Introduction
Hello, fellow adventurers! Blaziker is back for a special adventure, because first off, there are not much animated movies to cover this time round, and it is still a long way away until the big month of June, where we will cover loads and loads of animated movies. However, that does not stop me from talking about something I had been passionate about, and one that is coming up pretty soon. Yes, I am talking about the Eurovision Song Contest!
If you are unfamiliar with this singing competition, the Eurovision Song Contest is an annual singing competition between European countries (and for some reason, Australia), held every May over the course of three days. Two semi-finals, followed by the grand final on a Saturday, and whichever country’s entry gets the highest number of points in the final wins the Eurovision Song Contest.
But today, rather than delving into why I love Eurovision (you can check out some of my Eurovision-related posts), I wanted to do a fun comparison between both the quality of the countries’ animation and the Eurovision entries, but because there are too many Eurovision countries to choose from, I had settled on comparing that of only the biggest countries: the Big 5 of Eurovision.
In Layman’s terms, the Big 5, also known as France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, are the biggest contributors to the Song Contest and because of that, they get a golden pass to the grand final instead of having to compete in either of the two semi-finals. Coincidentally, they are also some of the biggest contributors in the European animation scene, which presents an opportunity to put them to the paces.
So, in today’s special article, I will compare the aforementioned Big 5, based on both their results in the Eurovision Song Contest, and how strong they fare in the theatrical animation scene. However, before I start the comparison, I need to set some criteria when ranking the five countries.
Criteria
There will be two sets of criteria that I will use today: one for Eurovision and one for theatrical animation (since I am more of a theatrical animation specialist, I will focus on animated movies, but if there are notable animated series, I will give them a shoutout as well):
Eurovision Quality Criteria
In judging the quality and commitment for the Big 5 when it comes to Eurovision, here is how I will judge them:
- Past results – These include how many Eurovision titles they had won and their five most recent results (televoting result, jury result and overall result
- Current attitudes – What is the country’s current stance towards Eurovision, whether it is the broadcasting organisers or the general public
- This year’s entry – My thoughts on the country’s Eurovision 2023 entry and how the Eurovision and non-Eurovision community reacted to it
Theatrical Animation Quality Criteria
Now, for theatrical animation quality, I will look into the following:
- Size of industry – How big is the country’s animation scene, and their brief history of animation in the country
- Level of passion – The level of passion in the country’s animation scene, whether from the animators or the community
- Current hits – What are some of the country’s recent theatrical animated movie hits, and how do they fare against the rest of the Big 5
At the end of this article, I will rank the countries with a point-scoring system, with 5 being the country with the strongest Eurovision/theatrical animation quality, and 1 being the weakest.
With that, let us now compare each of the Big 5’s Eurovision and Theatrical Animation quality, starting (in alphabetical order):
France
Eurovision Quality
France is a country that enjoyed Eurovision in the past, but now, they seem to gain a recent interest in it. Here are some key statistics you need to know:
- First year of participation: 1956
- Number of Eurovision wins: 5
- Most recent win: 1977
In addition, here are their five most recent results, from 2017 to 2022 (excluding 2020, for obvious reasons):
| Year | Entry | Televoting Result | Jury Result | Overall Result |
| 2017 | “Requiem” by Alma | 90 (10th) | 45 (19th) | 135 (13th out of 26) |
| 2018 | “Mercy” by Madame Monsieur | 59 (17th) | 114 (8th) | 173 (13th out of 26) |
| 2019 | “Roi” by Bilal Hassani | 38 (18th) | 67 (13th) | 105 (16th out of 26) |
| 2021 | “Voila” by Barbara Pravi (Above Video) | 251 (3rd) | 248 (2nd) | 499 (2nd out of 26) |
| 2022 | “Fulenn” by Alvan and Ahez | 8 (19th) | 9 (24th) | 17 (24th out of 25) |
While it has been a long time since France won the Contest, that does not stop France from putting substantial effort into Eurovision. I will say that there is a sense of uniqueness in each of their five most recent entries, making France one of the most versatile in terms of music style. From classy French entries with “Requiem” and “Voila” to modern rave sung in the Breton language with “Fulenn”, France is willing to showcase their culture in three minutes of Eurovision fame.
