The 2024 edition of Toulouse’s Cartoon Forum, the pitching and co-production event for European animated series, ran this year from 16-19 September.

Here, we present details of four interesting projects that were introduced at this year’s gathering.

Princess Pirate Mo – TBC (Germany)
The 3D comedy adventure, which is aimed at both kids aged 6-12 and their families, is produced by Emely Christians for Ulysses Filmproduktion and adapted by Richie Conroy.

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The story follows 11-year-old Mo, a princess and a pirate. Mo has two families: her birth family - the Queen and King of Hoffnungsberg - and her surrogate family, her pirate father Captain Claas and the crew of the Wild Walli. The royals have agreed to share custody of their daughter with Captain Claas, on one condition: Mo isn’t brought on any hair-raising adventures on the high seas. But when adventure calls, Mo will drag her best friend Hannes along for the ride. 

The show is based on the bestselling novel by Kirsten Boie, one of the most successful German children's and youth writers who penned over 100 books over the course of her career. Zooming in on the concept status, the team revealed that there is a concept bible in place, the first script is being worked on (whilst the second has already been commissioned) and the artwork is in the works. German pubcaster NDR boarded the project's development.

Production is set to commence in the second half of 2025, with delivery slated for the end of 2027. The budget is €8.2 million, and the tentative format is 12x23.

An animated feature based on the same character, titled Pirate Mo and the Legend of the Red Ruby, is also in the works, slated for a release in 2026.

The Hermit – Dato Kiknavelidze (Georgia)
This TV special is made up of special technique mixing oil painting on canvas, hand-drawing on paper and digital images, with Unreal used as its graphic engine.

Based on Ilia Chavchavadze’s poem of the same name and penned by the helmer with Lali Kiknavelidze, the story centres on a reclusive hermit dwelling in a mountaintop cave. His solitary existence is disrupted when a stunning shepherdess seeks refuge during a fierce storm. This unexpected encounter challenges their beliefs and alters the course of their lives.

The team is now seeking pre-sales, broadcasters and distributors. The project, budgeted at €350,000, received backing from the Georgian National Film Center and the country’s Ministry of Culture as well as an Epic Games Megagrant. Kiknavelidze herself is producing for Tbilisi-based Lira Production Studios.

Esther – Ezequiel Torres (Belgium/France/Argentina)
Penned by the helmer himself, the 2D 11x22 adult/young adult-orientated show follows the titular young girl who, in order to fulfil her dream of becoming a true Healer, must travel thousands of miles with a strange mentor: an Inca God who lives in the body of a black cat. 

The project is co-produced by Gregory Zalcman for Belgium’s Take Five, Ron Dyens for France’s Sacrebleu Productions and Pablo Rafael Roldán for Argentina’s Rudo Company. 

Harmony - Federico Milella (Luxembourg/France/Belgium)
Penned by Domenico La Porta and based on the 2016 book of the same name by Mathieu Reynès (which sold over 200,000 copies in France alone, and was translated in several languages), the young adults/adults-orientated 3D 6x45 sci-fi drama follows the titular 16-year-old girl, who discovers her telekinetic abilities tied to a secretive military experiment. 

Awakening in a basement with amnesia and watched over by Nita, her former doctor-turned-mentor, she learns her powers connect her to other children, trained to become unstoppable soldiers by a warmonger named Richards. Guided by Mahopmaa, a shaman linked to her mystical origins, Harmony confronts powerful enemies and internal demons until she can finally free herself from both. On stage, the team described the Harmony universe as being at a crossroads between Akira, Stranger Things and Stephen King’s novel The Institute. 

Budgeted at €5 million, the project is being produced by Mark Mertens and Jean-Marie Musique for Luxembourg’s Fabrique d’Images, Vladimir Kokh for France’s Fantabulous and Jean-Yves Roubin for Belgium’s Freaks Factory.