• La Cabane and Thuristar have inked deals with four major European broadcasters for their upcoming CG-animated special A Lamb’s Stew. Canal+ (France), VRT-Ketnet (Belgium), ZDF (Germany) and RTS (Switzerland) have all pre-bought the 26-minute one-off about a young lamb who learns that the wolf she’s been planning to trap isn’t such a monster after all. The presentation of A Lamb’s Stew was the best-attended pitch at Cartoon Forum 2024 (pictured). 

• Amsterdam’s The Mouse Mansion has signed new publishing deals with Borella (Italy) and IKAR (Slovakia) for its Sam & Julia book series about a pair of young mice living in mansions with their families. And the Chilean Ministry of Education has agreed to distribute the title Come Out and Play in public schools. There are currently 23 Sam & Julia books in the market, and they’ve collectively sold more than a million copies in 29 languages worldwide since 2011. In related news, Jiri Models has been granted a license to manufacture and distribute activity books, puzzles, games and dress-up sets based on the animated series Sam & Julia starting in January 2026. This 78 x seven-minute co-pro from Cielo Films, Superswiss Red, ZDF/ZDF Studios, France Télévisions, Caribara and M.A.R.K.13 premiered last year in France (FTV/Okoo) and the Netherlands (AVROTROS/Zappelin).

Image of A Lamb’s Stew pitch at Cartoon Forum 2024 courtesy of Ryan Tuchow.