As part of MIFA’s new Korean Business Showcase, the Gwangju Information and Content Agency (GICON) takes its first steps at the Annecy Animation Festival this Tuesday, marking the continuing trend of more and more Asian agencies participating in Class A festivals and markets.
Established to support and foster the information, communication and cultural industries in the Gwangju region, GICON also contributes to the competitiveness and development of animation studios through dedicated programs to develop local talent, infrastructure support, and access to a host of services to reach beyond the domestic market.
As part of this year’s strong Korean delegation at MIFA, GICON brought five Gwangju-area studios to the stage, each presenting what could be the next global animation IP with a Korean twist.
Let’s take a closer look at the title.
“Makers Jam”, GraFiziX
Strange things are happening at school, and things get even worse when a system malfunction traps the Makers Jam kids in a chaotic time loop. While repairing a broken school, they meet historical figures, find scientific inspiration, solve problems together, and discover friendship, creativity, and their hidden talents.
Created by GraFiziX, an edutainment studio with over 20 years of experience in creating educational content for children and youth around the world, ‘Makers Jam’ promises a blend of history, science and fun for children and youth. With interactive media, immersive exhibits, and many opportunities beyond the 26 11-minute episodes, GraFiziX believes this project has the potential to reach a global audience. “We want kids to move from seeing to creating,” added CEO Tony Hong. “And we are actively seeking production partners, investors and international buyers to make this project a reality.”
“Ghost Delivery” 38℃ Animation Studio
When was the last time you ordered delivery? But more importantly, what would happen if you were a delivery man and you encountered a possessed customer? In Ghost Delivery, exorcists Monkey and Monse disguised as delivery men hunt the evil spirits that threaten the city.
Blending Korean shamanic mythology with contemporary social issues, this 30 x 6 minute episodic series aims to deliver action-packed, binge-watching content to audiences 15 and up with unique characters, the battle between good and evil, and Korean occult flair.
“Food delivery has become a universal language in modern times, but there are still very few animated IPs tackling this theme,” added Tae Sik Shin, CEO of 38°C. “The anime market is huge, but Korean anime is hardly part of it. With this project, we aim to bring both the dynamic duo, Korean DNA, and a universal story about how we treat each other online to a wide audience.”
With support from the Korea Creative Content Agency and its own investment, 38°C comes to Annecy to bridge the gap before production begins and is looking for an international partner to bring this witty, genre-appropriate animated series to life.
“Giga Builder” Pingo Entertainment
Build a future on Mars! Gigabuilder is a fun, empowering world-building television series that combines cuddly pets and construction machinery, following Abin and his animal friends as they use teamwork and creativity to build a city on Mars. Combining science and imagination, the 20 x 12 and a half minute episodes follow adventures on the Red Planet. Season 1 has already launched in some regions, and Pingo Entertainment is currently producing a 20-episode second season, as the “GigaBuilder” franchise already boasts toys and transformable robot vehicles. In Annecy, Pingo is looking for broadcast, OTT, IPTV, SVOD and AVOD platforms for its IP.
The energetic project ‘Gigabuilder’ is part of Pingo Entertainment’s strong foundation, which has built a strong IP (in less than 10 years) in high quality CGI animation for TV, games and theatrical releases. “As a global multimedia studio, we develop, produce and license original IP while bringing creative storytelling and animation dreams to audiences around the world,” emphasized Minjee Kim, Head of International Sales and Partnerships.
“Elixir of the Sun” Studio W.BABA
“Elixir of the Sun”, presented by Park In-chan, CEO of Studio G.BABA, is an adaptation of the webcomic and web novel “Elixir of the Sun” by Soltam (novel) and Sungki (webtoon), which was published on Kakao Page, a major Korean webcomic site.
Elixir of the Sun, an oriental romance fantasy about the doomed love between the mad emperor Dan and Bayan, a woman with special powers, combines court intrigue, fantasy, and intense emotions, all set to take place in a 2D, AI-powered series. Aim for 20 x 12 minute episodes.
Studio G.BABA, a unique partner in the Gwangju region, specializes in building animation IP. The original IP “B-Family,” which won the 2024 Korean Content Award, recently secured a 2 billion won ($1.3 million) investment from China for the second season of “B-Family,” setting the pace for the series’ global distribution. To expand globally.
For Elixir of the Sun, the studio came to Annecy seeking co-production partners, investors, broadcasters, OTT platforms, global animation distributors, character licensors and merchandisers.
“Quantum Heroes Dinoster” Fanny Flax
An action-packed 26 x 11 minute animated series about multi-world heroes who travel across dimensions to protect dinosaurs and cities. In Season 3, the team enters Dinopia, a civilized dinosaur world, and through friendship, courage, and teamwork, they confront threats that endanger both worlds.
Founded in 2008, FunnyFlux is a South Korean animation studio creating family-friendly IP for audiences around the world. “From broadcast and YouTube to licensing, merchandising, film and live shows, we build every path that IP travels,” added Jegwon Oh, president of Funny Flux here in Annecy. Funny Flux stories with various IPs have reached more than 160 countries over the past 18 years and have been viewed more than 10 billion times on YouTube across various series.
Annecy aims to bring Quantum Heroes Dinoster to a wider international audience and is looking for distributors, OTT and SVOD platforms and broadcasters.