In fact, they are one of the few countries that excel in both Eurovision and its children’s counterpart, Junior Eurovision. This is more so thanks to their 2021 representative and 2021 runner-up, Barbara Pravi, who had written not one, but two Junior Eurovision winners for France, with 2020’s “J’Imagine” and 2022’s “Oh Maman!”. Still, there is still key interest from both the French community and the broadcasters in Eurovision, and it is likely that they will continue to take the competition seriously.
Eurovision 2023 Entry
- Song Title: Evidemment (Evidently)
- Singer: La Zarra
For their 2023 entry, France stuck to their roots and chose a classy French beat with Evidemment. Personally, it took some time to get used to it, but once I get to both the song and the music video, Evidemment is very endearing. Classy and meaningful, and being another French pop ballad, which is their stronghold, France could make a killing with a great staging and vocals.
However, given the number of fast and more exciting entries from various countries, France might struggle in the televote, but if their strong jury results tell one thing, I think they should do fine.
Theatrical Animation Quality
As for France’s theatrical animation scene, now this is where things get more exciting.
To put the long history short, France has been producing animated works since way far back in the 1900s. From the early Asterix hand-drawn animated movies of the 1930s, 60s and 70s, to indie favourites like 1980’s The King and the Mockingbird, the French are very experienced and passionate in animation. Even today, France continues to adapt to new technologies, while maintaining the old style of animation to keep their options open.
Chances are, a lot of the foreign animated movies, whether produced in CG or in 2D hand-drawn style, are from France and its neighbouring countries, usually thanks to help from major French distribution company StudioCanal, who are responsible for distributing a lot of French animated movies globally. With a massive following and the strength of the French animation industry, this is also why a lot of major animation festivals are held in France, such as Annecy for the annual Annecy International Film Festival (aka the Cannes of animation), Bordeaux for Cartoon Movie (the major animation pitching festival held every March) and other places.
In terms of hits, there are a lot of animated movies to choose from. Whether it is mature, well-written stories like with Funan and I Lost My Body, philosophical stories that matter such as The Summit of the Gods, or some classic family fare like Terra Willy and The Jungle Bunch, French animation embraces versatility and creativity, which cannot be said for mainstream, American animation unfortunately.
To this day, French animation leaves a lasting impression on the global animation community, and their influence will only get stronger from time to time.
Germany
Eurovision Quality
Before I talk about Germany’s Eurovision efforts, here are some key statistics:
- First year of participation: 1956
- Number of Eurovision wins: 2
- Most recent win: 2010
Germany, or West Germany during the Cold War period, has enjoyed a level of fanfare from the general community. However, the same cannot be said for its main broadcasters, NRD and ARD, who had been accused of not trying hard enough to win. In fact, in 2022, when popular electro-core band Electric Callboy was not selected for Germany’s annual Eurovision selection show “Unser Lied” with “Pump It”, both the German Eurovision community and the global Eurovision community called out ARD for this obvious snub, especially given their selection that year are all generic pop songs from relatively unknown singers.
In fact, you can see their latest five Eurovision results to show Germany’s current track record:
| Year | Entry | Televoting Result | Jury Result | Overall Result |
| 2017 | “Perfect Life” by Levina | 3 (25th) | 3 (25th) | 6 (25th out of 26) |
| 2018 | “You Let Me Walk Alone” by Michael Schulte (Above video) | 136 (6th) | 204 (4th) | 340 (4th out of 26) |
| 2019 | “Sister” by S!sters | 0 (26th) | 24 (21st) | 24 (25th out of 26) |
| 2021 | “I Don’t Feel Hate” by Jendrik | 0 (Tied-23rd) | 3 (25th) | 3 (25th out of 26) |
| 2022 | “Rockstars” by Malik Harris | 6 (20th) | 0 (25th) | 6 (25th out of 25) |
Germany’s biggest issue when it comes to Eurovision (with the exception of 2018, when somehow the stars lined up with an emotional and heartfelt ballad about growing up without a father), is that their broadcaster simply does not want to win, for fear that if they win, they will have to host the next Eurovision Song Contest (which is a requirement for the winners every year), which would be expensive.
