The 2025 edition of Cartoon Movie has come to a close in Bordeaux, presenting a diverse lineup of 55 animated feature projects from 16 European countries. This year’s event welcoming 838 participants from 40 countries, including 251 buyers (12.2% of whom were newcomers) and 455 companies. Demographically, 57.7% of attendees were men, 41.5% were women and 0.5% identified as nonbinary.

TOP 15 OF PROJECTS THAT RECEIVED THE MOST ATTENTION FROM THE BUYERS
Only projects in Development & in Production

1. Lou and the Glacier’s Secret – Gao Shan Pictures (France), Cine 3D (Switzerland), Need Productions (Belgium)
2. Hyacinthe – Wrong Men (Belgium) & Foliascope (France), Likaon WJT (Poland)
3. Bergeronnette – Miyu Productions (France)
3. Rose and the Marmots – Les Films du Tambour de Soie (France), WeJustKids (France), Graffiti Film (Italy), Ocidental Filmes (Portugal)
4. Absolute Surrender – Sun Creature France (France) & Brightstar (UK)
4. The Dreamed Journey of Alpha Two – Les Contes Modernes (France)
5. Black Wolf – Czar Film & TV (Belgium), Special Touch Studios (France)
6. Mu Yi and the Handsome General – Studio La Cachette (France)
7. Brume – Folivari (France)
8. Skip – Ulysses Filmproduktion (Germany)
9. Nessie Junior – FFL Film- und Fernseh-Labor Ludwigsburg (Germany)
10. Désert – Les Films d’Ici Méditerranée (France), Tchack (France)
11. My Dad the Truck – Sultana Films (Spain), Sacrebleu Productions (France), Pez Dorado Animaciones (Colombia)
12. Mikisoq – Fleng Entertainment (Denmark), Nordic Drama Queens Denmark (Denmark), Mandoverbord (Denmark)
12. Prudence – Everybody on Deck (France), Je Suis Bien Content (France)
13. Born in the Jungle – Atom Art (Latvia), Letko (Poland), Hausboot (Czechia)
13. Cut and Run – Blue Spirit Productions (France)
14. The Last Whale Singer – Telescope Animation (Germany), PFX (Czechia), La Boîte à Fanny (Canada)
15. Timelessness – Hausboot (Czechia), Les Films du Cygne (France)

TOP 10 PROJECTS OF EUROPEAN COPRODUCTIONS

1. Lou and the Glacier’s Secret – Gao Shan Pictures (France), Cine 3D (Switzerland), Need Productions (Belgium)
2. Hyacinthe – Wrong Men (Belgium) & Foliascope (France), Likaon WJT (Poland)
3. Rose and the Marmots – Les Films du Tambour de Soie (France), WeJustKids (France), Graffiti Film (Italy), Ocidental Filmes (Portugal)
4. Black Wolf – Czar Film & TV (Belgium), Special Touch Studios (France)
5. My Dad the Truck – Sultana Films (Spain), Sacrebleu Productions (France), Pez Dorado Animaciones (Colombia)
6. Faya – Journey to Freedom – Submarine Animation (Netherlands), Special Touch Studios (France)
7. The Last Whale Singer – Telescope Animation (Germany), PFX (Czechia), La Boîte à Fanny (Canada)
8. Born in the Jungle – Atom Art (Latvia), Letko (Poland), Hausboot (Czechia)
9. Timelessness – Hausboot (Czechia), Les Films du Cygne (France)
10. Condenaditos – Studio Seufz (Germany), Ikki Films (France)

Top Trends of 2025

Spotlight on Latvia. Promising and acclaimed Latvian filmmakers are pitching their new films on the global animation stage, with titles including Born in the Jungle by Edmunds Jansons (Atom Art), Karmic Knot by Signe Baumane (Studio Locomotive) and The Northern Star by Kārlis Vītols (Studija Kokles). Latvian animation, taking the global stage in this year’s Oscar-winning film Flow, highlights a blend of storytelling, strong characters and animation tradition. From captivating tales for children to thought-provoking works for adults, Latvia is at the forefront!

