Sign of the times: litigious Teddy BearsŠ

As ubiquitous as evil twins on the soap circuit, rumors of impending mergers and purchases are a recurring plot device in animation circles. To be an experienced animator means being wanted, and to be a veteran animation company is to be an object of exponential (library) acquisition interest.

Despite the acquisition action afoot ­ Cine-Groupe being currently targeted as a juicy morsel ­ and despite the volume of toons on tv, making an animation studio pay is still a complex storyboard.

Anyone with the patience to ink and paint through years of series and one-offs amid the vagaries of a morphing animation market demonstrates a rare passion for the art form. For emerging Canadian studios, parlaying that zeal into cracking the network schedules, until very recently, has proven difficult for all but a handful of the animation elite. Those savvy enough to play in the original production deal zone.

While tv and feature service work and commercials have fueled the growth of many studios, forging broadcast and distribution ties and finding a path through the maze of markets ­ the key to doing one’s own projects ­ has been tougher to navigate and sustain.

New wrinkles constantly agitate the market; public broadcasters whose public/private future hangs in the balance of committee analysis (tvo’s current fate), networks seeking more rights, seed money with ties attachedŠ

However, Canada’s maturing distribution presence at international tv markets in tandem with the increasing coproduction skills of producers has created a wider window, and now more projects are squeezing through.

And as international opportunities unfold for more companies across Canada, teletoon ­ the offspring of globally successful studios Nelvana and Cinar Films’ partnership with the Family Channel and ytv ­ is also offering more screen access closer to home.

It’s ironic that at this point, when more studios are growing beyond service work and emerging as creators, one of Canada’s mature studios hit a financial wall.

Lacewood, embroiled in a $2.5 million investment repayment failure that entailed a bankruptcy protection application, ended with its assets in the hands of a receiver. It’s also ironic that on the heels of the Paragon takeover announcement, Cinar announced a new $110 million line of credit with the Royal Bank.

Witnessing energies being consumed by custody battles over animated offspring and embryonic toons at this very prime time in animation opps, highlights the necessity of combining shrewd business skills with a creative milieu. And it sheds a favorable key light on the kick-start/finalizing shortcuts offered by experienced packagers such as Alliance, newly drawn to the toon-centric growth and seeking partners with ideas.

In this issue, Playback takes a look at the impact of teletoon’s slot opportunities for some of the emerging Canadian animation players, and eyeballs some of the new shows which pitched their way onto the dial.