Stay tuned this week as we preview our five top picks to watch out for at Cartoon Forum 2024, taking place in Toulouse, France from September 16 to 19. 

Cartoon Forum regular Ellipse Animation (Living with Dad, The Smurfs) is heading to next week’s annual pitchfest to introduce buyers and investors to Lost in the Future, an offbeat comedy about a group of teens who travel to a future where there’s no technology—the stuff of nightmares for most kids! 

Targeting the six-to-nine set, this 52 x 11-minute series is a comic book adaptation that may be perfectly timed to coincide with a brewing “techlash” trend that we’ll be exploring in our Q4 magazine issue with a data-driven report from Dubit. 

Animated in 2D, Lost in the Future‘s stranded teens fall through a magic well and end up in a time when humanity has chosen to rediscover the benefits of a simpler life without technology. Theyhave to adapt, come to terms with their differences, and learn how to work together to make their way home…which is easier said than done without any phones or computers. 

The concept is based on a pair of graphic novels from writer Damián Campanario Hernández (who writes under the pen name Damián) and illustrator Alex Fuentes. Edition Dupuis publishes the books, which came out in 2021 and 2022. 

The creative team pitching Lost in the Future next week (Wednesday September 18 at 10:45am in the Blue Room) consists of director Cédric Frémeaux, writer Marianne Barbier, producer Audrey Serre and Lila Hannou, Ellipse’s VP of creative development strategy. 

The series should stand out in the market with its fresh, positive take on the future, says Serre. “Colorful characters in a fun, offbeat world invite us to care for others, observe the world around us, and take time to enjoy life without forgetting the need to have fun.” 

At last year’s Cartoon Forum event, Ellipse pitched a zany 2D-animated slapstick series called Komodo No Chill, and the Paris-based studio brought not one, but two concepts—YA anime series Dreamland and Trotro & Zaza for preschoolers—to Toulouse in 2022. 

Kidscreen’s senior reporter Ryan Tuchow will be attending Cartoon Forum 2024—please email him at rtuchow@brunico.com if you’d like to meet up.