Dragon Ball, Bioman, X-Or, Knights of the Zodiac, The Mysterious Cities of Gold… TV productions that have marked the childhood and adolescence of today’s thirty- and forty-year-olds while continuing to captivate the younger generation. You’ll find all of this at the CARTOONIST Festival taking place on April 20 and 21 at the Palais Acropolis in Nice.
With over 150 exhibitors expected across 1000 m2 of exhibition space, 5 exhibitions, 9 official public competitions, and numerous workshops in graphic design and screenplay writing, Cartoonist is undoubtedly the must-attend event of the spring on the French Riviera. It’s to learn more, just a month before the opening of the festivities, that Nice Premium met with Anthony Michel, one of the creators of this international animation film festival and a pure Niçois.
Learn more about Cartoonist: https://www.cartoonist.fr/
Nice Premium: You’ve already introduced and talked about your festival a few weeks ago, now we’re less than a month away from the event, what’s new?
Anthony Michel: Yes, indeed, especially prestigious new guests.
First of all, Kenji Oba, who was the actor that played X-Or the Space Sheriff, but also appeared in Kill Bill. Jean Chalopin, the creator of “Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors,” “The Intercats,” “The Mysterious Cities of Gold,” and so many other cartoons from that era.
And finally, the confirmation of 3 Japanese singers, Hironobu Kageyama, Nobuo Yamada, and Akira Kushida, who will perform a medley of their greatest songs, including the themes of Dragon Ball, Knights of the Zodiac, Bioman… An all-new 1h30 concert.
Nice Premium: Your festival is boasting more than 25 guests, which seems unimaginable?
AM: Yes, actually the other day, someone asked me if it was a lie or not? I thought it was a joke, but not at all, and after talking to several other people, I was quite surprised to see that indeed a large part of people think we’re exaggerating to attract visitors. I want to be very clear, we have 20 confirmed Japanese guests, meaning their airfare and hotel are already paid on our side, as well as about ten French guests.
In other words, quantity-wise, we are clearly at the same level as the largest European conventions of the same kind.
Nice Premium: How did you make this possible?
AM: First of all, I want to remind everyone that Cartoonist is the oldest anime/manga convention in France and probably in Europe, which naturally creates strong ties with Japanese artists. We were therefore the first, by sheer circumstances, to bring them to France. We’ve acquired a certain reputation in Japan, making it much easier to invite new guests. Our main concern was rather the budget for this show, as we were starting from scratch after Cartoonist had stopped for a few years.
Nice Premium: Organizing an event like this must incur significant expenses. Where did you find the money to fund it?
AM: Thanks to our 2 partners, Yamawa Group and Mkt China, the show was able to come together. But I want to thank the City of Nice and the General Council of the Alpes Maritimes without whom this project would have been impossible. We also requested a grant from the largest local authority, which claims to be youth-oriented, but we were met with a refusal, which disappointed and disheartened us.
Nice Premium: One month away from the festival, how is the organization going?
Cartoonist: We are not behind on our schedule. As far as guest management and programming of the various events, everything is finalized. We are now more into the communication part, our TV commercial has just been completed, our poster campaign is ready, and our tramway design is going to be printed. We can’t wait to see the tram in our festival’s colors; it’s promising as the mockup was already superb.
To be honest, we are currently finalizing our platform for press accreditation requests, and we hope to welcome Nice Premium during our festival.
Nice Premium: Finally, what do you think will be the standout event of your festival?
AM: A very hard question, I would say that the concert will really create an electric atmosphere in the room.
The presence of Marcus, a famous presenter from Nolife and Gameone TV channels, coming to challenge the public on stage with a game is also likely to be a highlight of this festival.
But without giving too much away, I think the key moment that will galvanize the crowds will be the cosplay contest. Indeed, we are hosting the qualifications for the French representative of Eurocosplay, a European contest with its final in October in London. Many cosplayers from all over France will come to try to win this ticket, which promises a high-quality competition.
And finally, the tribute to Shingo Araki, who passed away more than a year ago, one of the most renowned and recognized artists for his talent in the world of animation, could be an unforgettable moment of this show, all the more so as his son has come to pay his respects with our audience in memory of this great man.
