Cartoon Movie 2021 Moves Online with 55 New Feature Projects to be Pitched
Skwigly
European animation continues to thrive with new projects and films, many of which will be presented at Cartoon Movie’s next edition to be held online on 9-11th March. A total of 55 feature film projects from 16 countries will be pitched at the event, which aims to give a boost to their production and distribution both within and outside European borders. In addition to presenting their projects in recorded video pitches, producers will have the opportunity to network with a select group of buyers, investors, and potential new partners interested in European animation.
With the challenge of providing this virtual edition with the human quality and hallmarks that have turned Cartoon Movie into one of the main motors behind European animation, the 23rd edition of this meeting for professionals will serve as a showcase for projects in concept (22), in development (22), and in production (8). A sneak preview of three films already completed and ready for distribution will also be presented. The projects were selected from 96 submissions and, together, represent 76 hours of animation and 300.5 million euros in budget.
France leads the list of countries with 40% of the projects (22), followed by Spain, whose 9 projects confirm the good moment this country’s animation is going through. Denmark, Germany, and Romania participate with three projects each. The line-up also includes films from Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Georgia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, and Sweden. A quarter of the projects have two or more European countries on board, with France, Belgium and Luxembourg as the most active co-producers in the region.
Regarding production, the average cost of the projects amounts to 5.4 million euros, 22% less than in the previous edition. 3D animation projects have plummeted by 40% compared to 2020. As a result of this significant decrease, 2D has become the predominant animation technique (23 projects), followed by the one which combines 2D and 3D, according to the event’s statistics.
A DIVERSE SELECTION
Projects aimed at family audiences are still predominant and make up half of the selection (28), while animation for the Young adults/Adults segment continues to grow with respect to previous editions (15). The selection also includes projects for children, pre-schoolers and teenagers.
The selection features a variety of genres ranging from comedy to adventure, dramas, horror, science fiction, documentaries and coming of age stories, among others. This diversity is also reflected in the issues addressed by the stories, as well as in the time frames and settings in which they take place.
Four of the projects selected in the production stage have already participated in Cartoon Movie in the concept or development stage: “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman”, a French production inspired in Japanese poet Haruki Murakami imaginary universe; Portugal’s 2D-stop motion hybrid “My Grandfather’s Demons”, which reflects on loneliness and the rhythm of contemporary life; “Red Jungle”, an animated documentary about the guerrilla in Colombia; and Hungary’s “White Plastic Sky”, a film aimed at Young adults/Adults set in a dystopian future.
Three films will be presented as Sneak preview, a category reserved for completed films to be released this year: Norway’s “Christmas at Cattlehill”, a 3D Christmas movie directed by Will Ashurst; the animated documentary “Flee”, a co-production between Denmark, France, Sweden and Norway directed by Jonas Poher premiered in competition at Cannes Film Festival 2020 and selected for Sundance Film Festival 2021, and “The Island”, an animated musical by Romanian director Anca Damian (“The Fantastic Voyage of Marona”), who develops a poetic approach to the drama of Africa and Arabic countries migrants in Europe.
Books and comics remain an important source of inspiration for European animation. The selection includes films based on works by authors such as Amélie Nothomb (“The Character of Rain”), Marie Desplechin (“Seraphine”), Josefine Ottesen (“Rosa and the Stone Troll”), John Chambers (“Granny Samurai – the Monkey King and I”), Johan Pilet & Jean-Michel Darlot (“Ninn”), Cezar Petrescu (“The Adventure of Fram the Polar Bear”), Pierre Rabhi (“The Fire Keeper”), and Stephen Collins (“The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil”), among others.
The line-up features the upcoming works by renown directors such as Jean-Loup Felicioli & Alain Gagnol (“Tales of the Hedgehog”), Ben Stassen (“Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness”), Denis Do (“Sorya”), Salvador Simó (“Caramel’s Words”), Jiří Barta (“Golem”), and Anca Damian (“The Island” and “Starseed”), as well as first-time directors. Long-awaited sequels “Checkered Ninja 2” and “Black is Beltza II: Ainhoa” are also included in the list.
The Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, welcoming host to the event, also plays an active role in the line-up with several projects produced or co-produced by studios based in Bordeaux – such as Midralgar/Marmitafilms (“My Grandfather’s Demons” and “Winnipeg, Seeds of Hope”), and in Angoulême, including Schumby (“Shadows” and “The Midnight King”), and Les Films du Poisson Rouge (“Tsitili”). Other films such as “The Character of Rain” and “Marie-Louise, My Little Princess” have received support from this region, where not only is animation the flagship of the film and audiovisual sector but can also boasts of having the number one support fund for animation in France.
CEE countries reinforce their presence with 6 projects, half of which are from Romania; while Georgia’s “Igi” was selected as part of the agreement between CARTOON and CEE Animation to promote Central and Eastern European animation.
In spite of going online, Cartoon Movie will maintain some of its parallel activities such as Cartoon Games and Transmedia, a meeting that seeks to promote synergies between the animation, video games & transmedia industries; Coaching Programme, which will give 90 animation students and teachers from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region the opportunity to learn first-hand about the industry and Cartoon Movie’s dynamics; and the Eurimages Co-production Development Award, a 20,000 euros cash prize created to promote this Fund’s role in encouraging international co-production from the initial stages of a project.