[Cartoon Forum] Animated UK Meets Europe: Rebuilding EU Creative Bridges Post-Brexit

Kate O’Connor, Executive Chair of Animation UK, talks about the return of the Animated UK Meets Europe initiative. Together, we discussed how opportunities like this can be instrumental in strengthening European partnerships and showcasing the talent and creativity of the UK in European markets.

Animation UK is a collective voice for the animation industry in the UK, aiming to support businesses and celebrate UK excellence on the international stage. What does this partnership with Cartoon Forum mean for you?

For Animation UK, supported by BBC Children’s and Education, this partnership is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the UK’s distinctive talent, storytelling, and creative excellence. While the UK producers can only participate in the Cartoon Forum as a minority co-production partner due to the post-Brexit framework, the event still offers a vital platform to share in-progress work, connect with European and international partners, and showcase the next generation of creators. Cartoon Forum enables us to reinforce the UK’s continued commitment to European collaboration.

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What are the challenges for UK animation in dealing with Europe after Brexit? What steps are you taking to overcome them?

One major challenge has been the loss of access to Creative Europe MEDIA funding, a vital source of development finance for animated projects and co-productions. To address this gap, Animation UK continues to make the case for rejoining and replicating Creative Europe. We are active members of Animation in Europe and work closely with the BFI to shape new funding opportunities.

Our recent pamphlet Blueprint for Sector Growth calls for an uplift in international co-production funding and policy alignment with European frameworks, including IP retention and sustainability standards.

Although the UK rejoining Creative Europe was not recommended in recent Government announcements, there has been some progress, notably an increase to targeted co-production support via the UK Global Screen Fund from 2026 onwards.

The UK may be outside the EU, but we remain firmly inside the European creative conversation.

Recently, Sky has moved away from producing original UK content. This shift adds to the growing crisis in the children television and the change of children’s viewing habits. What is the current state of UK animation?

The UK animation industry remains a world leader in creativity, storytelling and innovation and is increasingly recognised as a vital sector. Valued at £1.7 billion and employing 13-20.000 people, the sector has the potential to double in size, boost exports and create regional jobs.

Currently we are in the midst of a perfect storm for children’s content with changing viewing habits, declining PSB investment, and market failure. This is a global situation, and one that is equally stark in the UK. Sky’s decision to exit UK-originated commissions is part of a broader retreat by broadcasters, leaving the BBC as the last major commissioner of UK children’s content, and now the number one commissioner of children’s content globally.

Children have shifted toward platforms like YouTube and TikTok, where discoverability and regulation are significant concerns. They spend nearly three hours a day on screens, with 88% of users between 3 and 17-year-olds using YouTube as their primary platform. But this shift has outpaced commissioning and funding models. Most digital platforms don’t commission UK content or support development pipelines. We’re advocating for metadata flags for PSB content, algorithmic prioritisation, and a cross-platform to improve discoverability. We’re also exploring YouTube-first animation formats, educational tie-ins, and distribution tax relief to help creators compete in this space.

On a more practical level, Animation UK supports its members by providing access to experts to support investment readiness, advice on new business and digital first strategies, helping producers understand new funding models. We’ve also called for the introduction of an Animation Development Fund and a platform-agnostic Content Investment Fund to support creators navigating this complex environment.

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