If you ask me, with the exceptions of 2018 and 2021 (to a certain extent, because at least I Don’t Feel Hate was a catchy guilty pleasure and not generic), Germany had sent the most boring and unexciting entries among the Big 5 possible (together with one other Big 5 country, more on that later), despite the German Eurovision community begging NDR to take it seriously, and if this continues, Germany might continue to languish at the bottom of the Eurovision scoreboard in the short to medium term.
But will they this year?
Eurovision 2023 Entry
- Song: Blood and Glitter
- Singers: Lord of the Lost
After years of ridicule from the German Eurovision community, it seems the tide was changing, and through its “Unser Lied” national selection, Germany selected veteran glam metal band Lord of the Lost with “Blood and Glitter”, making it Germany’s first ever rock entry.
I had been begging Germany to send one of their awesome rock bands to Eurovision, given that rock is a genre Germany had been getting good at, and thankfully, Blood and Glitter is not only completely different from their previous entries, but from its Unser Lied performance, it will delight the Eurovision audience. Sure, 2023 had a lot of rock entries, but I reckon Blood and Glitter can stand out, especially since it is a glam metal song that is one of the more energetic rock numbers of the 2023 edition.
Theatrical Animation Quality
As for Germany’s efforts in the theatrical animation scene, the good news is that unlike in Eurovision, at least the animation giants in Germany have taken it seriously, and are putting in effort to be great at animation with funding from the German government. The bad news, however, is that there is still a very long way to go in terms of overall quality.
German animation also has a rich history, dating back to the 1920s with the likes of Charlotte “Lotte” Reiniger and Walter Ruttmann producing Avant-Garde style of animation. However, it soon became a powerful tool for the Nazi regime, thanks to excessive use of animation in propaganda ads for the Nazi regime. In fact, German dictator Adolf Hitler and his propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels love animated movies so much, Goebbels even gifted Hitler access to 18 classic Disney animated movies for Christmas, proving even infamous dictators can find a soft spot in animation.
Today, while animation finds success in German advertising, Germany struggled in the theatrical animation scene when compared to the rest of Europe. Yes, Germany did themselves no favours thanks to its negative perception from it being home to the infamous Dingo Pictures, but until now, I had not seen a standout animated movie from Germany in some time. Germany does a lot of CG animated movies, and most of them are safe and family-friendly, which is something I do not mind. What I do mind, however, is that there is a lack of surprise from those movies, that I struggled to remember most of them.
Let me see, in terms of what animated movies came from Germany, there is Dragon Rider is I think is decent, but I had liked it less since its release. There are also the Maya the Bee movies and series, Oops! Noah is Gone, A Stork’s Journey and Latte and the Magic Waterstone. Oh, and don’t forget that they recently co-worked on The Amazing Maurice (with Red Star 3D, a UK-based studio), which was a pleasant surprise, to say the least.
Still, the fact that I struggled to remember a lot of animated movies from Germany says a lot about the overall quality of theatrical animated movies in Germany. While it is not a complete animation wasteland like in India, I will say that the overall landscape is a work-in-progress, and with much-needed funding as of late, let us hope German animated movies get better and better with time.
