From 14 to 17 September, Toulouse will once again transform into the meeting point for the European animation industry, as Cartoon Forum returns for its 37th edition.
Since its creation in 1990 with the support of the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme, Cartoon Forum has grown into an unmissable four-day marketplace where producers, broadcasters, distributors and investors come together to shape the future of European animated television.
The formula remains as effective as ever: each selected project has just 30 minutes to convince a room full of potential partners, allowing co-productions to be finalised, pre-buys agreed, and distribution rights discussed within a few intense days. Since 1990, 903 projects pitched at Cartoon Forum have secured financing and gone into production or broadcast worldwide, for a combined budget of €3.87 billion. More than one in three pitched projects reaches production, a success rate that explains why virtually every major European broadcaster attends each year.
A Strong 2026 Line-Up
This year’s selection confirms the sector’s resilience and ambition. From 111 submissions across Europe, 66 projects have been chosen, comprising 61 TV series and 5 TV specials, for a total production volume of 330 hours and an overall budget of €283.58 million, averaging €4.30 million per production.
Nineteen countries are represented as main producers, with France leading the way with 32 projects, followed by Ireland (6), Germany (5) and Spain (4). Central & Eastern Europe and the Nordics each contribute 6 projects, reflecting the geographic breadth of the selection.
International collaboration remains central to the event’s DNA: 26 projects, or 39% of the line-up, are developed as co-productions, involving 15 countries as co-producers, led by France, Luxembourg, Austria and Germany.
The selection also reflects the industry’s push to diversify its audiences: 17 projects, or 26% of the line-up, target teens, young adults and adult viewers, a sign of the sector’s growing ambition beyond traditional children’s programming. The Selection Committee highlighted originality, creative ambition, financial viability and international appeal as the guiding criteria behind this year’s highly competitive process.
Cartoon Forum also continues to strengthen its network effect. Two projects, WAW Resort by Peekaboo Animation (Spain) and OUCH! by Anna Films (France), progressed from Cartoon Springboard. At the same time, three joined through partnerships with the Animation Production Days and the CEE Animation Forum. Locally, three projects hail from the host Occitanie region, underscoring Toulouse’s own growing animation ecosystem.
Responding to an increasingly challenging financing landscape, CARTOON is renewing its “Fill the Gap” initiative in 2026, reconnecting former Cartoon Forum projects still seeking completion of their budgets with buyers, broadcasters and distributors, through trailer screenings, networking sessions and One-to-One Meetings.
More than a marketplace, Cartoon Forum remains the human hub of European animation, where the “Croissant & Coffee Shows,” the Welcome Dinner and the Farewell Evening turn business into genuine connection — the combination of rigorous pitching and real relationship-building that keeps European animation strong and export-driven year after year.
Join The Animation Journal Cartoon Forum Special Insert
Are you an animation producer heading to Toulouse to pitch your next project? The Animation Journal is proud to be media partner of Cartoon Forum 2026, and we are preparing a dedicated pocket guide that will be distributed to all attendees on-site.
Write to us at info@animationjournal.news to find out how to join our Cartoon Forum special insert: a wonderful opportunity to stand out with your next IP.
