to adults but represent big steps and mountains to climb for the 2-4 years old. To help them overcome their fears and doubts, imaginary 2d animated friends accompany them in their little odysseys in a soft, tender and playful environment. “Finding the right tempo to keep children entertained was essential to us,” said the team. “And to help the young actors get into the story, we had a puppeteer on set at all times manipulating real-life depictions of our characters.”
With the help of the regional film fund and French producers association Procirep-Angoa, XBO Films presented a full pilot at Cartoon Forum, which illustrated the project’s potential.
