Top global animation producers and sales agents discuss their new 2024 titles and the state of the global market.
Michael Ryan
Partner & Producer, GFM Film Sales
The Cannes/Annecy slate: Among the movies on our slate this year are the eagerly anticipated Warner Bros. movie, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, 10 Lives (which premiered at Sundance earlier this year), Ozi: Voice of the Forest (produced by Leonardo DiCaprio), Stitch Head (Steve Hudson’s adaptation of the popular book series) and Sneaks (Rob Edwards’ tale of misplaced sneakers that end up lost in New York City, “with the biggest hip-hop voice cast you’ve ever seen in your life!”).
Thoughts on the Looney Tunes Movie: “I guess it’s an unusual situation to be asked by Warner Bros. to distribute the movie that they’ve made. I did it many, many years ago with Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Having had that reputation is what led them to trust us with it. It’s an honor because it’s never been done before. It’s the first original animated Looney Tunes feature. What can be better than Daffy Duck and Porky Pig, really? I guess Warner Bros. is concentrating their efforts on their big tentpole movies. When I was asked whether it should go straight to Warner’s TV or pay-per-view, I said, “Hang on. This has a life of its own, outside of the Warner Bros.’ mainstream. It’s a great 90-year IP that has never been done as a feature. For us in the indie world, it’s a very big deal!”
It would be a great shame to send it straight to streaming. It’s really, really good. It’s like the old-fashioned Warner Bros. cartoons in style and color. When people watch it, I hope it will take them to their childhood. It’s not what they’re used to from their great tentpoles. It’s an original piece and done in a traditional way. We’ve already sold it and done very well with it. We’re going to screen it in Cannes and will also take it to Annecy as well.
On the 2024 titles: It’s an exciting time for us. We have a lot of good things happen. We are showing something from Sneaks for the first time, and it has some great stuff in it. The movie will be delivered by the end of summer. We’re having a great time with Humbugged, a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, which is told from the point of view of the ghost of Marley. Stitch Head is very unusual as well. It’s the adaptation of a series of six books by English author Guy Bass. It will raise a few eyebrows. We can screen Ozi in full because it’s all done.
The overall state of the industry: I think it’s coming back. The attendance in Cannes seems to be very heavy this year — must better than 2023. I think the big theatrical features are faring much better. Some of the smaller titles are struggling a bit, but we are slowly ticking up each year because we deal with bigger theatricals. We have some big animated movies this year. Whenever people ask how do we make this business work, my answer is “You make a very good movie!” People forget that sometimes. If you’ve done that, the rest is up to marketing and international distributors. This year, we are seeing good results in international markets and all the European territories. People will go to the cinemas to see a movie if it’s good.
Klaus Rasmussen
Co-Head of International Sales & Acquisitions, Global Screen
Animated titles at Cannes: Our animated film Niko: Beyond the Northern Lights will be completed for Cannes and will be shown to distributors for the very first time at the Cannes market. We have already presold the film in most parts of the world, including the U.S. and U.K., but we still have territories open in Australia, Israel and Asia (excluding South Korea). This Nordic/German/Irish co-prod will have its national premiere in Finland on October 11, and then be released from November to January, coinciding with the holiday season.
Additionally, we have The Last Whale Singer, a German/ Czech/Canadian co-production, which is set to be completed for summer 2025. With a strong script and appealing promo, we have already presold to many territories. For AFM 2024, we expect to have the first completed scenes ready to show distributors. I love that both Niko and The Last Whale Singer boast very high animation quality, as well as engaging storytelling and positive messages and values for children.
Thoughts on the global market: The international theatrical market for animated films is robust, but independent animations must meet high commercial standards to compete with major studios like Pixar. Our films consistently perform in the top 10 at the box office worldwide.
The road ahead: One major challenge for smaller distributors is finding a gap in the crowded yearly release schedule and securing space for their animation film before studio animations takes all the attention with their films.
Key survival strategies: It’s important for us sales agents to work with animated producers who really know how to handle the craft of animation. It seems at the moment that everybody wants to make animation films, but many films get lost in the process since it takes a long time from start to end, and you need good skills and experience to get a film completed on time.
