Rick & Steve Among Cartoons on the Bay Winners

Rick & Steve: the Happiest Gay Couple in All the World from Canada’s Cuppa Coffee Studios took the award for Best Television Series of the Year at the 2008 edition of Cartoons on the Bay, an international festival of television animation organized by Rai Trade, in collaboration with Rai and Rai Fiction. This year’s event took place in Salerno, Italy, where a total of 40 projects from various countries competed for the coveted Pulcinella Awards on the closing night.

Water in Bubbles from Rai Fiction took home prizes for Best Television Series for All Ages from both the International Jury and the Jury Abbonati Rai. Three other Italian productions were also honored. Gladiators from Rai Fiction won Best Series Action and Adventure, and Me, Myself and the Others from Rai Fiction, based on the comic strips by Andrea Pazienza, was voted by the Jury Abbonati Rai as the Best TV Series for Children. The short film A Bicycle Trip by the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia ‘ Animation Department Piemonte received a special mention for Best Direction.

The Jury Carta Giovani >26 also gave special mentions to the Nation Film Board of Canada’s Sleeping Betty for Best Animation, and to Walt Disney Television Animation for My Friends Tigger and Pooh for Best Screenplay.

The Unicef prize for the Best Educational and Social Program was awarded to Famous House of Animation’s BBC Chunnilal, a stop-motion Indian spot encouraging HIV testing. Also representing Asia was the South Korean program Wanted from Electric Circus, which was voted Best Television Special. Best Character of the Year went to Ellen the Wildebeest from Film Bilder of Germany’s No Room for Gerold.

The Bunjies from Film Bilder won Best European Series, while the prize for Best Music Score went to Nickelodeon’s Tak and the Power of Juju, which was also chosen by the Jury Abbonati Rai as best series in its category. Canada’s My Friend Rabbit from Nelvana took home Best TV Series for Children, while the remaining prizes went to U.K. productions. Buddy and Elvis from The Illuminated Film Co. won Best Pilot of a Series, John and Karen from Arthur Cox took Best Short Film and Frankenstein’s Cat from Mackinnon & Saunders Prods. and Kayenta Prods. was awarded Best TV Series for Children. For more information on Cartoons on the Bay, go to www.cartoonsbay.com.