The European Film Market (EFM) kicks off tomorrow, signaling the start of the film business year. An estimated 12,000 industry attendees are expected to flock to Berlin—including buyers, distributors and financiers on the lookout for family-friendly features.

Running the gamut from eco-themed fables and quirky comedies about birds and unicorns, to adaptations of popular kids books and legacy franchise spinoffs, here are some titles we think folks should keep an eye out for—based on factors like market buzz, potential for global appeal, artistic value and notable talent or source material.

Zac Power

Zac Power

Producers: Flying Bark Productions, Cheeky Little Media, Pixel Zoo Animation Studios
Style: CG animation
Length: 80 minutes
Country: Australia
Sales: Studio 100 Film

Meet a teen spy extraordinaire from down under who’s got a lot of global appeal. Zac Power (featured image) adapts a same-name book series that has sold more than 3.5 million copies in Australia and New Zealand alone. The film’s plot follows Zac as he struggles to take down a maniacal magician, while his top-agent status is threatened by a new rival agent. Paramount Pictures is launching the film in Australia and New Zealand in 2027.

The Unicorn That Said No 

Producers: Studio Soi, X Filme Creative Pool, WB Film Productions Germany
Style: CG animation
Length: 75 minutes
Country: Germany
Sales: Playmaker

This quirky pic is all about a young unicorn whose stubbornness (not a very unicorn-like trait) earns him the name uNOcorn. He sets off to find NOwhere and meets some like-minded friends along the way. It’s based on the 2019 bestselling picture book Das Neinhorn by Marc-Uwe Kling, who is also penning the screenplay. Warner Bros. will release the film in Germany in Q4 2026. 

Bird Brain

Bird Brain

Producers: Cantilever Media, ReDefine Originals
Style: CG animation
Length: 90 minutes
Country: UK
Sales: Kazoo Films, Architect

A spoiled aristocrat dies in an accident while hunting a pheasant, and karma has a laugh when he’s reborn as…a pheasant. Adding complexity to the story, his family is plotting to make over their manor and get rid of all the birds living there—including him. To save the day, our bird hero must befriend the flock he once hunted, with a little help from his granddaughter and his dogs. 

Lucy Lost

Lucy Lost

Producer: Xilam Films
Style: 2D animation
Length: 85 minutes
Country: France
Sales: Goodfellas Animation

Lucy Lost is the next big indie bet by sales agent Goodfellas, which was behind two of this year’s animated feature Oscar nominees, Little Amelie and Arco. Based on a 2014 novel called Listen to the Moon by Michael Morpurgo, this film is set in a remote fishing village where a young girl with visions no one else can see leaves on a quest to uncover her origins along with her secret friend. 

Melody for a Bear

Producers: Pathé, Moana Films
Style: Live action
Length: TBD
Country: France
Sales: Pathé

This English-language film revolves around a 14-year-old girl who bonds with a bear cub when she travels to the Canadian wilderness to connect with her dad (who runs a sanctuary for these often misunderstood creatures). With a cast headlined by Emily in Paris star Lucas Bravo and newcomer Eva Cinq-Mars, Melody for a Bear is looking to generate some all-ages audience appeal with its intertwined focus on ecological themes and family drama.

Arnie & Barney

Arnie & Barney

Producer: Studio 100 International, Studio Isar Animation, 3Doubles Producciones
Style: CG animation
Length: 80 minutes
Country: Germany
Sales: Studio 100 Film

Two fan-favorite ants from the Maya the Bee franchise will step into the spotlight in this slapstick pic that’s screening at EFM (Thursday, 12 February at 12:50 p.m. at CinemaxX 9). Arnie and Barney make bumbling efforts to help when a drought hits the insect community—but in the process, they find out why the water is really missing, pushing them to step up as the unlikely heroes everyone needs.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Elephant

Twinkle Twinkle Little Elephant

Producer: 100% Film
Style: Live action
Length: 71 minutes
Country: The Netherlands
Sales: Incredible Film

Fresh off its 2025 Cinekid award win for Best Dutch Children’s Film, this project is now hoping to impress international buyers with a market screening at EFM. It revolves around a six-year-old girl and her older sister with Down syndrome, who get lost in the forest while making their way to a family party.

Curly Burly

Producer: Nepenthe Film
Style: Live action/CG animation
Length: 80 minutes
Country: Denmark
Sales: Sola Media

Inspired by Danish folklore, this hybrid film begins in a hidden-away place called Bornholm, home to a mischievous troll named Curly Burly. Curly Burly and his sister shrug off their duties to explore the world beyond the cave they’ve always known—stumbling into human beings in the (live-action) land above ground.

Atlas of the Universe

Atlas of the Universe

Producers: deFilm, Screening Emotions
Style: Live action
Length: 85 minutes
Country: Romania
Sales: Pluto Film

Having committed to making more artistic fare targeting kids and teens, deFilm has lifted the curtain on its latest effort, a road-trip adventure film about a 10-year-old boy who sets off across the countryside to find a missing left shoe after he accidentally receives two right-foot ones. Aimed at the eight-plus crowd, Atlas of the Universe will make its world premiere in the Berlinale’s Generation K+ program.