The Nordics Make a Strong Showing in Stuttgart

WeAnimate 2024-04-23 | wam#0038

This week, the 18th annual Animation Production Days event takes place in Stuttgart. Animation Production Days (APD) are a co-production and financing event for German and international animation, created by and taking place alongside Stuttgart Animation Festival and FMX – the Film and Media Exchange.

This year, 43 projects were selected from over 90 submissions. Projects are presented at pre-organized one-on-one meetings, where filmmakers meet with potential co-production, financing, and distribution partners. The APD Talent Programme creates special opportunities for eight newcomers to pitch in a professional environment.

As the most important animation marketplace in Germany, it’s no surprise that German projects are the most represented at APD, with 12 of the total.

But the Nordics are well represented at APD, and Denmark alone has 4 projects in the professional marketplace, and 2 in the Talent Programme.

Here’s a quick overview of the Nordic films at Animation Production Days:

5 X Allan (TV series)

New Creations 
Denmark

New Creations’ 5 X Allan stars chaotic quintuplets Allan, Allan, Allan, Allan, and Allan, substitute teachers of last resort for the local public school. Season 1 of the family comedy premiered in Dec 2023 on DR TV. Directed by Pernille Bønløkke Toustrup and Anders Morgenthaler, the show celebrities creativity and wild imagination.

Hidden Islands (TV series)

OYA Copenhagen 
Denmark

New company OYA Copenhagen is a creative studio, strategy consultancy, and production facility. Hidden Islands features 3 friends exploring nature and discovering the magic and mystery of an island landscape.

Shitty Kitty (TV series)

A. Film Production 
Denmark

The prolific team at A. Film are appearing at APD with a new TV series called Shity Kitty, based on the bestselling graphic novel series by Sophie Souid and Thomas Hjorthaab.

Sustainions (Game and transmedia)

Fuzzy House 
Denmark

Rather than calling themselves a game company, Fuzzy House considers themselves a digital toy company, with calm, open-ended games that inspire creativity and promote early childhood learning and development. Sustainions features a magical, interconnected community, in which the player cares for the universe and themselves. Players can choose to participate in various traditional handcrafts, engage in gentle physical activities and exercises, or play with the engaging shapes and music in this customizable world. This game is still in development, with support from the Danish Film Institute – The Games Scheme.

Aliens are F*cking Real (TV series)

Character House Oy 
Finland

The young adult adventure comedy Aliens are F*cking Real is currently in development at Character House, which has had a string of successes since their founding in 2019. The project already has funding from the Finnish Film Foundation, Svenska Kulturfonden, and Konstsamfundet.

Epic Family (TV series)

Animagency
Finland

Award-winning Animagency was founded in 2013, and develops original IP and co-productions, alongside offering animation services to client productions. They have produced several original series for Finland’s YLE, and are bringing their latest project to APD.

Minifauna (TV series and transmedia)

Anima Vitae*Finland

Minifauna is one of the most hotly anticipated Nordic projects this year, from the studio that launched the hugely successful Niko film series.

Ormhildur and the Christmas Creeps (Feature film)

Compass Films
Iceland

Iceland’s Compass Films produces animation, features, and documentary films, as well as working as a service studio for international production. Ormhildur and the Christmas Creeps is a 2D animated project based on the myths and legends of Iceland. 

The Legend of Magnus the Good (Feature film)

Kool Production AS 
Norway

Kool Production and writer/producer Frank Mosvold are in development for their next animated feature, The Legend of Magnus the Good. The ambitious film is a co-production with Norway’s Gimpville and Denmark’s A. Film, and features the young viking prince Magnus who time-travels to present-day Norway, and meets three drag queens who show him the meaning of courage. The film has already been picked up for distribution by Scandinavian Film Distribution.

The APD Talent Programme also includes:

Niels Andersen Dolmar, pitching a new Danish TV series called the Great Trouble with Grandpa, developed during the Open Artist Residency at TAW and the Anomalia Writing Lab with guidance from legend Richard Pursel. Dolmar’s professional experience as an animator, character designer, storyboard artist, and series episode director place him in a great position to lead this project, and it already has support from Eye Candy Films.

Junior producer and recent graduate of the National Film School of Denmark Kristian Pugholm and German children’s book author Sarah M. Kempen are also pitching their TV series The Evillest Plan of All. We wish the best of luck to these newcomers, and expect to see them make a big impact on the industry in the future. 

WeAnimate is excited for all the great projects appearing at Animation Production Days this year, and is proud of the representation and support for Nordic animation.

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