Jun 19, 2020

Annecy Pitch: 5 TV projects that caught our eye

While Annecy Online showcases the best animated films of today, a parallel event showcases the films and TV shows that are sure to make the festival a great success in the future. At MIFA, the market counterpart to Annecy, creators and producers present their current projects in a 10-minute online pitch.

Naturally, we've taken notice. Yesterday we reported on feature and short film pitches. After World War II, the British government embarked on the construction of "New Towns," urban developments built on grand utopian ideals. In Felix Massey's eyes, they were the ideal setting for a scathing social satire.

The residents of Paradise Town are not a happy bunch, and their inner dissatisfaction is evident in their outward appearance. Boring Simon, a man with too much boredom and gray skin, and Annabelle Half Dawn, who can never finish a job, are reflected in the lines of pencil doodles across her body. Each episode will focus on one character. The project exudes a very British miserabilist humor familiar from Massey's short stories, which I, as a Brit, love.

Format: 6 x 25 minutes

Producer: Nexus Studios

Seeking: broadcaster

"Normal Town" is the antithesis of Massey's "Paradise Town". It is a candy-colored Latin American community where festivities are constantly taking place. Each day the inhabitants observe a different holiday, whether completely fictitious or inspired by real-life traditions. The energetic pre-teens (the age group the series is aimed at) guide us through this chaos.

While there are some storylines that were not clear in the sales pitch, such as evil corporations and world domination, the show's greatest interest lies in the way it reveals the different carnivals and superstitions of the region. Chilean creator Bambu Orellana has made it clear that his goal is to bring these cultures to a global audience. Latin America has a dynamic animation scene, and "Normal Town" shows that its story is quickly becoming everyone's story.

Format: 26 x 11 min

Producer: Typpo Creative Lab

Seeking: co-producer, broadcaster

After a disaster that tilts the entire world 90 degrees, two girls search for their missing mother on an airship They set out on a voyage in an airship to find their missing mother. Concept artwork depicted a spectacular view of an upturned fantasy world. The mode is steampunk-leaning, and there are hints of anime in the character designs. No wonder creator Guillaume Douce has said he was influenced by Hayao Miyazaki. [Where It Falls is being developed at Sun Creature, a hot Danish studio. They have set high goals with this children's show, pursuing a dense, naturalistic style with the production values of a feature film. The storytelling is ambitious as well. In the first season alone, which runs a total of 180 minutes, the characters are supposed to travel by zeppelin from France to Australia. If Deuss and his team pull this off, it will be something special.

Format: 6 x 30 minutes

Producer: Sun Creature

Seeking: screenwriter, investor, broadcast/streaming partner

Meek is an egotistical, hard-drinking, normal mother of four who can kill her children by pressing a magic button. She is an ordinary mother of four who can kill her children at the push of a magic button. Indeed, as creator Isabelle Lenoble explains, the character embodies the "frustration, desire, and madness" that every stressed mother feels but cannot fully express. She subverts society's view of mothers as saints. Lenoble summarizes that she is the Homer Simpson of motherhood.

Lenoble speaks from experience. A mother of three herself, she created "Meek" as a comic strip to vent her emotions during pregnancy. The animated adaptation retains the crushing crudity of the comic, a style that lends itself to bawdy humor, while also preserving brevity (the episode length is currently set at four minutes). Lenoble is right that the agony of motherhood is a subject rarely discussed in society, let alone in animation.

Format: 15 x 4 min

Producer: Vivman Landy

What to look for Broadcasters, distributors, investors, publishers (producers are considering simultaneously developing "Meek" as a comic)

Here, as with "Meek," there is a recent French productions that focus on aspects of gender that have only recently begun to be discussed in earnest. Boys Boys Boys Boys" explores "other models, other possibilities" of masculinity after presenting stereotypes about men (e.g., fighting, flirting, etc.).

The show is rooted in documentary. Each episode is built around an interview with a man who has at some point in his life felt he did not fit the mold of "masculinity." His statements are interpreted through allegorical visuals. For example, an animation shows a man on a motorcycle racing a racing car, conveying the speaker's sense of inadequacy. It is a playful approach to a worthy theme. It should be noted that the interviewer and director, Claudia Prolongo and Valentine Vandeleur, are both women.

Format: 10 x 10 min

Producer: Melting Productions

Findings: not stated