Cartoon d'or


The Cartoon d'Or was a pan-European award for animated short films. It was rewarded every year to the best European short film from Cartoon's partner festivals until it was suppressed in favor of the Emile Awards.
Amongst this short list, a jury selects 5 films that will be screened during the Cartoon Forum and one film will receive the Cartoon d'Or.
Created in 1991, the Cartoon d'Or used to be the only completely European animation prize until the final award was given to Gabriel Harel for Yùl and the Snake in 2016. The competition aimed to "promote the talents of European animation."

Background

The Cartoon d'Or was created in order to nourish the European animation industry by work from creative filmmakers. European television series lacked of creativity to compete with programming on offer from the United States and Japan.
Moreover, although major financial support was being given to develop European animation, no special place was made for it at major European festivals and awards.

The award ceremony

The award ceremony takes place during the Cartoon Forum which gathers all the players in the economic structure of European animation. Consequently, the Cartoon Forum can act as a pipeline between short film makers and the industry. Indeed, the finalists are often approached by producers to work on series or feature films. Some finalists and prize-winners have themselves gone on to make series or feature films.

Prominent winners

In 1991, the first Cartoon d'Or went to British director Nick Park, still unknown at the time, for his film Creature Comforts. Since then, he has created Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run. Sylvain Chomet received the Cartoon d'Or in 1997 for his short The Old Lady and the Pigeons. A few years later, he enjoyed success through The Triplets of Belleville, nominated for two Academy Awards. He has now released his second feature, The Illusionist. Jacques-Rémy Girerd walked away with the award in 1998 for Charlie's Christmas. The French director founded an animation studio, Folimage, and released two feature films: Raining Cats and Frogs and Mia & the Migoo. Mark Baker, who created TV series such as The Big Knights and Peppa Pig, Michaël Dudok de Wit for his much acclaimed Father & Daughter and Joanna Quinn for Dreams and desires – Family Ties.

List of winners since 1991http://cartoon-media.eu/cartoon-d-or/cartoon-d-or-2015/winners-1.htm Official Cartoon website, Cartoon d'Or, List of Winners

YearTitleWinnerNationalityLength
1991Creature ComfortsNick ParkUK5'
1992ManipulationDaniel GreavesUK6'20"
1993The VillageMark BakerUK14'
1994The Wrong TrousersNick ParkUK29'
Os salteadores Abi FeijoPT15'
1995The Monk and the FishMichaël Dudok de WitFR6'20
1996QuestTyron MontgomeryDE12'
1997The Old Lady and the PigeonsSylvain ChometFR23'
1998L'enfant au grelotJacques-Rémy GirerdFR26'
1999MigrationsConstantin ChamskiFR4'
2000A suspeita José Miguel RibeiroPT25'
2001Father and DaughterMichael Dudok de WitNL / BE / UK8'10"
2002Home Road MoviesRobert BradbrookUK12'18"
2003Sans queue, ni têteSandra DesmazièresFR6'35"
2004Fast FilmVirgil WidrichAUT / DE / LUX14'
2005Jojo in the StarsMarc CrasteUK12'
2006Dreams and Desires - Family tiesJoanna QuinnUK9'50"
2007The Pearce SistersLuis CookUK9'27"
2008A Mouse's TaleBenjamin RennerFR4'10"
2009Please Say SomethingDavid OReillyDE / IR10'
2010CrocodileKaspar JancisEE17'
2011Der Kleine und das BiestUwe Heidschötter, Johannes WeilandDE6'
2012Oh Willy...Emma De Swaef, Marc James RoelsBE / FR / NL16:50
2013Head Over HeelsTim Reckart & Fodhla Cronin O'ReillyUK10'18"
2014The Christmas Log Stéphane Aubier & Vincent PatarBE26'
2015The Bigger PictureDaisy JacobsUK7'30
2016Yùl and the SnakeGabriel HarelFR13'11"