Francesco Catarinolo

Francesco Catarinolo
Director and producer
Studio Pandora
Italy
Pitching: Will Moogley Ghost Agency

What is the biggest issue facing the animation industry right now?
Different countries and markets face different challenges. In Italy, for example, the biggest challenge for the next two years will be finding the talent. Thanks to the launch of various streaming platforms and a law that mandates they have to produce locally, the demand for animated content will increase, but currently we don’t have enough artists to meet the country’s needs.

What is your company doing in response to this?
With the help of Cartoon Italia, the Italian animation producers’ association, we are going to activate training courses with various animation schools to improve the synergy between the schools and the industry.

How do you see the rise of the metaverse impacting animation?
I am unable to evaluate the impact of the metaverse. Certainly it may be a big opportunity for animation producers, but at the same time it may turn out to be just another flop.

How do you work with YouTube Kids and is it a platform that supports high-quality animation producers?
We don’t work with YouTube Kids. I think it is a very interesting app for big production companies that have many projects and for testing very short formats, but the best use, I think, is for influencers.

Tell us about the project you are pitching at Cartoon Forum.
Will Moogley Ghost Agency (26×22’) is a CGI animation TV series, based on a series of books written by two of the most important Italian children’s authors: Pier Domenico Baccalario and Alessandro Gatti. The books, about a recruitment agency for ghosts, have been translated into 10 languages. The stories are fun and innovative but also mysterious and adventurous, creating suspense while the plot develops.

The target age of the series is six- to nine-year-olds and the budget is €6.5m (US$6.5m). The project is a coproduction between Studio Pandora and Showlab and Rai is the Italian broadcast partner. Will Moogley Ghost Agency has all the prerequisites to reach its financial goals, such as great commercial potential and a universal storyline that can appeal to the international market.