The Annecy Worldwide Animation Movie Pageant (June 8-14), the world’s oldest and most prestigious animation competition, introduced this 12 months’s lineup, each out and in of competitors, American studio displays, particular celebrations (together with a tribute to Hungarian animation), and honorary awards.
This 12 months’s highlights embody Sylvain Chomet’s highly-anticipated 2D Marcel Pagnol biopic, “A Magnificent Life,” which might be part of the official competitors and launched domestically this 12 months via Sony Photos Classics; sneaks of Andy Serkis’ “Animal Farm” and Genndy Tartakovsky’s R-rated, 2D “Fastened” (streaming on Netflix); and particular previews of Disney’s “Zootopia 2,” Pixar’s “Elio,” DreamWorks’ “The Unhealthy Guys 2,” Sony Image Animation’s “GOAT,” Paramount Animation’s “The SpongeBob Film: Seek for Squarepants,” and Netflix’s “In Your Goals.”
In the meantime, Annecy 2025 introduces a brand new brief movie program, Midnight Shorts, and launches the Annecy Dome, a brand new 32-seat venue for immersive works.
“After a historic 2024 version, with a file attendance of 17,400 badgeholders, and all this regardless of a tough context for the trade, we’ve labored with renewed willpower to make the 2025 version stronger, open and impressive — to help the revival,” Mickaël Marin, CEO of CITIA stated in a ready assertion. Marcel Jean, Annecy creative director, introduced the lineup at a press convention on April 23.
Final 12 months, after all, was very eventful for Annecy as a result of it supplied Gints Zilbalodis’ “Stream,” the acclaimed 2D characteristic that earned the Jury Prize and finally received a historic Oscar for Latvia, in addition to Adam Elliot’s Oscar-nominated “Memoir of a Snail.”
Nonetheless, final 12 months additionally sparked controversy and debate in regards to the inclusion of generative AI surrounding the Japanese zombie characteristic “Who Stated Loss of life Is Lovely?”
This 12 months’s in-competition lineup consists of the star energy of France’s Chomet (the Oscar-nominated “The Illusionist” and “The Triplets of Belleville”), whose 2D rendering of Pagnol re-examines his childhood with the assistance of his youthful self, together with the debut characteristic of animator Zaven Najjar, who adapts “Allah Is Not Obliged” (Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg) from Ahmadou Kourouma’s uncooked, first-person novel. It’s about a couple of little one soldier through the Liberian Civil Warfare with a singular mix of 2D and CG.
Competing from Japan, in the meantime, are “ChaO,” a humorous anime twist on “The Little Mermaid” from Yasuhiro Aoki, and “The Final Blossom” by Baku Kinoshita, which is about within the yakuza underworld. From China comes “Into the Mortal World” by Zhong Ding, a fantasy adaptation of a mother-daughter traditional fairy story.
By way of tributes, Honorary Cristals might be awarded to Michel Gondry (who will introduce his animated sequel, “Maya, Give Me One other Title,” persevering with the collaboration along with his daughter making stop-motion shorts); indie icon Joanna Quinn (“Ladies’ Night time Out”), and “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening.
Official Competitors
- Allah Is Not Obliged. Director: Zaven Najjar (France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada)
- The Final Blossom. Director: Baku Kinoshita (Japan)
- Little Amélie or the Character of Rain. Administrators: Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han (France)
- Arco. Director: Ugo Bienvenu (France)
- Decorado. Director: Alberto Vázquez (Spain, France)
- Into the Mortal World. Director: Zhong Ding (China)
- Loss of life Does Not Exist. Director: Felix Dufour-Laperrière (Canada, France)
- A Magnificent Life. Director: Sylvain Chomet (France, Luxembourg, Belgium)
- Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake. Director: Irene Iborra (Spain, France, Belgium, Chile)
- Dandelion’s Odyssey. Director: Momoko Seto (France, Belgium)
Contrechamp Competitors
- Balentes. Director: Giovanni Columbu (Italy)
- ChaO. Director: Yasuhiro AOKI (Japan)
- Infinite Cookie. Administrators: Seth and Peter Scriver (Canada)
- Jinsei. Director: Ryuya Suzuki (Japan)
- The Nice Historical past of Western Philosophy. Director: Aria Covamonas (Mexico)
- Lesbian House Princess. Administrators: Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese (Australia)
- Reminiscence Lodge. Director: Heinrich Sabl (Germany)
- Nimuendaj. Director: Tania Cristina Anaya (Brazil, Peru)
- Olivia & The Clouds. Director: Tomás Pichardo Espaillat (Dominican Republic)
- House Cadet. Director: Child Koala (U.S.)
- Tales from the Magic Backyard. Administrators: David Sukup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar, Jean-Claude Rozec (Czech Republic, France, Slovakia, Slovenia)
- The Sq.. Director: Bo-Sol Kim (South Korea)