Simon Crowe
Managing Director, SC Films
The 2024 Slate: SC continues to plan the worldwide release for Dragonkeeper (directed by Jianping Li and Salvador Simó) and updating on Girl in the Clouds (directed by Philippe Riche). Dragonkeeper is an epic tale that is visually bold and the story is beautifully told. Girl in the Clouds is fun escapism with a very funny guinea pig as the main character’s sidekick.
The current market: It is tricky but there is always demand for quality animated features. Good stories that are well told are the key. The challenges ahead? Difficult markets like the U.S. (due to the cost of releasing), China and South Korea. And AI is coming fast with new innovations.
Survival strategies: You have to focus on commercial, key projects. Getting them funded and into production, and keeping the budgets tight!
Rodney Uhler
Director of Acquisitions & Developments, GKIDS
On the current market: The challenges that face the broader film industry are the ones that affect animated features as well: bigger importance and reliance on “big” titles, more challenging market for smaller, indie titles, and uncertainty with streamer and platform appetite. However, I feel incredibly optimistic about the current market for animation since what is important, the quality of films being produced, doesn’t seem to be impacted by this situation. It means our job as distributors and producers is to be more creative and figure out better ways to ensure the most exciting films get made and find the audiences they deserve.
Trendspotting: Something we’re particularly encouraged (and motivated) by is the audiences’ desire to see iconic titles from the past in a theatrical setting. We recently presented the first ever North American theatrical release of The End of Evangelion and it exceeded our expectations. Each year we keep expanding the Ghibli Fest offerings due to audience demand. Last year’s re-release of Coraline was a big success too. These are all encouraging as a sign that there is still clear power and interest in seeing a great film in a theatrical setting.
On the GKIDS’ slate: I love that we’re back to celebrating European animation, particularly French animation, this year with three new titles (Chicken for Linda!, Mars Express and Sirocco and the Kingdom of Winds). Each title is so unique that it highlights how one country can produce such a diverse variety of storytelling. We fell in love with each of these films for different reasons and are excited to share them with audiences in North America.
Survival tips: I’d encourage productions of any size to look towards international co-production opportunities whenever possible, I feel strongly it’s a benefit not just in terms of potential financial opportunities but for creative input as well. Animation can have a wide, global reach so thinking exclusively in terms of the domestic audience or market wherever the film is being made is excluding a wide range of opportunities.
Marie-Claude Beauchamp
President/Producer; CarpeDiem/Pink Parrot Media
New titles: CarpeDiem recently finished our animated movie Butterfly Tale. We started selling it through Pink Parrot Media, our worldwide sales agent, during the financing stages a few years back and officially launched it at AFM last November. Some territories are still yet to be sold, such as Asia and LatAm. We will focus on these during the Cannes Film Market as well as Annecy’s MIFA. We’re also concluding another animated feature in co-pro with German producers Zooper Films/Dreaming Dolphin Films titled Elli and Her Monster Team. We are a minority co-producer on this picture, but handle the worldwide sales through our company Pink Parrot Media.
Stand-out qualities: These two films have stories that touch the heart and prompt families to discuss important subjects with their kids while being thoroughly entertaining and fun. At CarpeDiem, we have a commercial approach to filmmaking. All of our films, or films that we co-produce, have to carry the three Hs: Heart, Humor and Hug-ability. We prioritize this approach to meet the interests of our audience and engage them in conversations about subjects that must be addressed in their development.
The year ahead: The two pictures we are about to start are two very different films, but again, two pictures that will bring so much joy to families. The production process is my favorite; working with the directors, writers, and all the creative teams is my most favorite part of the whole process. I especially like working with the directors on the musical aspect of the film. It is another entry point for our audience to express their sense of belonging to our films.
The big picture: The post-pandemic theatrical release calendar was very busy for family films. Many pictures were held back, and the opportunity to release with a fair window was limited. But we believe this is behind us, and more space will be available for releasing family animated pictures. Both strikes (actors and writers) had a bigger impact on the live-action sector than on independent animation films (produced outside the studios).
Johannes Busse
Head of Sales, Sola Pictures
The Cannes/Annecy slate: We have Tafiti — Across the Desert, a German animated feature with a $10 million budget and amazing animation quality. The director Nina Wells has previously worked on Latte and the Magic Waterstone and My Fairy Troublemaker, and animation director Timo Berg worked on huge Hollywood titles such as The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Sing, Pets and Despicable Me 3. We also have the first moving images from the German feature The Super Elfkins (budget: $9.7 million), which will released by Tobis Film in Germany in December. It’s a sequel to the first Elfkins movie. Also, we are presenting The Lost Tiger, which features the voice of social media star Celeste Barber, which will be released by Universal in 2025.
