Belgium’s Creative Conspiracy, Denmark’s Danish Broadcasting Corporation and Paris-based Mediatoon Distribution are taking home this year’s Cartoon Forum Tributes trophies from Toulouse. 

The Tributes recognize contributions to the European animation industry, the winners are voted in by Cartoon Forum’s attendees, which numbered more than 850 this year, according to the event’s organizers. 

Creative Conspiracy—the animation studio behind Ray & Ruby, which was selected for the Cartoon Forum EBU Co-Development Initiative in 2023—was named Producer of the Year. This year, it pitched Terry and Olivia (a CG-animated preschool series about walking, talking plants that can converse with nature), and it’s also co-producing Sixteen South’s 2D-animated family special This Moose Belongs to Me. 

The Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) came out on top as Broadcaster of the Year. Denmark’s largest media company, DR operates TV channels, radio stations and the streamer DRTV. It also started running a children’s programming block called FredagsTamTam on its DR1 channel in 2023 that airs Monster Loving Maniacs (JA Film, Mondo TV, Belvision, Ginger Pictures) and Team Nuggets (Sparre Production and Godo Films), and it’s a co-producer on Gigglebug’s Tadpoles. 

And lastly, Mediatoon Distribution was voted in as Investor/Distributor of the Year, on the strength of managing a catalogue of more than 10,000 half hours of animated content from in-house and third-party productions. Previous Cartoon Forum pitches Cedric (Dupuis Audiovisuel, France 3, RTBF, Aranéo, Canal J), SamSam (Bayard Jeunesse Animation, ARANEO, Tiji, Gulli, France 5) and The Fox Badger Family (Ellipse Animation and Belvision) are among the titles it sells. 

Today is the final day of the 36th edition of Cartoon Forum, an annual event in Toulouse where producers from across Europe go to present their animated projects to potential buyers and co-producers. This year’s pitchfest featured 75 new animation concepts from 20 countries. 

Images by Ryan Tuchow