Here is the details about the keynotes, case studies & panels of CartoonNext 2025. Stay tuned - more sessions will be announced soon!
PANEL • CartoonNext celebrates what's pushing the boundaries in creativity and innovation in Region Sud!
About the panel
Speaker(s): To be announced
What’s next in animation & video games and why the region is at the forefront of an ecological revolution and unique initiatives!
CASE STUDY • Get ready for something fresh and frightening: Pesta - an animated first in horror! A genre-defying mix of gore & romance; folk horror & body horror, all told from a female perspective, developed with the help of a new approach to audience research & AI.
About the case study
Speakers: Tonje Skar Reiersen, Producer and CEO at Mikrofilm (Norway) & Rikke Flodin, Head of Audience Insights at Publikum (Denmark)
Mikrofilm presents a highly original, spine-chilling story, set in Norway during the Black Plague, where the horror takes place in broad daylight. And we learn how a fresh, new approach to audience behaviour, helped craft the development of the movie, by Denmark’s Publikum, uniquely "merging Anthropology, Data, and AI."
KEYNOTE • What's on the horizon for ARTE, at the forefront of creative initiatives?
About the keynote
Speaker: Sascha Hartmann, Commissioning Editor - Digital Programs at ARTE (France)
As a pioneer in creativity and "hyper-distribution", Sascha Hartmann, Commissioning Editor of Digital Programs at Arte France, will present the group's upcoming projects and vision for the future.
PANEL • All you need to know about new trends in licensing & franchise-building! And what new opportunities are on offer?
About the panel
Speakers: Steve Manners, Head of Global Marketing and UK Managing Director at Licensing International (United Kingdom) & Matthew Proulx, SVP of Global Experiences, Partnerships and Music at Hasbro (United States)
Find fresh ways to promote your IP’s, identify new creative opportunities and clients. With insights from Steve Manners from Licensing International & Matt Prioux, Head of Experiences at leading licensor, Hasbro.
CASE STUDY • How a cutting-edge games studio joined forces with global IP The Smurfs and mega platforms, META and MIcroids, to create a gaming experience like no other, using VR and Mixed Reality.
About the case study
Speaker: Adrien Carta, CTO and Business Development Executive at Kalank (France)
Kalank is challenged by licensor, Imps, with backing from both platforms, to transform TV footage into an imaginative mix of VR and Mixed reality, to create an ambitious game, to boost the forthcoming Smurfs film.
CASE STUDY • CartoonNext proudly presents multi-award-winning, Flow! A Triumph in innovative animation techniques & spell-binding storytelling.
About the case study
Speakers: Ron Dyens, Producer at Sacrebleu Productions (France); Virginie Guilminot, Production Manager at Sacrebleu Productions (France) & Léo Silly-Pélissier, Animation Director at Sacrebleu Productions (France)
From talented latvian director, Gints Zilbalodis and a highly successful european collaboration, between Latvia, France and Belgium. Celebrated Producer Ron Dyens, from Sacrebleu Productions takes up the story of the creation.
KEYNOTE • CartoonNext asks what impact are gen AI tools having on storytelling, in animation? And what could the future hold, when you can interact with and talk to the characters you create?
About the keynote
Speaker: Japhet Asher, Director at Polarity Reversal (United Kingdom)
AI & digital storytelling authority Japhet Asher shows us what‘s coming next.
PANEL • It's been dubbed the age of the fanpreneur and creator economy! How advances across tech in animation and gaming, has led to a new, inspiring breed of young creators, carving out exciting and successfull careers.
About the panel
Speakers: Jérôme Mazandarani, Independant (United Kingdom) & Daire Bohan, CEO at Bura Games (Ireland)
Thanks to Roblox and UGC, CartoonNext unveils a developer’s journey and explores the future of UGC Gaming.
CASE STUDY • CartoonNext goes tech! We discover what's next for Unity, the cross-platform games engine.
About the case study
Speakers: Christophe Robert, AI Technical Product Manager at Unity (France) & Hanna Mouchez, CEO at MIAM! Animation (France)
With creative insights into how AI and real time tools can enable producers to create 360 projects.
PANEL • Why trendsetting webtoons & webcomics are becoming new sources of imaginative, animated IP?
About the panel
Speakers: Sarah Nehme, Digital Content Manager at ONO (France) & Cristiana Buzzelli, COO at Movimenti Production (Italy)
What are the coolest trends now and in the future? From expert, Sarah Nehme and a sneak peak at new serie, from Finnish webcomic, "Belzebubs a Black Metal Band"