On the market: There is a lot of animation on the market. It really is a buyer’s market at the moment which means that high quality and a great marketing package are more important than ever. While the studio animations are still dominating in the market there are good opportunities for high quality independent animations. For us, Europe has recovered quite well after the pandemic and it is a robust market for animated features.
Challenges ahead: There’s a tendency for stories to be more generic and “safe bets.” The major challenge is to develop and to find new, original stories that have a lot of commercial potential and are a successful mix of original storytelling approaches and proven concepts that engage audiences worldwide.
Key survival strategies: It’s more important than ever to differentiate yourself with great animation quality and very good storytelling. Movies with an original, entertaining, and touching stories are in high demand. It’s important have a great marketing package that presents the movie very well.
Michael Favelle
Founder & CEO, Odin’s Eye
Cannes and Annecy slate: We are bringing Rock Bottom from Mexico’s HuevoCartoon whose Little Eggs franchise we are currently wrapping up territory sales for. We also recently acquired The Weird Kidz, Zach Pacheo’s brilliant nostalgia infused horror comedy road trip which premiered at Annecy last year and went on to play at almost every major genre in the world. Frankly I’m amazed no-one picked it up right out of the gate — that said we have made some minor but important adjustments to the cut with the involvement of exec producer James Fino (Rick and Morty, Anomalisa) which take it to the next level without losing any of Zach’s irreverent and endearing road trip of blood bonds and redemption. I would not rule out a series — hopefully Seth McFarlane and Mike Judge won’t mind one more seat at the adults table being taken. We also have Shimmy: The First Monkey King from Dick and Ralph Zondag (Disney’s Dinosaur) as it proves to be a winner with audiences.
On the current market: Let’s not sugar coat it. It’s very difficult right now. The theatrical market is still very strong but projects need to be both moderately priced, well packaged, strong and compelling characters and above average quality of animation. As the Pay One window is yet to properly recover — in a number of markets it’s effectively a ‘theatrical only’ equation as Pay or Free tv cannot be relied on. Acquisitions by streamers and studios have been scant to say the obvious but hopefully after the various re-orgs we will start to see more activity on this front.
The big challenges: Aside from the well documented ‘Streaming Winter,’ I think everyone is rightly concerned about the impact of AI. How that will this impact storytelling and to what extent will audiences wish to move from being a passive viewer to an active participant.
Survival strategies: Duck and cover? I might have to consult the Magic 8 Ball for this, to be honest. I do think much of the standard feature independent model needs to be re-thought and rebuilt with the IP at the forefront opposed to a single picture model. It’s a time for strategic alliances, partnerships and collaboration.
Laura Pieto
VP Content Acquisitions & Partner, Viva Pictures
On the markets: The Cannes Film Festival is the perfect place to meet again with partners with whom we have a long history of successes and releases but also to discover some hidden gems that suddenly appear almost unexpectedly. Marché du Film is where our theatrical success The Amazing Maurice deal was cooked, and we hope to find another Viva hit this market.
Upcoming slate: We are very excited for the rest of 2024, particularly our film 200% Wolf slated to release in theaters on August 23.
The global scene: The last few years have been marked somewhat by a limited number of films, which always creates tensions in the market and a certain degree of compromise. Fortunately, this phase seems to have passed and we are facing a time in which not only are there more films but their quality has improved substantially, which is always good news for industry professionals and audiences.
Biggest challenges: We often find that filmmakers must seek a balance between responding to the tastes and needs of their country of origin and that which will maximize marketability of their films internationally. We work closely with our producers and sales agents to ensure that films achieve their full potential artistically and financially.
Best part of the job: Seeing how animation projects continually improve at a dizzying pace. Not only is the technical quality of the films much better, the storylines are becoming more complex and sophisticated, allowing more moments of family co-viewing. As parents, we also enjoy animated films and of course want to spend more time with our kids. It’s with this mind that Viva is offering exhibitors the “Kiddo Kompanion Pass.” When a ticket is purchased for a child, exhibitors can provide a second child’s ticket at no additional cost.
