Richard Lutterbeck
Richard Lutterbeck
CEO
TrickStudio
Germany
Pitching: Schalotte – An Onion for all Cases
What is the biggest issue facing the animation industry right now?
Financing high-quality animation projects is becoming increasingly difficult. Many productions have to be done on a small budget while production costs are rising and there is a shortage of skilled personnel.
What is your company doing in response to this?
Every project is a challenge, both artistically and financially, and working out new ways of production in today’s world is essential. We are trying to develop production ways and animation styles that are cost-effective on the one hand but on the other hand pay the team fairly. Regardless of budget, the most important thing is good storytelling and strong design.
How do you see the rise of the metaverse impacting animation?
The need for animated content for the metaverse will increase dramatically. Since it is mostly interactive content, some animation companies will specialise in producing for the metaverse.
How do you work with YouTube Kids and is it a platform that supports high-quality animation producers?
At the moment we don’t work with or for YouTube Kids. Whether high-quality animation can prevail there has to be observed.
Tell us about the project you are pitching at Cartoon Forum.
Schalotte – An Onion for all Cases (27×6’) is the first animated crime comedy series for children from five- to eight-years-old – the first animated vegan crime comedy series to be precise. The stories are set in the multicultural fruit and vegetable milieu, where misunderstandings, prejudices and fear of strangers often lead to quarrels and exclusion. Our heroine, Schalotte, is positive, open and full of energy and throws herself into her cases with dedication. Prejudices have no place with her, she is thus the ideal identification figure for our target group and conveys a tolerant, modern view of the world. Beneath the surface, the show is about themes like friendship, community, tolerance and diversity – packed into comedy stories full of slapstick moments.
The project is currently in the development phase. Our partners are Studio Amopix in France and MaurFilm in the Czech Republic. German broadcaster WDR has a strong interest in the project and gave us a letter of intent. At Cartoon Forum, we are looking for further coproduction partners, distribution partners, TV stations and investors for the production.
