Mom Hurries Home (Glowberry production, FILM.UA Group) animated series swiftly conquers the international audience and European markets. In the nearest future the project will participate in three signature events for animation industry: MIFA pitching in the framework of the main global animation festival to take place in Annecy on June 13-16; CARTOON 360 pitching planned for the end of this month in Barcelona; and Animation Production Day business forum which will be held in the framework of Stuttgart animation festival and starts tomorrow.
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The forum in Stuttgart will take place in the format of business meetings between potential partners for financing, distribution and co-production. This year, APD has accepted 29 series, 13 feature films, one short film and one transmedia project for participation; their total budget amounts to about 170 million EUR. As the previous APD experience shows, over a third of forum participants strike deals on joint production on the spot.
The involvement of a strong European partner in Mom Hurries Homeproject ( Glowberry production)will help the series make it to the level of a popular international brand. APD is the first big and successful step in this direction.
CARTOON 360 will take place on May 29 – June 1 in Barcelona. The forum is unique in selecting animation projects with a wide-scale transmedia potential: only those IPs can make it to the short list where ideas, characters and plots can be implemented in various contemporary media formats, from a web episode to VR content.
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It is important to note that Ukraine will be represented at this event for the first time, and the project producers have received a special grant for participation in the pitching; this grant will cover all participant expenses and provide a wealth of benefits during the forum.
The international festival in Annecy has been around for more than fifty years. During this time it became a major event in the animation world. The significance of the festival’s Grand Prix, Cristal d’Annecy, is often compared to an Academy Award. Only during the last decade the festival welcomed Wes Anderson (Fantastic Mr. Fox), Henry Selick (Coraline), and other global animation celebrities.
MIFA market taking place under the aegis of the festival as its integral part brings together partners for financing, distribution and co-production of animation projects from all over the world. During the trip to Annecy which becomes a global capital of animation in June the producers of Mom Hurries Home project will be able to meet potential co-production partners and start international cooperation.
We should note that Mom Hurries Home series hasn’t simply made it through a tough competition; it has become the first ever Ukrainian participant in the pitching. It is a signature event both for the project and the animation industry in general: participation in MIFA pitching means recognition of the series’ big potential, the originality of its idea and high artistic standards.
Initially, Mom Hurries Home project (Glowberry production) appeared in the form of a children’s book and an app. In a very short time Mom won the users over, the book was sold to Russia and China, and the project demonstrated its huge transmedia potential. The decision to make a series based on the book became a logical step in brand evolution. There are plans to keep developing the IP and to create contemporary, hi-tech and cutting-edge content for various platforms and formats.
“Our team is really inspired by the first success of the project. Making it to the short list of such major animation pitchings confirms that we have grasped global trends and can really create a successful international project. It is also a great platform to tell about ourselves, to hear feedback and recommendations from European experts with lots of successful projects behind them,” says Olga Cherepanova, Glowberry director and creative producer.
FYI: Mom Hurries Home is a series continuing a successful brand: a book with the same title was published in Ukrainian in 2010 and very soon became popular among children and their parents. An interactive version of the book for Android and IOS enjoys immense success and has been downloaded over 50,000 times. The book was republished several times in Russia, and this summer will be published in China. Mom Hurries Home is an animated series for children and adults alike who believe in miracles and magic which can happen right on the familiar city streets and even in the comfort of one’s own home. Lyosha’s mom and dad always hurry home to their son Lyosha (Lesyk in Ukrainian) and find themselves in magic adventures and surprising situations. But they still make it to the family dinner on time. As for their stories, they inspire Lyosha and his friends for their own new games and adventures. The series is produced by Animagrad studio.
Glowberry production became a part of FILM.UA Group in 2016.
Media Resources Management was the company responsible for applying to these and other events.
