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In 2018, the Italian animation sector consisted of over 80 companies, including over 30 producers focused on original production and over 40 concentrating on service work.

Italy’s animation sector is primarily focused on TV series, with local companies reliant on public broadcaster RAI as a key source of funding. International coproductions are a cornerstone of the Italian animation industry, with local production companies often linking up with members of the French animation sector to finance projects together. Italian producers also work with companies elsewhere in Europe and beyond with the support of RAI.

In the past, the Italian animation industry has not had a great deal of support from government or public institutions. However, after many of years of campaigning by Cartoon Italia, the association of Italian animation producers, the country’s tax credit was extended to support audiovisual activities in 2015. As a result, international coproductions involving an Italian producer can now tap into a 30% tax credit, which has helped make the country’s animation industry more competitive internationally.

The introduction of a new law by Italy’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Activities and Tourism in 2017 has also seen an extra source of funding made available to Italian producers for animation development, pre-production and production.

Producers can also receive financial support to cover some of the expense of attending markets such as MipTV that are necessary to promote finished work internationally. The Italian government has also recognised the need to increase the number of those able to work in the country’s growing animation sector. Accordingly, an agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Education will see millions of Euros invested in training for those working the cinema and audiovisual sector.

Meanwhile, broadcasters in Italy, as well as streamers such as Netflix and Amazon operating in the country, are set to face stringent local content quotas. It is hoped this will have a positive knock-on effect for Italy’s animation sector.

Funding is also available via entities such as the Apulia Film Fund, which is open to fiction, documentary, short film, animation and format projects and relaunched in 2018 with €10m available until 2020, with a maximum of €250,000 available per animated project.

Successful international exports

Italian animation series are seen all over the world, with Geronimo Stilton, Calimero and Winx Club among the most commercially successful exports the local industry has produced. A spin-off to the latter property marked one of the first times US streaming giant Netflix had worked with a European producer on an original animated series.

One area of improvement identified by local producers is the country’s low participation in animated feature films. This is partly down to the lack of financing opportunities available for features, with RAI Cinema, which invests in Italian movie coproductions, unwilling to get involved in animated features.

However, steps are being taken to grow the country’s animated feature film market, with the launch of a production and training centre dedicated to animated cinema in Pula, Sardinia. If moves such as these are successful, then Italy only looks set to grow as a key destination for animation partnerships in Europe.