Nine European public-service broadcasters have committed funds to Elle(s), a new animated concept from France’s GO-N Productions that was selected from over 70 projects presented at Cartoon Forum this year.
Targeted primarily at kids 9 to 12, skewing up to teens, the series is adapted from the graphic novels by Kid Toussaint and Aveline Stokart, published by Le Lombard. The eight seriealized episodes, produced in 3D animation, follow a 15-year-old dealing with high-school life. Nine PSBs have committed €60,000 to the development of the show under an initiative coordinated by EBU Television with France Télévisions and CARTOON. France Télévisions is the lead on the project, with RTBF, VRT, ARD/SWR/HR, DR, Yle, BBC, RTE and Rai.
This is the fourth production developed within the EBU Animation Co-Development initiative, following Ray & Ruby, Pig & Andersen and My Life is a Manga.
Matthew Trustram, head of television at the EBU, said: “Serving young audiences is a core mission of public-service media, and it’s a mission we fulfil best when we work together. Our animation co-production initiative brings broadcasters into close collaboration, enabling them to support independent creators and develop standout content, such as Elle(s), for children across Europe. By joining forces in this way, we are safeguarding a diverse and thriving European animation sector in an increasingly competitive world.”
Cartoon Forum 2026 will see the presentation of development materials for the show, at which time EBU member broadcasters will be able to exercise a first-look option to acquire the rights.
Annick Maes, general director of CARTOON, noted, “We are delighted that Cartoon Forum has once again hosted this initiative, helping pave the way for stronger European and collective cooperation. As unilateral funding becomes increasingly difficult, this initiative provides an opportunity for both producers and public commissioners to rethink what European distribution can be and to promote cross-border distribution among European public broadcasters. Building on the success of the 2025 edition, we look forward with confidence to those that will follow.”
