Attendees at Cartoon Forum this week are in for a little déjà vu, as a handful of projects from last year are returning to try and complete their financing through a new initiative called Fill the Gap. 

Seven projects that were previously pitched at the annual event but that still have a small bit of funding to shore up have been selected to participate in the first edition of this program. Trailers for these nearly-there projects will be featured in the Cartoon Forum app and screened on Thursday during the Croissant Show that previews the presentations coming up that morning. Their producers will also be invited to participate in a special networking session later in the day. 

In order to qualify, each project needed to have at least 70% of its budget secured and a commissioning broadcaster on board. Here are this year’s inaugural participants:

• Artefacts – Thieves of Thieves (Somewhere Animation)
• Bobby & the Bottle Brigade (Something Big/Kavaleer)
• Freddie – Little Chopin (Letko/The Fryderyk Chopin Institute)
• Limbo Ville (Mago Productions, Mistral Films Studio)
• Little Charlie (Submarine, Alexandra Schatz Film Produktion/Palomar)
• Luce and the Rock (Thuristar/La Cabane Production)
• Ted & Paula’s Tadpole Journey (UMedia/Gigglebug Canarias) 

Budget info for each project, as well as a snapshot of how much more financing is still needed, is available in the Cartoon Forum app.

Getting an animated project financed is almost never an easy process, and it’s only gotten harder as commissioners have cut back budgets in recent years, says Annick Maes, general director of CARTOON, the company that produces Cartoon Forum. “The animation industry has been significantly impacted by the ongoing economic crisis,” Maes says. “Financing has become increasingly difficult, and fewer projects are being greenlit, creating serious obstacles for producers. Many are now urgently seeking new leads, partners and funding sources to close budget gaps and push their projects forward.” 

This new program could also help Cartoon Forum achieve its goal of transforming from an annual event into a year-round networking and financing platform. “Fill the Gap is more than a temporary support measure—it could be a strategic investment in the long-term health of the European animation industry,” Maes adds. “By reshaping how projects are financed, how partners connect, and how producers navigate the development process, it sets the stage for a more robust, connected and dynamic future.”

However, CARTOON plans to assess the results of the first edition before committing to bringing Fill the Gap back again in 2026. 

Arthur Colignon, founder and CEO of Somewhere Animation, is hopeful the program will help him secure the last bit of financing needed to move Artefacts – Thieves of Thieves into production. 

“It’s a brilliant way to highlight the most advanced projects and help them secure that crucial ‘last million,’ he says. “Last year, thanks to Cartoon Forum, we sparked TF1’s interest in Artefacts – Thieves of Thieves—and I truly hope Fill the Gap will help me close the financing.”

This is Cartoon Forum’s 36th edition. From September 15 to 18, 75 concepts for animated series and specials will be pitched, and a third of them have been developed by companies that have never been to the event before. 

Project presentations begin tomorrow morning. But in the meantime, you can catch up on five that we spotlighted last week. And stay tuned for more coverage throughout the week from Kidscreen‘s senior reporter Ryan Tuchow, who’s at the event and planning to highlight the standout projects he sees.