Italy
Eurovision Quality
Let us take a look at the brief facts:
- First year of participation: 1956
- Number of Eurovision wins: 3
- Most recent win: 2021
To say that Italy is one of the Eurovision powerhouses (together with Sweden, Norway and Ukraine, and also R****a before the European Broadcasting Union banned that country from Eurovision since last year) would be an understatement. In fact, since their return in 2011, not only had they been the best performing Big 5 country in terms of results, but they are one of the most dominant countries in Eurovision as of late. In fact, their five most recent results below are proof of that:
| Year | Entry | Televoting Result | Jury Result | Overall Result |
| 2017 | “Occidentali’s Karma” by Francesco Gabbani | 208 (6th) | 126 (7th) | 334 (6th out of 26) |
| 2018 | “Non mi avete fatto niente” by Ermal Meta and Fabrizio Moro | 249 (3rd) | 59 (17th) | 308 (5th out of 26) |
| 2019 | “Soldi” by Mahmood | 253 (3rd) | 219 (4th) | 472 (2nd out of 26) |
| 2021 | “Zitti e Buoni” by Maneskin (Above video) | 318 (1st) | 206 (4th) | 524 (Winner) |
| 2022 | “Brividi” by Mahmood and Blanco | 110 (8th) | 158 (7th) | 268 (6th out of 25) |
A big reason is that Italy simply loves Eurovision, given that their annual music competition show, the Sanremo Music Festival, is a direct inspiration behind Eurovision. In fact, without fail, San Remo attracts some of the biggest music stars in Italy every year, and is still to date one of the only two Eurovision national selections that uses a live orchestra.
It is not just the commitment to Eurovision that makes the community love Italy; it is also the quality and variety of songs they produced. Yes, they had sent (high-quality and beautiful) ballads in 2018 and 2022, but they can do pop, hip-hop and, more recently, to their success, rock thanks to Italian band Maneskin and their emphatic win in 2021. This is a country that not only gets it with Eurovision, this is a country that will continue to be even better as time goes by. Still, I wondered whether they would send a solo female entry in the near future, given it has been 7 years since the last one…
Eurovision 2023 Entry
- Song: Due Vite (Two Lives)
- Singer: Marco Mengoni
Exactly ten years ago, Marco won San Remo and represented Italy in 2013 with “L’essenziate”, finishing in 7th place. Now, he has returned with Due Vite, which, like his previous entry, is a ballad.
If you ask me that Italy might have the weakest Big 5 entry for Eurovision, I would not believe you. Not that Due Vite is an awful song by any means, but when the rest of the Big 5 are beginning to show up with better entries, there is a sense of fear that Due Vite will be left behind. Yes, the song is beautiful, yes, the live performance was immaculate, but they do not matter if the song is not memorable enough.
Regardless, I still think Italy is going to get another top 10 finish, but I had a feeling it will not be in the top 5…
Theatrical Animation Quality
Unlike Germany, where there is an actual number of animated movies produced by the country, Italy actually has very few animated movies I had seen from it. In fact, it is very difficult to find any animated movie worth remembering.
Probably the most famous Italian animated movie I remembered was Pixar’s Luca, but that was produced by Pixar in America, and directed by Enrico Casarosa, an Italian himself. It was a movie based in post-war Italy and has loads of Italian influences, but since this was made in America, I do not think Luca is an Italian movie.
Besides that, Italy is infamous in the animation scene for being the producers of the Titanic animated trilogy (Legend of the Titanic, Titanic: The Legend Goes On, and In Search of the Titanic), animated by an Italian studio and Arctic Dogs, which has Italian co-producers (but was animated mainly in India-based Assemblage Entertainment) and is bafflingly popular in Italy, judging by the number of cartoon spin-offs and Christmas live-action movies. In fact, it was to where Arctic Dogs could be Italy’s most talked about animated movie… for the obviously wrong reasons. I know that Donkey X was produced in Italy, but I did not watch that, so I cannot make up an opinion about it.
This makes it frustrating about the theatrical animation industry scene in Italy: it is not just the overall quality of Italian animated movies were pretty bad, it was also the lack of proper Italian animated movies that was frustrating. Yes, their animated shows have been superb, such as Winx Club, Huntik and more recently Tear Along the Dotted Line, but their theatrical animation industry is barely non-existent. Yes, Germany also struggled with theatrical animation in terms of quality, but at least they had made and released a good amount recently, which is something.
