Tales of heroic women, our vulnerable planet and sweeping historical epics take center stage at this year’s Cartoon Movie, the popular co-production and pitching event taking place March 4-6 in the French city of Bordeaux. Shining a light on European animation and artistry, the 27th edition of the confab will showcase 55 eclectic projects from 16 countries in various stages of development and production.
The 2025 lineup features 33 titles in development, 16 in concept, three in production and three completed movies under the sneak-preview banner. France leads the way with 19 titles, followed by six from Germany; five from Norway; four from Spain; three titles each from Belgium, Czechia, Ireland and Latvia; two from Finland; and one movie apiece from Armenia, Denmark, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
According to the organizers, many of this year’s films focus on inclusion, diversity, feminism and sustainability. “Around 25% of the movies tell a story with a message promoting the importance of diversity and inclusion,” says event director Annick Maes. “We have 31 projects that have a story featuring at least one main female character, such as Lou and the Glacier’s Secret (Gao Shan Pictures, Cine3D and Need Productions) and Violet (Moetion Films), to name a few. In addition, 22% of the directors and 35% of the main producers are women. Climate change and environmental issues also play a big part in many of the selected movies: 26% tell a story promoting ecology and sustainable behavior, and 46% of the projects have already implemented some elements and procedures such as reduction of waste logistics and energy optimization, etc.”
Among the many highlights:
- Several acclaimed European directors whose past movies were well received are returning with new projects. Among them are Vincent Paronnaud and Alexis Ducord (directors of last year’s release Into the Wonderwoods), who will present their upcoming project, Treasure Island, and Kajsa Næss (2022’s Titina), who will unveil her new feature, How to Deal With Shattering Geists.
- Several high-profile auteurs are also presenting new movies in development: Award-winning Latvian director Signe Baumane (My Love Affair with Marriage) is bringing her latest project, Karmic Knot, to the event. Alain Ughetto (No Dogs or Italians Allowed) will present his upcoming film, Rose and the Marmots, and German helmer Toby Genkel (The Amazing Maurice) is introducing his new title, Skip. There’s even an animated feature based on a book by celebrated German director Werner Herzog, titled The Twilight World.
- Edmunds Jansons (Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs) will bring his latest movie, Born in the Jungle, and Reza Memari will share the latest about his upcoming feature, The Last Whale Singer, during the pitch sessions.
- The completed films ready for their big close-up this year are Jens Møller’s Fleak, Antoine Lanciaux’s The Songbirds’ Secret and Tales from the Magic Garden by directors Jean-Claude Rozec, Patrik Pass, Leon Vidmar and David Sukup.
You can learn more about the event and the complete lineup at cartoon-media.eu/movie.
A Cartoon Movie Sampler
Here are some of the animated European projects that caught our attention before the event. Please visit our website for our full report from Bordeaux in March:
Basia and a Doggy Summer
What is not to love about a charming 2D-animated movie about a young girl’s beautiful friendship with a clever dog during a summer seaside vacation? Perfect for the younger set, Basia and a Doggy Summer is based on a popular book series by Polish children’s author Zofia Stanecka and is directed by Marcin Wasilewski (Rock Bottom, Lost Senses) with a script by Szymon Jachimek. The 75-minute feature is produced by Robert Jaszczurowski (Grupa Smacznego/GS Animation) and co-produced by Ilan Urroz (Foliascope) and Agnė Adomėnė (Lithuania). Two paws up, for sure!
Born in the Jungle
Latvian director Edmunds Jansons is no stranger to Cartoon Movie. His last movie — Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs — was a big hit at the event a few years ago. He brings another promising new title to Bordeaux this year: Born in the Jungle, a beautifully drawn feature about a girl who must find her younger brother after he disappears in the rainforest during a family vacation. Adding a bit more mystery to the plotline is a magical furry creature who lives in the Tepui mountains. The new pic is produced by Sabine Andersone (Atom Art) and co-produced by Letko veteran producer Piotr Szczepanowicz (Even Mice Belong in Heaven, Acid Rain) and Vladimír Lhoták (Hausboot). Dandelooo is the film’s global sales agent. Thank God for these exciting family vacations that keep our eyes glued to the screen!
Condenaditos
Bolivia’s recent political history complicates a young girl’s family that are affected by a multigenerational curse in writer/director Matisse Gonzalez’s fascinating new movie, Condnenaditos (a.k.a. Cursed Children). The talented Bolivian-born director, who is based in Germany, has been a familiar face at Pixelatl and Ventana Sur, and her upcoming movie was also pitched at Annecy a few years ago. The 2D film is described as a “comedy for adults with autobiographical shades.” The French-German co-pro, which is currently in development, is produced by Stefan Michel (Studio Seufz), Nidia Santiago and Edwina Liard (Ikki Films). It definitely sounds like a labor of love that is worth the wait to see on the big screen in the years ahead.
