The organizers of the Cartoon Movie event, set to be held March 7-9 in Lyon, France this year, have revealed their animated feature selections. The 50 selected titles will screen for producers and distributors from 17 countries during the event—among them the well hyped Zarafa (Remi Bezancon & Jean-Christophe Lie, France), Wrinkles (Ignacio Ferreras, Spain) and Legends of Valhalla: Thor (Oskar Jonasson & Toby Genkel, Iceland).
Zarafa, produced by Prima Linea Prod., follows a young Egyptian boy and his beloved animal friend a baby giraffe on an incredible journey from Sudan to Paris. Pathe Int’l is handling distribution of the film, which launches in France February 5. From Perro Verde and Cromosoma, Wrinkles (Arrugas) is based on the popular graphic novel by Paco Roca which explores the challenges of Alzheimer’s in the context of a budding friendship between two elderly men in a care home. Wrinkles arrives in Spanish theaters February 27. Legends of Valhalla: Thor is a 3-D family adventure that makes history as Iceland’s first animated feature and centers on a heroic teen charged with saving his village from a horde of giants. Thor opened in its native country last fall and is set for release in Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands.
According to Cartoon Movie’s press office, almost 40% of the projects selected are in stereoscopic 3-D like Thor—doubling last year’s numbers. And Wrinkles will be far from alone in its mature subject matter, with 20% of the films targeting an adult audience and tackling political or sensitive subjects.
Visit www.cartoon-media.eu for a complete list of the attending projects.