Spain
Eurovision Quality
Let us look at Spain’s brief Eurovision facts:
- First year of participation: 1961
- Number of Eurovision wins: 2
- Most recent win: 1969
As with almost anything, Spain is extremely passionate at anything. Whether it is football, flamenco, MotoGP, Fernando Alonso, or any type of sport dominated by Spain, they will come to droves to see their favourite teams battle it out. The same goes for Eurovision; in fact, I might say they might be the most passionate country when it comes to Eurovision.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Eurovision, which they struggled until last year. See their most recent results below for proof:
| Year | Entry | Televoting Result | Jury Result | Overall Result |
| 2017 | “Do It For Your Lover” by Manel Navarro | 5 (26th) | 0 (26th) | 5 (26th out of 26) |
| 2018 | “Tu Cancion” by Amaia and Alfred Garcia | 19 (24th) | 43 (18th) | 62 (23rd out of 26) |
| 2019 | “La Venda” by Miki | 53 (14th) | 1 (25th) | 54 (22nd out of 26) |
| 2021 | “Voy a quedarme” by Blas Canto | 0 (Tied-23rd) | 6 (24th) | 6 (24th out of 26) |
| 2022 | “SloMo” by Chanel (Above video) | 228 (3rd) | 231 (3rd) | 459 (3rd out of 25) |
If you ask me, watching their most recent results, with the clear exception of 2017 (which was a complete disaster due to alleged rigging in the national selections), they have the potential to be a pretty consistent country in Eurovision. Even if some songs are lacklustre, they do have some fundamentals when it comes to crafting the right package. Whether it is a great narrative (2018’s Tu Cancion), an upbeat and energetic number (2019’s La Venda) or vocals for days (2021’s Voy a quedarme), it seems Spain has been starting to get a bit of their groove back, and in 2022, by re-introducing an old singing competition and modernising it (Benidorm Festival), they had.
“SloMo” is the perfect way to re-introduce a country’s passion for Eurovision. It has the complete package, from the risky but stellar choreography to the strong vocals despite the dancing, and the strength of the summer beat with SloMo, not only did Spain finished in the top 5 for the first time since 2nd place in 1995, it brought a lot of pride back to the Spanish Eurovision community.
So, what about their 2023 entry?
Eurovision 2023 Entry
- Song: Eaea
- Singer: Blanca Paloma
Returning from a top 5 finish at last year’s Benidorm, Blanca smashes it out of a park with a unique flamenco ballad, a combination never seen in even the music scene before. And yet, Blanca made this new song so effortless, especially during her Benidorm Festival performance. From the red staging to the unique hand movements and choreography, Eaea is as perfect as it is.
Already, Spain might have been one of the frontrunners of Eurovision 2023 so far. It will need to compete against other favourites, such as Sweden and Finland, but until then, Spain might finally find their redemption story.
Theatrical Animation Quality
As for Spain, when it comes to their animated movies, now this is where I get more excited. I will be honest, I had covered a good number of animated movies from that country, so I had some awareness of their industry.
Unsurprisingly, Spain is also passionate about their animation industry, which explained the explosion of the animation industry and the release of a few animated movies from the country every year. In fact, ever since around the early 2010s with the domestic success of the first Tad the Lost Explorer movie in 2012, more animation studios in Spain are motivated to show their animation talents, with a wide range of animated movies for a wide variety of audience. These include family-friendly flicks such as the aforementioned Tad the Lost Explorer (which is a trilogy) and Mummies, to indie flicks for a more mature audience such as Another Day of Life and Birdboy: The Forgotten Children, and award-winning favourites such as Chico and Rita, and Klaus.
It is not just the range of animated movies, but also the quality that astounded me. While the quality of these animated movies is all over the place, it is possible to find a good Spanish animated movie if you search hard for it. I had seen Spain putting up excellent animated movies worth seeing, if you know where to find it. More recently, I covered Unicorn Wars and its popularity skyrocketed ever since GKIDS picked it up for a USA release, for various good reasons.