How to Deal with Shattering Geists
A 10-year-old boy named Henry who lives alone with his father discovers that whenever his mother’s name is mentioned, violent winds appear out of nowhere and shatter everything around him (“Geist” is a German word that can mean ghost, spirit or mind). After a terrible accident at school, he realizes that it’s time to solve the mystery in the new 2D-animated movie How to Deal with Shattering Geists, directed and co-written by Kajsa Næss, who also directed the acclaimed 2022 feature Titina. The Norwegian-Dutch co-production is produced by Lisa Fearnley (Mikrofilm) and Janneke van de Kerkhof (Submarine Animation) and is being presented at Cartoon Movie in concept stage.
Karmic Knot
There’s always a good reason to celebrate when Latvian-born, Brooklyn-based auteur Signe Baumane embarks on a new project. The talented writer-director, who is best known for shorts such as Teat Beat of Sex and award-winning features Rocks in My Pockets and My Love Affair with Marriage, will bring her third feature-length project to Cartoon Movie this year. Karmic Knot is described as an epic chronicle of the life and times of a tightly knit family in Latvia that make a fortune by growing and selling rose cultivars. As the Soviet Union starts to fall apart, the family’s fate also changes, and they lose all their savings when the currency collapses. This semiautobiographical tale is bound to have the director’s trademark mix of poignant dramatic points and universal humor. The 90-minute feature will mix 2D, CG and stop-motion animation and will be produced by Dominiks Jarmakovičs (Latvia’s Studio Locomotive) and Sturgis Warner (U.S.), who also produced Baumane’s previous films. In short, a truly distinctive movie worth keeping an eye on.
Lou and the Glacier’s Secret
A young goat named Lou, her brother Koa and their mother Zoe are at the heart of Frédéric and Samuel Guillaume’s intriguing new CG-animated movie. Lou and the Glacier’s Secret (L’Hiver de Lou) follows the mystical adventures of a goat who loses her mother in a terrible storm during their autumn migration. After encountering a mysterious creature, Lou learns the secrets of the spirit world around her and finds herself carrying on the storytelling traditions of her mother and those before her. The Franco-Belgian-Swiss production is a joint venture between Gao Shan Pictures (Arnauld Boulard, whose many credits include Into the Wonderwoods, My Sunny Maad, Funan and They Shot the Piano Player), Cine 3D (Samuel Guillaume) and Need Productions (Anne-Laure Guégan).
My Dad the Truck
An eight-year-old Colombian girl named Hilda, her father Bonifacio and their pet pig Tulipán are the emotional centers of promising new title My Dad the Truck. Directed by María Cristina Pérez González, the 2D-animated movie follows the adventures of the trio as they leave their fire-ravaged farm in the middle of the Colombian mountains to search for a better life in the city. Hilda hopes to be reunited with her mother, while Bonifacio hopes to become a truck driver to rebuild their lives. The Spanish-French-Colombian project has a very strong pedigree: It is produced by Diego Herguera Acosta at Sultana Films (Sultana’s Dream); Ron Dyens (Sacrebleu), who also spearheaded acclaimed titles such as Flow, My Sunny Maad and Marona’s Fantastic Tale; and Mauricio Cuervo (Pez Dorado Animaciones). In other words, un viaje realmente fascinante!
Rose and the Marmots
After making a big splash with his 2022 stop-motion feature, French helmer Alain Ughetto is back at Cartoon Movie with another period piece. Rose and the Marmots, a French-Italian-Portuguese co-pro tells the tale of resourceful 12-year old named Rose, who lives with her blind grandfather in a harsh mountainous terrain. To make ends meet, Rose leaves her grandfather behind and travels to the big city and makes a leaving by performing with her trained marmots. The script is penned by Alexis Galmot, who also wrote the screenplay for Ughetto’s previous movie. The innovative movie’s producers are Alexandre Cornu (Les Films de Trambour de Soie), Shiraz Bazin-Moussi (WeJustKids), Enrica Capra (Graffiti Film) and Luis Correia (Ocidental Filmes). We can’t wait to see this Dickensian, CG-animated movie, Monsieur Ughetto: You had us at trained marmots!
Tales from the Magic Garden
Three children make up their own stories when they spend the night at their grandfather house in the charming stop-motion movie based on Czech author Arnošt Goldflam’s book. Tales from the Magic Garden, which also premiered at this year’s prestigious Berlin Intl. Film Festival, combines elements of fantasy and humor and pays tribute to the power of imagination. A co-pro between Maurfilm (Czech Republic), Artichoke (Slovakia), ZVVIKS (Slovenia) and Vivement Lundi ! (France), the anthology is produced by Martin Vandas, Alena Vandasová, Juraj Krasnohorsky, Henrieta Cvangová, Kolja Saksida, Jean-François Le Corre and Mathieu Courtois. The ambitious project’s directors are David Súkup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar and Jean-Claude Rozec. “Children’s programming often avoid the topic of death for fear of evoking negative emotions, leaving children who experience a loss feeling isolated, as if no one acknowledges what has happened,” says Rozec (Tadpole). “Despite the creative and financial risks, the producers decided to approach this sensitive topic in a careful and thoughtful way, and that’s why this film is so important to me.”
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