– We take a closer look at the six projects pitched at the Bordeaux-based gathering as part of this year’s country-in-focus initiative
A moment during the pitch for Shanghai Ballade (© Cartoon)
Day 2 of Cartoon Movie (Bordeaux, 3-5 March) put Québec and Canada squarely in the spotlight with the launch of the “Québec-Canada Land in Europe: A Space for Creation” initiative, framed as a new co-production bridge at a time of market pressure on both sides of the Atlantic. A dedicated session showcased six animated features at concept-to-development stage, pitched to European partners to foster financing, sales and distribution conversations. In this article, we zoom in on each project.
Jane, the Fox and Me – Jenna Robitaille (Canada/Québec)
Producer Nicolas Dufour-Laperriere, of Embuscade Films, presented this feature-length adaptation of Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault’s graphic novel as a sensitive coming-of-age story about bullying, literature and friendship, set between 1980s Montréal and a Victorian Jane Eyre imaginary. The project was positioned as a youth film designed to trust in younger audiences’ intelligence, using contrast-rich visuals inspired by Arsenault and potentially a hybrid technique. Embuscade Films said the screenplay was being written by Britt herself, while discussions were ongoing around the director and artistic direction. With early graphic research and animation tests starting, the team floated a preliminary budget of around €6 million and outlined 2026-2027 as a period for tests and financing, ahead of production later in the decade. A two-minute Q&A followed the pitch. The team billed the effort as “an ode to imagination, literature and friendship”.
Marguerite and the Duke – TBC (Canada/Québec)
10ᵗʰ Ave Productions introduced Marguerite and the Duke as a modern fairy tale built around generational conflict and an update of old traditions for contemporary life. The story follows Margaret, who rejects her inheritance and leaves her castle to travel with her boyfriend, only to discover that her dragon has secretly followed her — creating escalating chaos when it goes missing and proves ill-suited to life without “braised ham”. In parallel with the road-movie antics, the Duke is torn between a ghostly ancestor’s rigid counsel and Dorothy, a pragmatic governess urging adaptation to the 21st century, which nudges him into increasingly odd decisions as he tries to rebuild the bond with his daughter. The project was pitched as an 80-minute 3D family feature in development, framed to appeal to broad audiences through humour, warmth and a contemporary take on reconciliation.
Puddle Jumpers – Rosanne Tisserand, Greg Huckle (Canada)
Vancouver-based Flying Kraken described Puddle Jumpers as an 80-minute coming-of-age fantasy action-adventure for teens and tweens, rooted in a teenage girl’s inner life and the pressure of growing up amid constant comparison. Executive producer/co-creator Rosanne Tisserand and creative director Greg Huckle outlined how 14-year-old Bryn’s graphic novel characters spill into the real world after a mysterious puddle brings them to life, turning wish fulfilment into a crisis when Bryn’s self-doubt manifests as a demon-like force. The filmmakers framed the project as a story about “redemption, resilience, sacrifice and empowerment”, with a tone balancing darkness and trust in young audiences. With the work still at concept stage, the team said it was seeking writers, development finance, distributors, sales agents and co-production partners, while also eyeing publishing potential and even a potential trilogy pathway. A tentative budget of around €7 million was mentioned as an early benchmark.
Shanghai Ballade – Jason Loftus, Masha Loftus (Canada)
The directorial duo pitched Shanghai Ballade as a festival-driven historical drama for culturally engaged adult audiences, using shifting animation styles to mirror the aesthetic ruptures of China’s Cultural Revolution. Drawing on their experience from Eternal Spring, the duo argued that animation was essential because political pressure in that era operated through art itself, forcing creators to abandon classical forms for propaganda aesthetics. The film, now in development, follows pianist Gu Zhen from wartime Shanghai into the conservatory, love and artistic rivalry, and ultimately a world where classical music becomes dangerous – with three visual “worlds” (Art Deco Shanghai, brushstroke memory/tradition, and a bold propaganda look) overtaking one another as ideology tightens. The project was presented as a European-Canadian co-production proposition, with meaningful creative work to share across animation, post and music, and an intention to voice in Mandarin while mixing 2D and 3D (made in Blender). The team said Canadian support was in place (via Telefilm Canada and Ontario Creates), and they were seeking a European minority partner for roughly €800,000-€1 million, alongside a sales agent.
The Mountain of Dreams – Nicola Lemay (Canada/Québec)
Carpe Diem Film & TV framed The Mountain of Dreams as an ecological, humorous fantasy in 3D, aimed at children. It is centred on 12-year-old Lili, who retreats into drawing after her father’s death. When a drilling company threatens to expropriate the mountain community, Lili tumbles into an underground sand world where survival depends on extracting a black substance that fuels a system trapping rain clouds and keeping people dependent. The pitch emphasised a trio dynamic (Lili, a charming-but-cowardly sand prince, and a comedic ally) expanding into a resistance story about solidarity, courage and trust, culminating in the destruction of the machine controlling the storm clouds. Carpe Diem said designs were in progress and it hoped to produce a pilot in the coming months, with financing across 2026-2027 and a production start targeted for the end of 2027. The team cited a €9.5 million budget and said it was seeking co-producers for 30%-35% plus pre-sales; Pink Parrot was named as the international sales agent.
The President’s Daughter – Ian Kenico (Canada)
Quarterlife Crisis Productions introduced this hand-drawn feature as the true story of Samia Nkrumah, the daughter of Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, against the geopolitical turbulence of independence-era West Africa. Producer Trevor Stewart (with a background across major US animation titles) and writer-helmer Ian Kenico (a Ghanaian-Canadian filmmaker and former poetry slam champion) framed the narrative as a “princess tale” flipped into a fall-from-grace journey: a child raised in a presidential palace is thrust into upheaval as coups, Cold War interference and exile fracture her family. Kenico said meeting the real Samia (now in her mid-60s) shaped the emotional core, centred on a daughter’s longing for connection with a father consumed by nation-building. The pitch highlighted early concept art by Ghanaian and Ghanaian-North American artists, and an ambition to define what a Ghanaian-inspired animation aesthetic could look like through tactile 2D traditions with a contemporary sensibility. The team positioned the budget as under €10 million (closer to €7 million), and said it was seeking co-production partners, distributors and investors, citing politically resonant hand-drawn references such as Persepolis [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marc-Antoine Robert
interview: Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Pa…
film profile] and The Breadwinner [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. “We’re going to pass a plate around… so we can pay for more concept art,” the team joked.
