Cartoon Forum

Cartoon Forum
Name	Cartoon Forum
Location	Toulouse, later various European cities
Founded	1990
Founders	European Animation Council
Frequency	Annual
Format	Pitching market, co-production forum, networking

Cartoon Forum Cartoon Forum is an annual European pitching and co-production event for animated television projects, bringing together producers, broadcasters, distributors, financiers, and commissioners. It functions as a professional marketplace where animation companies present projects to potential partners and funders, attracting representatives from public broadcasters, private channels, streaming platforms, sales agents, coproduction bodies, and cultural agencies. The forum has been associated with numerous successful series and films and plays a central role in transnational collaboration across France, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Belgium, and other European markets.

Overview

Cartoon Forum operates at the intersection of festival programming, industry market, and commissioning event, connecting studios, producers, and independent creators with representatives of European Broadcasting Union, Canal+, France Télévisions, BBC, ZDF, Rai Radiotelevisione Italiana, RTÉ, YLE, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon International, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Europe, Gaumont Animation, Studio Ghibli-adjacent networks, WildBrain, DHX Media, Millimages, Les Armateurs, Xilam Animation, Magneto Media, Bélvision and many regional funds. The event typically features project showcases, one-to-one meetings, pitching sessions, and panels with representatives from financing bodies such as Creative Europe MEDIA, national film institutes like Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC), Germany's Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Irish Film Board, and private investors.

History and Development

Founded in 1990 amid a growing European co-production culture, the forum developed alongside transnational initiatives such as Eurimages, Council of Europe audiovisual programs, and the growth of pan-European broadcasters including Arte and TF1. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s it expanded as digital distribution and cable networks including Sky Group, Liberty Global, and pan-European channels reshaped commissioning patterns. Key historical moments include increased participation from streaming platforms in the 2010s, alignment with funding mechanisms like Creative Europe, and collaboration with festivals such as Annecy International Animation Film Festival, MIFA, Cartoon Movie, and markets including MIDEM and MIPCOM that amplified co-production opportunities. The forum relocated among host cities to foster regional industry development and to engage local film funds such as Occitanie Film Commission and institutions like Toulouse Business School and municipal cultural departments.

Structure and Programme

The programme organizes pitched presentations of series concepts, pilot materials, and shorts across thematic strands (pre-school, children, young audience, family, adult). Each participating producer delivers a formal pitch to panels of commissioners from broadcasters including PBS International, Disney Channel, HBO Max, CBeebies, and sales agents like The Cool Beans, HIT Entertainment alumni, PRIMA FILM. Sessions include roundtables with representatives from financing bodies such as Eurimages, national film institutes like Fonds Audiovisuel de Belgique, and investment arms of companies like Lagardère. Networking formats include scheduled one-to-one meetings, pitching arenas judged by commissioning editors from Cartoon Network Studios Europe, Nickelodeon, Sprout, and emerging SVOD buyers. Workshops and masterclasses feature creatives and executives from studios including Aardman Animations, Blue Sky Studios, Illumination Entertainment, Passion Pictures, and regional independents, alongside legal and distribution experts from agencies handling pre-sales, coproduction treaties, and rights management.

Notable Projects and Alumni

Many projects presented at the forum have matured into widely distributed series and films. Alumni producers and titles include collaborations that led to works associated with broadcasters and distributors such as BBC Studios commissions, Gaumont Television partnerships, and releases on Netflix Kids. Productions pitched at the forum have gone on to win awards at Annecy, secure broadcasts on Channel 4, TF1 Jeunesse, Korea's EBS, and international sales via Distributor Lunapark. Creators and companies represented include veterans from Nick Park-linked teams, founders of Les Armateurs projects, and emerging studios that later collaborated with StudioCanal and multinational partners like Sony Pictures Classics on festival circuits.

Impact on European Animation Industry

The forum has catalyzed cross-border coproductions tying national public broadcasters, regional funds, and private financiers, influencing commissioning practices across France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Poland, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Portugal, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Ireland, and United Kingdom. It has contributed to the professionalization of pitching formats and to pipelines feeding festivals like Berlinale’s Generation strand and markets such as MIPJunior. By concentrating buyers, commissioners, and financiers in one forum, it has accelerated financing deals involving institutions such as Eurimages and Creative Europe and facilitated talent mobility between studios like Cartoon Network Studios Europe, Xilam, M6 Kids, and international partners. Regional film commissions and cultural agencies have used the forum to showcase local incentives and co-production treaties with countries including Canada and South Korea.

Awards and Recognition

While primarily a commercial pitching market rather than a juried festival, the forum and its projects have been associated with numerous awards at festivals such as Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Prix Europa, International Emmy Kids Awards, BAFTA Children's Awards, Cartoon d'Or, and national prizes from institutions like CNC and various European film academies. Recognition for alumni projects has reinforced the forum's reputation among commissioners from entities like European Broadcasting Union members and private platforms, consolidating its role as a catalyst for successful European animated production.

Category:European animation events