Cartoon Movie, the annual co-production and pitching event for European animated feature films, has unveiled the 55 projects from 16 producing countries set to participate this year. The confab’s 27th edition will be held March 4-6 in Bordeaux, France.
Selected from 120 submissions, the projects will be presented to potential coproducers, sales agents, distributors, streaming platforms representatives and investors, among others industry players. In this year’s line-up, 21% of the projects have been previously presented at Cartoon Movie, underlining the role of the event in the development of European animation. Since its first edition, Cartoon Movie has helped 486 films attain €3.2 billion in total funding towards their completion.
Once again, France is the most-represented producing country with 19 projects, followed by Germany (six), Norway (five) and Spain (four), while Latvia, Czechia, Belgium and Ireland participate with three films each. Region-wise, with 11 projects, films from CEE countries has almost doubled from last year, led by Latvia, which will be this year’s Spotlight country.
The selection features new projects from seasoned directors such as Rose and the Marmots by Alain Ughetto (No Dogs or Italians Allowed), Short Stories about Love and Space by Anca Damian (Marona’s Fantastic Tale), Treasure Island by Vincent Paronnaud & Alexis Ducord (Into the Wonderwoods), Skip by Toby Genkel (The Amazing Maurice), How to Deal with Shattering Geists by Kajsa Næss (Titina) and The Twilight World, the first animated film from Werner Herzog, based on his book of the same name.
The class of of 2025 pitches cover a wide array of genres, including adventure, comedy, drama, fantasy, and sci-fi, while inclusion, gender equity and sustainability concerns are among the topics addressed by the projects. Literary and comic-book adaptations, as well as films based on mythological and folklore tales, are also present in the line-up.
Amongst the many fictional narratives, true stories also unfold: The lives of artists such as Serge Gainsbourg (Gainsbourg, rue de Verneuil) or Sargis Mangasaryan (Zako) and of activists such as Anton de Kom (Faya) or Inês Etienne Romeu (If I Die) inspired some of the projects to be pitched at the event. The destructive impact of war is also reflected through the story of the last Japanese soldier to surrender after WWII (The Twilight World), while the Lebanese Civil War and the Six-Day War are the setting for Thyme Hill by Sarah Carlot Jabe and Uncle Jo’s Cabin by Marc Robinet & Maud Garnier, respectively.
Trends & Figures
Cartoon Movie’s line-up includes mostly in-development projects (33) followed at a distance by in-concept (16) and in-production projects (three). The selection features also three sneak previews: Fleak by Jens Møller; Tales From the Magic Garden by Jean-Claude Rozec, Patrik Pass, Leon Vidmar and David Sukup; and The Songbirds’ Secret by Antoine Lanciaux.
With an overall budget of €316.9 million, this year films have an average cost of €5.6M, a 20% drop year-on year. With more than half of the projects (31) being produced among two or more Creative MEDIA countries, co-production emerges as the main financing model for animated films in Europe, while non-Creative MEDIA countries — including Canada, Colombia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and the United States — are engaged in seven co-productions.
Films aimed at Family audiences are nearly half of the total (45%), while those targeted at Young Adults/Adults have risen from 18% to 33% year-on-year and projects aimed at Children stand at 22%. Gender equity-wise, the number of films directed and produced by women are in line with last year’s (22% and 35%, respectively).
Local Stories
The region Nouvelle-Aquitaine is represented by seven projects. Six projects are supported by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region: The Dreamed Journey of Alpha Two (Les Contes Modernes), If I Die (MIDRALGAR in co-production with Esther Vital [Spain] & O Par [Brazil]), All the Softness in the World (Les Valseurs in co-production with Les Valseurs Bordeaux), Bergeronnette (Miyu Productions), Absolute Surrender (Sun Creature in co-production with Brightstar [U.K.]) and Treasure Island (Je Suis Bien
Content).
Four are in production (or in co-production) with studios based in Bordeaux: The Twilight World (in co-production with Sun Creature), Absolute Surrender (Sun Creature), If I Die (MIDRALGAR) and All the Softness in the World (in co-production with Les Valseurs Bordeaux). Two involve regional authors or co-authors: The Dreamed Journey of Alpha Two (co-written by Alpha Kaba and Christophe Erbes) and Treasure Island (written by Vincent Paronnaud, a.k.a. Winshluss). One project is supported by the Département Charente: The Dreamed Journey of Alpha Two (Les Contes Modernes).
Spotlight on Latvia
The Spotlight on Latvia will feature the projects Born in the Jungle by Edmunds Jansons (Atom Art), Karmic Knot by Signe Baumane (Studio Locomotive) and The Northern Star by Karlis Vitols (Studija Kokles).
Latvia’s animation industry is gaining momentum after the international success of Flow by Gints Zilbalodis, which since being presented at Cartoon Movie 2022 has been recognized by the European Film Awards and the 82nd Golden Globes. The film is also in the race in the Animated Feature Film and International Feature Film categories for the 97th Academy Awards.
Rooted in a rich storytelling heritage and driven by innovation, Latvian animation is ready to further expand its global presence. The industry merges history with contemporary perspectives, bold visionary voices and mastery of diverse techniques. From captivating tales for children to thought-provoking works for adults, there’s animation for everyone. Latvian animation is not just going with the flow — they are the ones shaping it.
This Spotlight is organized by the Latvian Animation Association and supported by the National Film Centre of Latvia and the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia.
Cartoon Movie 2025 will be held March 4-6 in Bordeaux. Discover this year’s selected projects at cartoon-media.eu/movie.
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