Car­toon Spring­board 2026: Highlights

What stood out at Cartoon Springboard 2026? Which ideas sparked discussion, what are emerging talents working on, and what can we learn from this year's edition?

Over three days, pitches, keynotes, panels and conversations created an inspiring space for fresh ideas and original creative thinking, bringing a contagious energy to the future of animation.

💡 Here are some of the figures, trends and insights that caught our attention.

THE TRENDS OF CARTOON SPRINGBOARD 2026

Adult ani­ma­tion that speaks

The projects pre­sent­ed at Car­toon Spring­board 2026 reflect a gen­er­a­tion with plen­ty on its mind. Many young cre­ators draw on their own expe­ri­ences and the issues that mat­ter to them, using ani­ma­tion to explore sub­jects that feel close to home. From dystopi­an visions shaped by cli­mate dis­as­ters and water wars, as seen in LIQ­UID SCRAM­BLE!!! (Ger­many), to sharp, sur­re­al takes on cap­i­tal­ism and con­sumerism in The Cap­i­tal­is­tic Adven­tures of Zara & Cac­co­la! (Italy), these projects show that young tal­ents aren’t afraid to tack­le the real­i­ties shap­ing their lives. Kim­chi Princess (Nap­kin Pro­duc­tions, Den­mark), for instance, explores iden­ti­ty, gen­der and rela­tion­ships through sur­re­al com­e­dy. Ani­ma­tion becomes a way for this gen­er­a­tion to make sense of the world they are liv­ing in and share their per­spec­tive on it.

Sto­ries accross gen­er­a­tions & cultures

This year’s selec­tion also showed how sto­ries can reach beyond gen­er­a­tions and cul­tur­al bound­aries. Some projects draw inspi­ra­tion from Euro­pean folk­lore and tra­di­tions, bring­ing them to life for a new gen­er­a­tion of view­ers. Car­lot­ta and the Mag­ic Moun­tains (Italy), for instance, takes audi­ences on a fan­ta­sy adven­ture root­ed in moun­tain folk­lore. Oth­ers explore expe­ri­ences that chil­dren can relate to across cul­tures. Feet in the Water (France) approach­es the tran­si­tion into ado­les­cence from a female per­spec­tive, while Kukeleku (Spain) offers a play­ful take on grow­ing up. For younger view­ers, Nana the Fox’s Wan­der­ing (France) takes preschool audi­ences on an adven­ture through the mem­o­ries of a trav­el­ling fox. These sto­ries can res­onate well beyond their intend­ed age group.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Mak­ing con­nec­tions matters

An indus­try is built on peo­ple as much as projects. At a time of sig­nif­i­cant chal­lenges for ani­ma­tion, bring­ing emerg­ing tal­ents and estab­lished pro­fes­sion­als togeth­er mat­ters more than ever.

The 187 One-to-One Meet­ings and over 30 Con­nec­tions Hub meet­ings at Car­toon Spring­board 2026 cre­at­ed valu­able oppor­tu­ni­ties to exchange ideas, share expe­ri­ence, ask ques­tions and build con­nec­tions in an indus­try where find­ing your place is not always easy. Social events added even more moments to con­nect, remind­ing us that the future of ani­ma­tion starts with peo­ple com­ing together.

From first pitch to the big screen

Car­toon Spring­board does­n’t end when the event does. We love see­ing the projects intro­duced here grow, evolve and find their place in the ani­ma­tion indus­try. This year’s spe­cial screen­ing cel­e­brat­ed more than 10 projects that first start­ed their jour­ney at Spring­board and have since grown through CAR­TOON events and oth­er indus­try mile­stones. Some of the pro­duc­ers even returned this year as experts, shar­ing their expe­ri­ences with the next gen­er­a­tion of tal­ents. Their sto­ries offer a tan­gi­ble reminder of the poten­tial of a first pitch. See­ing these projects evolve from ear­ly con­cepts into com­plet­ed pro­duc­tions is one of the most reward­ing parts of fol­low­ing the tal­ents we meet along the way.

Bet on yourself

James A. Castil­lo encour­aged emerg­ing cre­ators to believe in them­selves and their gen­er­a­tion. His mes­sage: be the first to bet on your­self, embrace fail­ure as part of the learn­ing process and sur­round your­self with peo­ple who believe in your projects. Build­ing some­thing mean­ing­ful takes a whole com­mu­ni­ty that shares your vision and keeps you going.

Build an audi­ence that tru­ly cares

Janine Weigold remind­ed young cre­ators that a small, com­mit­ted audi­ence can be more valu­able than a large but dis­en­gaged one. With plat­forms like YouTube and social media, cre­ators can start test­ing their ideas, build­ing an audi­ence and learn­ing from the peo­ple who gen­uine­ly con­nect with their projects.

Pro­tect your pas­sion, know your worth

Fed­eri­co Turani remind­ed emerg­ing tal­ents that, while pas­sion is what dri­ves peo­ple into ani­ma­tion, it’s impor­tant to look after them­selves along the way. Lov­ing what you do should nev­er come at the expense of your well-being. He also encour­aged young cre­ators not to shy away from talk­ing about mon­ey, recog­nis­ing that finan­cial dis­cus­sions are an essen­tial part of build­ing a sus­tain­able career in the industry.

Find your sto­ry’s hook

Bar­bara Slade high­light­ed the impor­tance of start­ing with a sim­ple and clear sto­ry idea. Her advice: to find the hook and the char­ac­ter with a prob­lem to solve, because with­out con­flict, there is no sto­ry. Strong series also need sol­id nar­ra­tive foun­da­tions: not just any­thing can hap­pen, and know­ing your char­ac­ters is essen­tial to mak­ing their sto­ries work. A strong premise leaves room to devel­op char­ac­ters and keep audi­ences invested.

💙 COUPS DE COEUR 💙

More and more female creators are using animation to challenge the status quo, confront patriarchal structures and bring women's experiences, struggles and emancipation to the screen. Through compelling female characters and stories that question established power dynamics, they are helping reshape whose voices are heard and how women are represented.

This year's Coup de Cœur selections echo this commitment, with Amalthea's Children by Estrella Vázquez, chosen by MIA, and three projects selected by Les Femmes s'Animent: A-Typical Family by Tessa Stehouwer, Penelope's Last Week by Clara Marquardt and Alice Jeuland, and Climate Change, the End of the World, and Noelle by Avril Zundel. By highlighting these projects, both organisations reaffirm the importance of supporting female creators and making room for stories that challenge the industry and the world around us.

CARTOON SPRINBOARD'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS OVER THE YEARS

Since its launch in 2015, Cartoon Springboard has received 280 animation project submissions. Of these, 21 have gone on to completion, while more than 90 are currently in active development.

SAVE THE DATE

The next edi­tion of Car­toon Spring­board will take place in the last week of Octo­ber 2027. Stay tuned for the exact dates!