Cartoon Rebates

Late to the party with this, but worthwhile nonetheless.

As Universal and Chris Meledandri's Illumination Entertainment wrap production on ... the 3D CGI-animated title "Despicable Me," the studio and animation house plan to raise their next progeny in France thanks to new tax incentives in the country ...

"Despicable Me" employed the animation savoir-faire of Paris-based FX house Mac Guff. ... " 'Despicable Me' also served as a benchmark for changing the tax rebate to be more friendly to animated films," Gallic film commission Film France's Franck Priot says. "We knew we needed to create a specific set of rules just for animated titles."

From what I've observed, France has good animation training and infrastructure. It has the skilled workforce and the tax rebates. The question is, do the animated features it turns out (and there have been a number, some even reaching the U. S. Of A.), that have the style and panache which will mesh with American tastes and the U.S. market in a major way. Based on the trailer, I think that Despicable Me can do okay in the United states. But is a domestic gross of, say, $60 to $90 million (Tale of Despereaux numbers) going to be enough for Universal-G.E.?

That, of course, is the question.