CARTOON MOVIE WILL GATHER MORE THAN 700 ANIMATION FILM PROFESSIONALS IN LYON
Skwigly
From 2 to 4 March, Lyon will become the European capital of animation film: more than 700 animated feature film producers, investors, distributors, sales agents, video game companies and new media players from all of Europe and beyond will attend the 18th Cartoon Movie to create partnerships and co-productions, allowing the funding of around 20 animated feature films per year in Europe.
A record number of animated projects for teenagers and adults
For several years, the trend of adult-skewed films in European animation is growing. In 2016, a record is achieved: nearly 33% of the selected projects target an audience of teenagers/ adults and tackle political or sensitive subjects ranging from child soldiers in Angola (“Another Day of Life” by Platige Image and based on the book of the reporter Ryszard Kapuściński), Khmer Rouge in Cambodia’s years (“Funan, the new people” by Les Films d’Ici), resistance in Iran (“The Siren” by Les Films d’Ici), adoption (“The Khmer Smile” of Animalps Productions), the civil war in Angola (“Nayola” by da Praça de Filmes), but also a fiction inspired on Joseph Conrad’s novels representing Rio de Janeiro in the near future (“Heart of Darkness” by Les Films d’Ici) and a psychotic thriller about the confinements of reality, based on the eponymous online graphic novel (“Mind My Gap” Studio Rosto).
Meanwhile, family comedies and adventure films for children are not left out: “The Journey of the Elephant Soliman” (Studio88 Werbe- und Trickfilm) which tells the story of a elephant accompanying the return of Spanish Governor in its regions of Vienna in 1851, “Hieronymus” (BosBros) adventure film inspired by a famous character, the “Hieronymus Bosch” painter, “Little Jules Verne” (Enormous Pictures), which tells the story of a small 12 year old boy told by his grandfather, Jules Verne himself, …
Literature and comic books continue to be a significant source of inspiration for European animation. This year’s selection ranges from adaptations by well-known authors such as Edgar Allan Poe (“Extraordinary Tales” by Mélusine Productions) and Michel Kichka (“Second Generation” by Stephan Films) or comic books such as “SamSam the Tiniest Superhero” (Folivari) inspired also by a French television series in 3D and created from characters of Serge Bloch for Pomme d’Api, magazine for kids (3-7 years) of Bayard Press group and “Mutafukaz” directed by Guillaume Renard et produced by Ankama Animation (“Dofus – Book 1: Julith” will release in France on February 3).
New this year: one Canadian project will be presented at Cartoon Movie in order to expand the collaboration established at Cartoon Connection Canada. “Amoeba” (House of Cool) has been selected by several European broadcasters present in October 2015: CBBC-BBC Children’s UK, France Télévisions, Walt Disney UK, YLE Finland, Channel 5 – milkshake! UK and Canal+ France.
To date, 55 projects from 19 European countries have been selected to be pitched at Cartoon Movie: 23 of them are in concept, 21 in development, 8 in production and 2 are completed films.
France will be represented by 18 projects, followed by Denmark and Germany with 5 each, Italy, Netherlands & Poland with 3 each.
The variety of countries producing animated films is still growing, thanks to the vitality of the Nordic countries with 8 projects, and countries of Eastern Europe such as Poland and the Czech Republic.