Cartoon Springboard is a pitching event for projects by upcoming animation creators with many cultural backgrounds from all over Europe. The meriting spot of young European talents is organized by CARTOON as a part of Cartoon Masters, a comprehensive program on animation business consisting of three events (Cartoon BUSINESS, Cartoon DIGITAL and Cartoon Springboard).
This year’s Cartoon Springboard was held online from 27th to 29th October. On the online platform the international experts from the animation industry gave live feedback and advice to young creators of the selected 22 projects after their prerecorded pitches were played.
Young attendees could also watch the four following Keynotes:
- How does a Studio develop a project…and What Happens Next by Charlotte de la Gournerie (Co-Founder at Sun Creature, Denmark)
- How to develop a project? Do’s and Don’t’s by Ivan Agenjo (Co-Founder at Peekaboo Animation, Spain)
- Understanding your Target Audience by Telidja Klaï (Content Manager for Ketnet/VRT, Belugium)
- Creative Development and Storytelling by Daniel Bays (Founder of Lightning Sprite Media, UK)
Our picks
We picked up three projects that caught our attention from the 22 projects.
Pepino the Accordionist
Creators: Alfonso Casado Diez & Daniel Hidalgo (School: U-Tad, Spain)
Producer: Meh Producciones (Spain)
Format: Feature film – 80′
Target audience: Young adults / adults
Synopsis: In the post-war Spanish times, Pepino is a kid dreaming on playing his accordion. Everyday after helping his mother in the saffron fields, he goes back home to practice with his uncle, but when he dies, Pepino finds it difficult to play again. Thanks to his friend Jeromo, he goes back to his music and keeps on playing. As he grows up, he masters the instrument and starts playing for big audiences. But things are tough in his town and Pepino is forced into Paris to bring some money home. There he will have to learn the Parisian ways of music, work hard and, even worse, to live away from the love of his life, Estrella.
Fortune/Misfortune
Creators: Marco Bambina, Elisa Bindi & Alessandro Fogu (Scuola Internazionale di Comics, Italy)
Format: TV series – 13 x 20′
Target audience: 4-7 years old
Synopsis: Many eons ago, the world was ruled by a universal balance controlled by the powerful Destiny. Growing old, Destiny chose a heir to rule in his place, but the heir mysteriously disappeared and the Titan Kronos, accused of killing her, was imprisoned and sentenced to spend the rest of his existence in Tartarus. This is where the story of Fortune, cheerful and always optimistic, and Misfortune, cynical and troubled, starts. They will face an impossible adventure that will bring them to the end of the world. On their journey, they will meet mythical creatures and weird monsters, having to set aside their differences and learning to work together to unveil the mystery of their origins.
What it takes
Creators: Fabien Corre & Kelsi Phung (School: Gobelins, l’école de l’image, France)
Producer: Les Astronautes (France)
Format: TV series – 8 x 26′
Target audience: Young adults/adults
Synopsis: Binh, a reserved and sensitive 19-year-old, has to face their questions about their non-binarity. Jeanne, a sparkling young trans woman, opens them the doors of her LGBTI+ association. Binh then discovers the queer community and the Parisian ballroom scene where they fall in fascination with Abi, a famous young trans woman performer. Tarik, a young activist trans man struggles to create a head procession that would honor people of colour in the LGBTI+ community during the next Pride Parade. His project encounters several refusals but finds a new chance thanks to Jeanne. In the meantime, Binh will redouble their efforts to prove they deserve their place in the ballroom scene.