Yes, there are the occasion Spanish CG animated movies that do not hit the mark, but the thing is that with more support and funding, Spain might give France a run for their money in terms of animated movies soon.
United Kingdom
Eurovision Quality
Once upon a time, the United Kingdom used to be a Eurovision powerhouse, with them releasing hit after hit after hit in the competition. This explains why they have won the contest five times and finished second a record 16 times. Take a look at their brief facts:
- First year of participation: 1957
- Number of Eurovision wins: 5
- Most recent win: 1997
However, as the UK start to become complacent, and interest waned, they had been the Contest’s laughing stock, which is why they struggled since the start of the millennium. In the 21st century, the UK finished more times in last place in the grand final (2003, 2008 in a three-way tie, 2010, 2019 and 2021) than they finished in the top half of the grand final (2002, 2009, 2011 and 2022). In fact, they are so far the only country that achieved the dreaded ‘nul points’ result twice in the 21st century so far, in 2003 and recently in 2021.
In fact, their most recent results might show you something:
| Year | Entry | Televoting Result | Jury Result | Overall Result |
| 2017 | “Never Give Up on You” by Lucie Jones | 12 (20th) | 99 (10th) | 111 (15th out of 26) |
| 2018 | “Storm” by SuRie | 25 (20th) | 23 (23rd) | 48 (24th out of 26) |
| 2019 | “Bigger than Us” by Michael Rice | 3 (25th) | 8 (24th) | 11 (26th out of 26) |
| 2021 | “Embers” by James Newman | 0 (Tied-23rd) | 0 (26th) | 0 (26th out of 26) |
| 2022 | “Space Man” by Sam Ryder (Above video) | 183 (5th) | 283 (1st) | 466 (2nd out of 25) |
In fact, the UK finished in the bottom 5 so many times, pretty much the Eurovision community took that opportunity to make fun of the UK for their fall from grace, and the more the UK (specifically the BBC) screwed up their Eurovision chances, whether it is through a lacklustre national selection show with Eurovision: You Decide (2019), a stage invasion coupled by a less-than-ideal package (2018) and questionable staging and vocals (2021), it seems whatever they were doing is not right.
However, just last year, things changed. They suddenly selected a great song, sung by an already TikTok-famous singer in Sam Ryder and rather than the BBC deciding, they let Sam and his team work their magic. In the end, the trust in their singer to deliver a cohesive package worked: not only was the staging the best the country had delivered in a very long time, Sam’s powerful vocals and his passion towards Eurovision led the UK to a near victory last year, quelling the doubters that the UK will never do well in Eurovision. In fact, that success re-ignited the British public’s passion for Eurovision.
In a turn of events, winner Ukraine could not host Eurovision this year in their home turf because of their ongoing invasion against R****a, so they teamed up with the UK to host the competition in Liverpool, at the M&S Bank Arena in a few weeks. So, what would be the UK’s entry this year?
Eurovision 2023 Entry
- Song: I Wrote a Song
- Singer: Mae Muller
Once again, the BBC enlist the help of music label Tap Music (the same label that helped them in their silver medal last year), this time going for a more conventional and modern pop song with “I Wrote a Song”.
Yes, it is not as dynamic and exciting as 2022’s Space Man, but I reckon their 2023 entry is so much better than a majority of the UK’s more mediocre entries. This is the type of song that would be played in various radio stations across the world, which was a coincidence because recently, I heard of that song during lunch time at my favourite protein bowl spot in Singapore.
Already, the BBC performed a turnaround when it comes to Eurovision, as they looked like they not only found their formula in delivering a great Eurovision package, but they are more serious in putting in effort to do so. This is very encouraging, given the lack of commitment the BBC was when it comes to Eurovision. Let us hope the UK continued to stay that committed to Eurovision in the long term.
