By: Sadhana Bharanidharan & Ryan Tuchow 

With Cartoon Forum starting in just two weeks, check out these six cool shows heading to the Toulouse pitchfest that we have our eyes on. And tune in tomorrow for our spotlight on a trio of exciting new projects from Spain. 

FRNCK (pictured, above)

Demo: Six to nine
Producer: Superprod (France)
Style: CG animation
Format: 26 x 22 minutes
Budget: US$8.8 million
Status: In development, with a bible, several graphics and a treatment of the first episode completed.
Delivery: 2024

Franck is just a typical 11-year-old boy with a bright future ahead of him…until he lands in the past. Transported back into the pre- historic era, he teams up with a girl named Kenza and a young wooly mammoth to navigate a whole new world. (The title of the series is spelled funny because the protagonist is stuck in a time when vowels have not been invented yet.) The story follows Franck as he faces off against dinosaurs, deals with the challenges of growing up, and gets used to family life in aprehistoric tribe. The adventure-filled series is adapted from a comic book franchise by Olivier Bocquet and Brice Cossu.

Spaghetti Sisters

Demo: Seven and up
Producer: Sixteen South (Ireland)
Style: 2D animation
Format: 52 x 11 minutes
Budget: US$6.1 million
Status: A teaser and bible are available, and Sixteen South is seeking co-producers and broadcasters.
Delivery: 18 months after greenlight

Tween sisters Fiona and Flavia Fusilli are determined to make their family’s restaurant a success, but they face a major challenge—their eatery is hidden away in the remote mountains. So the sisters decide to bring the pasta to the customers by setting up a delivery service. Each episode sees them filling orders and hitting the road, encountering problems along the way, from sibling rivalries to unusual customers (like a talkative underwater creature). Katie Lyons, development producer at Sixteen South, created this tasty concept.

The Tinies

Demo: Upper preschool
Producer: MIAM! animation (France)
Style: Real-time CG animation
Format: 52 x 11 minutes
Budget: US$7.8 million
Status: Canal+ has greenlit the show
Delivery: Q3 2024

Sick of collecting dust in the attic, a group of retired toys tinker their way into craft-filled games and adventures. Ollie the doll and her toy friends find ways to totally transform ordinary household items, like turning an egg carton into a skate park, or an empty shampoo bot- tle into a truck. Directed by Wassim Boutaleb and David Tabourier, the series promotes sustainability by encouraging kids to recycle and use their imaginations to create their own fun.

Welcome to Lolyland

Demo: Six to 10
Producer: Cottonwood Media (France)
Style: 2D animation
Format: 52 x 11 minutes
Budget: US$7.8 million
Status: A bible, pilot script and trailer are prepared. Cottonwood is handling distribution and seeking broadcasters and co-producers.
Delivery: Q4 2024

Ten-year-old Penny is magically transported to the magical world of Lolyland, with no idea how it happened because she’s lost her memory. Stuck in a world of unicorns, cyclops and dragons (none of which have ever seen a hu- man before), Penny journeys to find out where she comes from and how to get home.

 A Day with the Dogs

Demo: Five to six
Producer: Dandelooo (France)
Style: 2D animation
Format: 78 x five minutes
Budget: Approximately US$6 million
Status: A bible is complete, and scripts and a Cartoon Forum teaser are in the works. Dandelooo plans to co-produce with Spain’s Teidees and will handle international distribution. The next goal is to secure some presales.
Delivery: Q4 2024

Saint Bernard Popov is living the dream, relaxing alone in a house on a deserted island. But his calm is shattered when his family comes to visit. In a typical episode, Popov’s tranquility goes to the dogs when his eight over-energetic young cousins turn his routines upside down.

Tiger & Bear

Demo: Four to six
Producer: Wolkenlenker (Germany)
Style: CG animation, with a 2D look
Format: 52 x seven minutes
Budget: US$6 million
Status: In early development
Delivery: TBD

Fearless Tiger and friendly Bear live in a charming house by the riverside in Tiger & Bear, an adaptation of the best-selling books by German author Janosch, who isattached as a producer. With a mix of zen and quirky humor, the series follows its titular characters through life’s little moments, from searching for a butterfly to learning how to share a delicious cake. It features watercolor-inspired animation to reflect the artwork of the books.

This story originally appeared in Kidscreen‘s August/September 2022 magazine.