With four months to go until Cartoon Forum 2025, Kidscreen asked producers in a poll last week whether the event should let UK-led projects back into the main pitching stream. And the answer was a resounding yes (90%). 

Very few voted no (6.5%), and even fewer (3.2%) are in favor of the event’s current approach of running a separate Animated UK Meets Europe showcase. 

But change is never easy, and Britain’s government would need to rejoin the EU’s Creative MEDIA funding program—which it pulled out of in 2021 as part of Brexit—in order for Cartoon Forum to be able to reinstate it as a fully participating country. The UK Screen Alliance is lobbying for this membership renewal, but in the meantime, poll respondents expressed frustration about the UK’s arms-length status at a time when the industry is desperate for more partnerships, co-productions and financing. Here are some of their comments:

“We desperately want to be let back in. The absence of UK producers and projects at Cartoon Forum is a disaster—just think of all the alliances and beautiful collaborative work that could have been made in the five years since we had to leave.”

“Most productions that originate in the UK will need to be co-produced by colleagues all around the world, and especially in Europe. It’s a win-win for everyone.” 

“We love Cartoon Forum, and we love being part of the European animation community. No one in the creative industries voted for Brexit, and we are suffering from it. Also, UK-EU co-productions are alive and well—the only difference is we cannot access MEDIA funding.” 

“The UK has an amazing history of animation creation and excluding them restricts the rich tapestry of work and unique view from the country. They also have less and less opportunities to develop and pitch animation projects in general, due to the poorly funded industry within the country itself.”

“[The] UK offers great animation talent and production companies that are fantastic to collaborate with.” 

“It is such an interconnected industry that relies on collaboration creatively, practically and financially. It’s detrimental to have one of the biggest players excluded from this, for all concerned. And as a UK-based creative, it’s a real shame to be cut off from our neighbors who we work with so well.”

“Most productions that originate in the UK will need to be co-produced by colleagues all around the world, and especially in Europe. It’s a win-win for everyone. Plus, we aren’t allowed into the European MEDIA fund, so there’s still an incentive to partner and share 50% or more with our European neighbors. Finally, with the BBC, we are excellent partners for projects coming the other way (originated in Europe), and there’s very little incentive for UK producers to attend Cartoon Forum as things stand, making relationships even harder to forge.”