STRONG NORDIC ANIMATION PRESENCE
AT CARTOON MOVIE 2012

> One fourth of the projects at Cartoon Movie 2012 come from Nordic countries

> Nordic animation joins the trend for stereoscopic 3D

For the third consecutive year, animation films produced in Nordic countries will have a prominent role at Cartoon Movie, the co-production forum for animated films that will take place in Lyon, France from 7-9 March.

Led by Denmark, which trails only France in the number of projects pitched, the region as a whole will present 13 of the 50 animated feature pitches selected for this annual European forum. All together, participation from Nordic countries includes five projects from Denmark, three from Finland, two from Norway and Sweden each, and one from Iceland.

The Nordic projects include two completed films in stereoscopic 3D: "Legends of Valhalla - THOR", an adaptation of a 13th century work by Icelandic historian and poet Snorri Sturluson, which will be Iceland's first animated feature, and "Ronal the Barbarian", a production by Denmark's Einstein Films which has already been sold in some 20 countries.

Also from the Nordic countries, another two films currently in production are due to be released in 2012: "Niko2", the latest adventures of the famous reindeer produced by Finland's Animaker, and "Marco Macaco", an animated comedy produced by Denmark's Nice Ninja.

After "The Great Bear", Danish Esben Toft Jacobsen directs his second feature film "Beyond Beyond", currently in development, produced by Copenhagen Bombay in Sweden and Denmark.

European animation has moved decisively to stereoscopic 3D, with 40% of the projects conceived for this technology, doubling last year's figure. This trend is reflected in the Nordic projects, seven of which were created for stereoscopic 3D.

The projects total a global budget of 291.2 million EUR, of which Nordic projects account for 63.2 million EUR with an average cost of 4.8 million per film.
At Cartoon Movie 2012, France - which remains the region's powerhouse - will be represented with 19 projects, followed by the Nordic Countries, with 13 and Belgium with four.

European animation shifts towards mature subject matters like war, Alzheimer and the birth of universe
The trend of adult-skewed films in European animation is growing: 20% of the selected projects target an adult audience and tackle political or sensitive subjects ranging from the Angolan civil war ("Another Day of Life"), WWI ("Cafard"), Nazism ("Young Perez"), child neglect ("It's a Zucchini's Life", "The Island of Lost Children") and Alzheimer's disease ("Wrinkles").

Literature and comics remain a strong source of inspiration, with some of this year's projects based on adaptations and screenplays from writers such as Snorri Sturluson, Ryszard Kapuscinski, Jacques Prévert, Gilles Paris, Jean-François Beauchemin, Leena Krohn, Gunilla Bergström and Kjell Aukrust as well as on award-winning graphic novels by authors like Enki Bilal, Arthur de Pins - who will direct the films themselves -, Paco Roca and Jens Harder.

This year in Lyon, some well-known TV animated series will also make their leap to the big screen, including "The Triplets" from Spain, "Alfie Atkins" from Sweden and Belgium's "Pic Pic André Shoow". Cartoon Movie 2012 will also reveal projects that seek aesthetic and narrative innovation in animation.

About CARTOON MOVIE
The 14th edition of Cartoon Movie is organised with the support of the MEDIA Programme of the European Union, CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée), the Rhône-Alpes Region, Greater Lyon and in collaboration with the Cluster Imaginove (Lyon).

Since 1999, some 185 projects with a total budget of 1.3 billion EUR have obtained full financing thanks to this annual forum aimed at strengthening the production and distribution of animated feature films in Europe.

About CARTOON
CARTOON - European Association of Animation Film is an international non-profit association based in Brussels that organises Cartoon Movie, together with Cartoon Forum, a co-production forum for animated tv series, Cartoon Master training seminars and Cartoon Connection, a new programme intended to explore ways of reinforcing cooperation between EU and non EU animation professionals.

More information about Cartoon Movie 2012 and the selected projects at http://www.cartoon-media.eu/MOVIE/index.php