A "Lamb’s Stew" is a 30-minute modern tale for a family audience, and the first original special developed by La Cabane and Thuristar. Both companies have previously experienced similar formats, as they coproduced four specials of "Mush-Mush and the Mushables", including “The Guardian of the Forest”, nominated for an International Emmy Award in 2021. The title will be presented in Toulouse, at the opening of the 2024 Cartoon Forum on Tuesday September 17th at 10.00am (Blue Room), by writer-director Joeri Christiaen and producer Perrine Gauthier.
Joeri Christiaen is helming "A Lamb’s Stew" as director and art director. Although he has specialized in CG animation over the years, for this project he draws inspiration from traditional animation, nudging CG animation (produced in Blender) to a stylized look with flatter compositions and shot-driven lighting – while preserving lush backgrounds and detailed textures. He is also the film’s scriptwriter and has worked with Claire Paoletti (co-writer of Shoom's Odyssey, Annecy Cristal in 2020 and Annie Award winner in 2021) as writing consultant during its initial development phase. The Special has received the support of the MEDIA Creative Europe Programme in 2024.
The film tells the story of Billie, a young lamb determined to prove that sheep are just as brave as other animals. She sets out to lure a wolf into a trap, only to discover that he isn't the monster she thought he was... Through the heroine’s journey, the film questions how preconceived ideas shape our worldviews. It invites us to embrace individuality… and to not judge a sheep by its wool, nor a wolf by its fur!
Joeri Christiaen described the challenge: "After 15 years of directing series, including 'My Knight and Me' and 'Mush-Mush', I wanted to delve in a more personal project, and a longer, deeper, standalone story. It’s an exciting new challenge, both creatively and technically, and we're assembling a talented team to rise to the occasion!," commented.
Meanwhile, Perrine Gauthier expressed their satisfaction:“We enjoy developing and proposing programs that are very different to each other, in terms of visual style, topic, audience and format. A Lamb’s Stew is fully in line with that approach and we’re honoured that the project will open what promises to be a great edition of Cartoon Forum, with a high-quality selection”, added.
At Cartoon Forum 2023, La Cabane and Thuristar jointly pitched the pre-school series "Luce in the Lovely Land" based on Luce and the Rock, the multi-awarded short film by Britt Raes. The pitch ranked first in attendance among European co-productions. "Luce in the Lovely Land" is now developed in partnership with France Télévisions and VRT-Ketnet.