Animation festival Cartoons On The Bay is set to take place from 29 may to 2 June 2024. Set in the breathtaking scenario of the Italian coasts, Cartoons on the Bay (COTB) is the country’s primary event dedicated to the animation and children’s entertainment industry.
Promoted by Italy’s national broadcaster Rai and organised by Rai Com, the festival has been connecting Italian and international key players since 1996. The 28th edition of the festival is set to take place this year at Aurum in Pescara, Italy.
Below are a few highlights of the 2024 edition:
- Guest Country 2024: Spain – The industry program of the festival proposes a series of events to go in depth into the country’s production and to connect with the Italian industry in order to facilitate co-production agreements.
- Topic of the year: Sport – From inspiring tales of athletic triumphs and challenges to the exploration of different sports cultures around the world, the festival will highlight the dynamic and motivational aspects of sport as a powerful storytelling medium, offering unique and imaginative interpretations that celebrate both athleticism and artistic expression.
Pulcinella Lifetime Achievement Award to film director John Musker
COTB will award the American film director, screenwriter and film producer John Musker.
Born in Chicago in 1953, Musker made his debut in 1981 as an animator on The Fox and the Hound. In over forty years of activity in the animation world, he has signed some of Disney masterpieces such as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, up to the more recent The Princess and the Frog, Moana, obtaining two Oscar nominations.
During the event, Musker will be protagonist of a retrospective and a master class, and will present in Italian premiere his latest work, I’m Hip, that made the Animated Short Film category shortlist for the 96th Academy Awards.
Sergio Bonelli Award 2024 to comic book artist Sara Pichelli
Sara Pichelli, one of the most highly regarded Italian comic book artists in the world, will receive the Sergio Bonelli Award.
A Marvel artist since 2008, Pichelli has worked on high-profile titles such as X-men, GOTG, Spider-Man. She is also attached to the success of character Miles Morales, co-created with screenwriter Brian M. Bendis in 2012, the year Bendis won two Stan Lee Awards and an Eagle Award. This year, the jury, composed of publisher Davide Bonelli and Bonelli Editore managing director Michele Masiero, Creativa Rai director Pierluigi Colantoni, Rai Digital and Transmedia Content director Maurizio Imbriale, and Cartoons On The Bay artistic director Roberto Genovesi, has selected the artist for this prestigious award.
The Sergio Bonelli Award, created by Cartoons on the Bay and Sergio Bonelli Editore, now in its third edition, will take place on Friday, 30 May 2024.
Pulcinella Special Award 2024 to Leslie Iwerks
COTB will honour the talent of American producer, director and writer Leslie Iwerks with the Pulcinella Special Award 2024.
Highly esteemed by critics and audiences alike, Iwerks has directed and produced successful documentaries and short films such as Recycled Life which is an Oscar-nominated work, and The Pixar Story – a film nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. Among her recent accomplishments is the documentary 100 Years of Warner Bros.
Continuing an illustrious family tradition in the world of animation and cinema, she is the granddaughter of Disney legend Ub Iwerks, the animator and co-creator of Mickey Mouse with Walt Disney.
Iwerks serves as CEO and founder of Iwerks & Co., a multimedia production company based in Los Angeles and New Orleans, that over the years has become a reference for some of the industry’s greatest creative minds.
The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, 1 June 2024.
Founded in 1996, COTB is dedicated to new trends in animation, gaming, comics, children contents and all transmedia visual arts. Since 2022 it has been known as the international festival of animation, transmedia and interactive art dorms.