Theatrical Animation Quality
Animation has always been a stronghold for the UK throughout the years, with animated adaptations of classic literature. like Animal Farm and The Wind in the Willows. More importantly, the UK excels in a wide range of animation, such as classic 2D hand-drawn animation and, more importantly, stop-motion animation.
Aardman Animations, one of the largest stop-motion animation studios in the world, originated in the UK, and had produced a wide variety of well-beloved works, but it is not just Aardman that is carrying the UK’s theatrical animation industry. In fact, there has been a recent boom in CG animated movies from UK-based studios, such as Red Star 3D and Aniventure, among other studios. While the quality is still not there compared to other countries, I will say that their recent movies do show promise.
In terms of hits, the UK had loads of them. We can start with classics, such as the animated Yellow Submarine movie, based on The Beatles and the violent Watership Down which left a big mark on adult animated movies, Aardman classics such as Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (the first stop-motion winner of the Oscars’ Best Animated Feature) and recent experimentation from new studios, such as the 2018 stop-motion movie Strike! and 2023’s The Amazing Maurice.
In other words, the UK’s animation scene is doing alright, and while it may not be strong compared to France, and not as versatile as Spain, the UK is doing well when it comes to animation.
Final Ranking
Well, it was fun ranking the Eurovision’s Big 5 based on their Eurovision performance and their animated movies, so now, the moment you are waiting for: how do they fare based on my set of criteria?
Without further ado, here are their results, as well as my concluding thoughts on each of the Big 5, starting from last to first:
| Country | Eurovision Quality | Theatrical Animation Quality | Overall Score | Final Ranking |
| France | 2nd – 4 | 1st – 5 | 9 | 1st |
| Spain | 3rd – 3 | 2nd – 4 | 7 | 2nd |
| Italy | 1st – 5 | 5th – 1 | 6 | 3rd |
| United Kingdom | 4th – 2 | 3rd – 3 | 5 | 4th |
| Germany | 5th – 1 | 4th – 2 | 3 | 5th |
5th – Germany (3 Points)
Unsurprisingly, Germany lagged compared to the rest of the Big 5, firstly because of their lack of effort when it comes to Eurovision, and second, very few bright spots in their animated movies. Sure, they are committed to funding their animation scene, but unfortunately, the quality in both Eurovision and in animated movies fell by the wayside.
4th – United Kingdom (5 Points)
While the UK struggled in Eurovision just like in Germany, at least they are putting up their own weight in recent years, and they had a rich history and commitment to their animation industry. Who knows, maybe in the future, the UK could be a powerhouse on both fronts, as long as they continued stepping on the gas pedal for longer.
3rd – Italy (6 Points)
Yes, there is still a very long way to go in terms of animated movies in Italy, especially since there are very few of them these days, but let me be real, when it comes to showing up at the biggest singing competition in the world, Italy delivers. However, if they are passionate about Eurovision more than their animation industry, then so be it.
2nd – Spain (7 Points)
Spain’s passion in both Eurovision and animated movies is admirable, given how great they can be in both, even if the quality on both fronts may falter at times. Still, it proves that when a country is passionate about almost anything, they will go to the ends of the Earth to achieve it.
1st – France (9 Points)
There is a reason France is home to perhaps the biggest animation industry outside of the United States and Japan, as well as being very competent at Eurovision. France not only shows extensive support in both fronts do help, it is also the execution and passion that drove France to be great at both Eurovision and their animated movies. I hope the rest of the Big 5 and other countries around the world learnt from how extensive support and passion can build an industry, and sustain its position for a long time.
Conclusion
Well, this brings an end to this very special article. Regardless of what happens in the Eurovision Song Contest 2023, all the best to not just the Big 5, but the other counties taking part in this annual music festival that we will never forget.
Well, there are loads of animated movies still coming our way, so why don’t we reset and look at a few more exciting animated movies coming out in the summer season? I will see you on the next adventure, and until then, k thanks bye!
