The selection for Cartoon Forum 2026 has been unveiled, comprising 66 animated projects chosen from 111 submissions across Europe. This year’s line-up features 61 TV series and five TV specials, representing a total production volume of 330 hours and an overall budget of €283.58 million, with an average budget of €4.30 million per production.
The annual co-production forum will be held in Toulouse, France from September 14-17.
The Cartoon Forum Selection Committee praised the high quality and diversity of this year’s submissions, in what proved to be a highly competitive selection process. In its evaluation, the Committee placed particular emphasis on originality, creative ambition, financial viability and international appeal, while seeking to ensure a broad diversity of European talents and perspectives across the final selection.
International collaboration continues to play a central role in this year’s selection, with 26 projects developed as co-productions, representing 39% of the line-up. Among them, 10 involve partnerships between two or more Creative MEDIA countries, while fuve include co-producers from Brazil, Switzerland, Thailand and the United Kingdom. In total, 15 countries are involved as co-producers, led by France, Luxembourg, Austria and Germany.
The growing number of submissions targeting teen, young adult and adult audiences is reflected in this year’s selection, with such projects accounting for 26% of the line-up. A total of 17 projects are aimed at these audiences — three projects for teenagers (aged 12-15) and 14 for young adult and adult viewers — illustrating the sector’s continued diversification and ambition to reach broader audiences.
Two projects featured among this year’s selection, WAW Resort by Peekaboo Animation (Spain) and OUCH ! by Anna Films (France), were previously pitched at Cartoon Springboard, continuing their development journey across the CARTOON events network.
Three of the selected projects are produced in the Occitanie region around Toulouse: The Banana Complex by Xbo films, PlasticLand by Dwarf Entertainment and The Old Ladie and the Dragon by Les Films d’Ici Méditerranée.
As part of Cartoon Forum’s ongoing partnerships, three projects joined the line-up through the Animation Production Days (APD) in Stuttgart and the CEE Animation Forum in Pilsen, Czech Republic. At APD, the German broadcasters HR, KiKA, MDR, Super RTL, SWR, WDR and ZDF selected Emotsters by Blaue Pampelmuse (Germany) and Reinventing Herman by Wolkenlenker (Germany), while the CEE Animation Forum jury awarded direct access to Tolo&Bolo by Filmograf (Poland).
Following the positive response to its first edition and in response to the ongoing challenges facing the animation industry, CARTOON is renewing the “Fill the Gap” initiative for 2026. As financing remains increasingly difficult and many high-quality projects struggle to secure their final budget needs. This initiative aims to reconnect producers with buyers, broadcasters, distributors and co-producers who can help move projects into production.
“Fill the Gap” offers former Cartoon Forum projects additional visibility through trailer screenings, networking opportunities and One-to-One Meetings during Cartoon Forum 2026.
Learn more about the selected projects here and click over to cartoon-media.eu/forum for more information.
2026 Cartoon Forum Projects
- The Adventures of Icarus and Ariadne | Wonder Legends Studio, Primal Shape, Peng! Boom! Tschak! Films | Poland, Italy, Germany
- Agatha & Hercules | Method Animation | France
- Akissi | Everybody on Board Prod., Watch Next Media | France
- Animal Jack | Ellipsanime Prod. | France
- Atta Slam | Submarine Animation, Igloo Studio | Netherlands, Thailand
- The Banana Complex | Xbo Films | France
- Banane Has Questions | Haut et Court, Hélium Films | France, Switzerland
- Beat Street | Paper Owl Films | Ireland
- Beyond | Funny Tales | Greece
- Bird | Blue Spirit Prod. | France
- Buffalo Johansson | Cartouche | Belgium
- Calinours | Les Films de l’école des loisirs, Les Films de l’Arlequin | France
- Cara & Bran | Telegael | Ireland
- Curl Power | Toon2Tango | Germany
- Dandelion | Treehouse Republic | Ireland
- Danny Denfer | Watch Next Media | France
- Dog and I | Sacrebleu Prod. | France
- Dream Tango | Uncloudy & Co | Sweden
- The Electron Boy | Motion Pictures Ent. | Spain
- Emma Makes Waves | La Cabane Prod. | France
- Emotsters | Blaue Pampelmuse | Germany
- Epic Family | Animagency | Finland
- Ernestine | Ad Astra, Laidak Films | France
- Fantasy Riders | Hampa Studio, Panini | Spain
- Free Range | Passion Paris Prod., Passion Pictures | France, U.K.
- Funny Feelings | Sixteen South | Ireland
- Garden Square | Distillery Films, Watch Next Media, A Prod. | Ireland, France, U.K.
- Heroes of Bronze | Elysian Dreams | Czech Rep.
- In the Workfield | Vana Animation Studio | Romania
- Jasmine | TeamTO Films, Sandship | France
- Lily & Kyle | Mago Prod., Alopra Estudio | Spain, Brazil
- The Little Shadow Thief | Frog Box, Toutes Ces Choses | France
- Lunar Squad | Mondo TV France, Nalu Animation | France
- Lussekatt | Les Films de l’Arlequin | France
- Maggie Maggou and the Wish Lab | Folimage | France
- Marilou | Media Valley | France
- Mebh and the Wolf Pups | Cartoon Saloon, Mélusine Studio | Ireland, Luxembourg
- The Mini Missions | 20 Pictures to Midnight, La Fabrique d’Images, Trickstudio Lutterbeck, Will Prod. | Belgium, Luxembourg, German, France
- Minifauna | Anima Vitae | Finland
- Mitten Pals | Zographic Films, Big Bad Boo Studios | Bulgaria, Austria
- Nate in a Pickle | Kopli Kinokompani | Estonia
- The Old Ladie and the Dragon | Les Films d’Ici Méditerranée | France
- The Otherness | Deal Prod., Mélusine Studio | Luxembourg
- OUCH ! | Anna Films | France
- Outside Kabul | Les Films du Poisson, Tchack, Ström Pictures | France, Denmark
- Pélagie of Navarique | Les Astronautes | France
- Pie in the Sky | JPL Films | France
- Plasticland | Dwarf Ent. | France
- Rainy Days | Animadre Studios, Laïdak Films, CUB Animation | Austria, France, Hungary
- Reinventing Herman | Wolkenlenker | Germany
- Rock Me Amadeus! | Big Idea Farm, Markand Media, Animoon | Germany, Austria, Poland
- The Roots of My Hair | Gao Shan Pictures, Bigger Than Fiction | France
- S(e)ummer Stories | Werlen Ipsum, Premier Degré | France
- Scope of the Universe | LØV Film, Bionaut | Norway, Czech Rep.
- Scraplings | Made by Us | Denmark
- Spill the Tea | Novanima | France
- Stitch Head | Gringo Films, Fabrique d’Images | Germany, France
- To Be Tween | Graphilm | Italy
- Toco Toco | Xilam Animation | France
- Tolo & Bolo | Filmograf | Poland
- Underground | Caïmans Prod. | France
- Valdra | Skjaldborn | Denmark
- Waven | Ankama | France
- WAW Resort | Peekaboo Animation | Spain
- Zombie Kidz | Piano Sano | France