Projects from the territory. After the arrival of Cartoon Movie in Bordeaux in 2017, regional animation has reached new peaks as shown by the prominent role played by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the lineup, with seven projects produced or co-produced by regional studios. Six new projects supported by the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region will be presented in the event: The Dreamed Journey of Alpha Two from Les Contes Modernes, If I Die from MIDRALGAR, All the Softness in the World from Les Valseurs, Bergeronnette from Miyu Productions, Absolute Surrender from Sun Creature and Treasure Island from Je Suis Bien Content. Four are in production (or 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 aka Winshluss). 1 project is supported by the Département Charente: The Dreamed Journey of Alpha Two (Les Contes Modernes).

Seasoned directors such as Reza Memari (The Last Whale Singer), Kajsa Næss (How to Deal with Shattering Geists), Werner Herzog (The Twilight World), Will Sharpe (Absolute Surrender) or Antoine Lanciaux (The Songbirds’ Secret), among others, were pitching their project at the event.

Adult animation keeps gaining ground. Regarding target groups, films aimed at Young Adults/Adults have risen from 18% to 31% year-on-year (16 projects), a first at Cartoon Movie. Exemplary projects include Faya – Journey to Freedom, telling the story of an anti-colonialist writer imprisoned in Suriname; Prudence, a sci-fi horror movie; or Zako, bringing to life the story of an artist in wartime, among others.

Up-and-coming talent. CARTOON’s Coaching Program is an opportunity for students to learn more about the sector, its opportunities and challenges and how to better settle in. This year, about 80 students and teachers attended the Coaching Program, from 14 schools. The participants had the opportunity to be part of a networking activity, the Job Fair, that allows them to present their work to professionals, get feedback and possibly find an internship or a first job in the industry. They also had the opportunity to attend masterclasses from top-notch professionals!

Sustainability. Nearly half of the selected projects (45%) — such as Short Stories about Love and Space by Anca Damian, Mikisoq by Mette Rank Tange, The Axolotls by Filip Pošivač or Prudence by Jérémie Hoarau — have implemented some sustainability elements/procedures, in line with CARTOON’s sustainable commitment. After obtaining the ISO 20121 certification, CARTOON remains committed to strengthening sustainable economic growth, minimizing its environmental impact, promoting inclusivity and setting an example for the industry.

Cartoon Movie Tributes 

The European animation community once again celebrated its outstanding achievements at Cartoon Movie. Voted by the 838 professionals from 40 countries attending the 27th edition of the event, the Cartoon Movie Tributes prizes recognize the companies and personalities whose major contributions in their respective fields have significantly enhanced the European animation industry over the previous year.

The Producer of the Year prize was jointly awarded to Dream Well Studio (Latvia), Sacrebleu Productions (France) and Take Five (Belgium), coproducers of Flow, the film by Gints Zilbalodis that has made history by winning an Oscar for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Academy Awards. Presented at Cartoon Movie in 2022, this European co-production was premiered at Cannes Film Festival and recognized at Annecy, the Golden Globes and the European Film Awards, among other festivals and events.

The Sales Agent of the Year award has gone to Kinology, a world sales and co-production company based in Paris. Argonuts, Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds are some of the animated films included in its catalog, while Pets on a Train, Ogresse, The Faun and The X-Tras are among their upcoming titles.

Lastly, Spanish screenwriter and director María Trénor (represented by Alba Sotorra Clua) won the Director of the Year award for Rock Bottom. Inspired by the music and life of British cult musician and composer Robert Wyatt, Trénor’s debut film tells the self-destructive love story of a young couple of artists caught up in the creative maelstrom of the hippie culture of the early ’70s.

See the full list of nominees here.

Eurimages Co-Production Development Award 

A panel of industry jurors awarded this year’s Eurimages Co-Production Development Award to Zako, directed by Tigran Arakelyan and produced by OnOff Studio (Armenia) in collaboration with Sacrebleu Productions (France).

Jury statement:

The jury highly appreciated the exceptional diversity of the selection and would like to thank all the directors and producers who pitched, for the high artistic quality of their project. We are glad to support a project that will allow audiences to discover a true story of an Armenian war victim and artist, bringing the light on a barely known aspect of European history. This powerful and emotional journey will be supported by the creative use of new technologies. Beyond supporting a new talent, it also aims to reward the work of the producer committed to develop the animation industry in their society.

More information is available on the Eurimages website.

Save the Date: Cartoon Movie 2026 will be held March 3-5! cartoon-media.eu/movie