Cartoon Next Highlights ‘Journey To Yourland,’ ‘Lumières!’ and ‘Sex Symbols’

variety.com:

Emilio Mayorga “Journey to Yourland,” “Lumières!” and “Sex Symbols” proved standouts  at Cartoon Next, a new event launched by European association Cartoon Media to explore the ever more hybrid reality of the animation industry as well as other current cutting edge trends.VR, Extended Reality (XR), cross-media and IP extensions were the event’s buzzwords.In a format similar to Cartoon Springboard, which focuses on a new generation of animators, at Next, creators and producers also pitch projects to a bevy of high-profile experts who offer suggestions on how to improve development or the titles’ completion.Among such experts at Cartoon Next’s inaugural edition were Japhet Asher­, founder of U.K.

consultancy and IP creation company Polarity Reversal; Orion Ross, VP of original programming and animation at Disney EMEA; Aymeric Castaing, founder of French XR company  Umanimation; Luce Grosjean, who launched France’s Miyu Distribution, devoted to young talents and student films; producer Sébastien Onomo at France’s Special Touch Studios; and producer Anna Schur, head of content at Spanish gaming animation company ZeptoLab.

Out of the eight projects pitched, one targets preschool viewers, another kids aged 6-9; three aim to attract tweens, another trio targets adult/young adult audiences.France is involved in four productions, Spain in two and Italy, Slovakia, Belgium, Lithuania, Slovenia and Austria in one.

Three projects are in development, three at concept and two currently in production.Projects pitched at the inaugural Cartoon Next:“Astrid And the School of Astronauts” (Lumiar, Italy)The humorous adventure of an albino seven-year girl who grew up in a little house by the sea with two astronauts as parents, who.