The Animation Is Movie Competition, a Los Angeles-based pageant devoted to showcasing the very best of worldwide animation, has introduced its full lineup for its eighth version this October. The pageant, produced by GKIDS in partnership with the Annecy Worldwide Animation Movie Competition, will showcase a number of options and potential movies for the upcoming Oscars Animated Function race, forward of shortlist bulletins in December.
The pageant will open with “Scarlet,” the anime movie from Mamoru Hosoda that premiered on the Venice Movie Competition this summer time, forward of its theatrical launch December 12. The Centerpiece choice for the pageant is “Arco,” the debut characteristic of French director Ugo Bienvenu, which premiered at Cannes in Might. To shut the pageant, the AIF will display screen “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain,” co-directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han.
Different movies that may play in competitors at AIF embody “All You Want Is Kill,” “Lesbian House Princess,” “I Am Frankelda,” and “No one,” the highest-grossing 2D animated movie in Chinese language historical past. Particular screenings going down embody the world premiere of a newly remastered 3D print of Laika stopmotion movie “Paranorman” alongside a brand new quick “Paranorman: The Thrifting,” a particular screening of extremely anticipated anime movie “Chainsaw Man: The Film — Reze Arc,” a piece in progress panel for Disney’s upcoming “Zootopia 2,” and a filmmaker panel with the administrators of “KPOP Demon Hunters.”
“It’s with monumental pleasure that AIF returns in its position as the primary alternative for Los Angeles to expertise
these important movies on their journey to end-of-year awards and Finest-of lists,” Matt Kaszanek, Director of Animation Is Movie, mentioned in a press release. “This fastidiously curated lineup — that includes new works from animation legends alongside characteristic movie debuts — is a celebration of the medium. It’s fantastic to be house.”
The Animation Is Movie Competition takes place from October 17 to October 19 on the TCL Chinese language 6 Theaters in Hollywood. Learn the complete lineup beneath.
Competitors Part
“All You Want Is Kill” (dir. Ken’ichiro Akimoto / Japan / West Coast Premiere)
Trapped in a relentless time loop throughout an alien plant invasion, Rita fights, falls, and fights once more
— till she discovers Keiji, one other soul caught in the identical cycle. A GKIDS launch.
“Arco” (dir. Ugo Bienvenu / France-United States / Los Angeles Premiere)
Annecy Cristal Award winner. What if rainbows had been time vacationers? On his first journey by
time, 10-year-old Arco crashes from the distant previous into the close to future, the place his new good friend
Iris helps him discover his manner again house. A NEON launch. Director Ugo Bienvenu in attendance.
“Chao” (dir. Yasuhiro Aoki / Japan / USA Premiere)
Annecy Particular Jury Prize winner. In a world of people and merpeople, Princess Chao’s
engagement to a human engineer sparks a romance that defies each worlds. A GKIDS launch.
Character Designer Hirokaru Kojima in attendance.
“Decorado” (dir. Alberto Vázquez / Spain / West Coast Premiere)
Spanish animation grasp Alberto Vázquez (Birdboy, Unicorn Wars) returns with a vivid
reimagining of his 2016 quick, bringing iconic characters to life in a daring, darkly imaginative
world.
“I Am Frankelda” (dirs. Arturo & Roy Ambriz / Mexico / USA Premiere)
Frankelda, a fearless Nineteenth-century author, journeys into her personal creativeness to confront the
monsters she’s created — guided by a tormented prince and racing towards time to revive
stability. Administrators Roy & Arturo Ambriz in attendance.
“Lesbian House Princess” (dirs. Emma Hough Hobbs & Leela Varghese / Australia / Los
Angeles Premiere)
A sheltered princess from Clitopolis blasts off into queer-space to rescue her ex-girlfriend from
the tyrannical Straight White Maliens, navigating cosmic risks and epic journey.
“Little Amélie Or the Character of Rain” (dirs. Maïlys Vallade & Liane-Cho Han /
Belgium-France / USA Premiere)
Annecy Viewers Award winner. In post-war Japan, younger Amélie navigates life between
cultures with emerald-eyed surprise, guided by her beloved Nishio-san as she begins to know
love, loss, and belonging. A GKIDS launch. Administrators Maïlys Vallade & Liane-Cho Han in
attendance.
“No one” (dir. Shui Yu / China / US Premiere)
China’s highest-grossing 2D animated movie. A little bit pig demon leaves Langlang Mountain,
teaming with toad, weasel, and gorilla demons for an epic journey westward.
“Scarlet” (dir. Mamoru Hosoda / Japan / West Coast Premiere)
Academy Award®-nominated Mamoru Hosoda (Mirai) delivers an exciting, time-bending
journey — Scarlet, a medieval sword-wielding princess, confronts her father’s killer whereas
discovering a future past vengeance. A Sony Footage Classics launch. Director Mamoru
Hosoda in attendance.
“A Story About Fireplace” (dir. Wenyu Li / China / West Coast Premiere)
A monkey raised by people braves a sacred mountain in quest of fireplace. By peril and
perseverance, he transforms into one thing extraordinary.
Particular Screenings & Studio Occasions
Particular Screening: “Chainsaw Man — The Film: Reze Arc” (dir. Tatsuya Yoshihara / Japan /
West Coast Premiere)
Chainsaw Man slashes onto the large display screen for its West Coast debut, delivering a primary take a look at the
thrilling continuation of the hit anime. After being killed by the yakuza, Denji fuses along with his
chainsaw-powered devil-dog, Pochita, turning into an unstoppable pressure. However when the mysterious
Reze enters the fray, he faces his deadliest — and most emotional — battle but. (Sony Footage
Leisure)
Particular thirteenth Anniversary Screening: “Paranorman” paired with quick movie “Paranorman: The Thrifting”
A celebration of LAIKA’s much-loved “Paranorman” within the first outing of a newly remastered
print, paired with the World Premiere of the brand new quick “Paranorman: The Thrifting.
Collectively, they symbolize twenty years of creative storytelling and the studio’s signature, playful
mastery of the craft of animation. Director Chris Butler and voice actor Anna Kendrick in
attendance. (LAIKA)
Filmmaker Panel: “KPOP Demon Hunters”
An up-close dialog with administrators Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, producer Michelle
Wong, manufacturing designer Helen Chen and head of character animation Josh Beveridge,
exploring the inventive spark and daring selections that introduced one of many 12 months’s most formidable, and
talked-about, animated undertakings to life. (Netflix and Sony Footage Animation)
Work-in-Progress Panel: “Zootpia 2”
A piece-in-progress presentation led by Carrie Liao, Head of Story, who takes us behind the
scenes into the event, storyboarding, and animation methods of Disney’s extremely
anticipated sixty fourth characteristic. (Walt Disney Animation)
Work-in-Progress Panel: “Fairly Fairly Fairly Please I Don’t Wish to be a Magical Woman”
A pilot preview, with creator Kiana Khansmith, voice actors Anairis Quiñones and Christine
Marie Cabanos, and editor Emily Rifkin, exploring their inventive breakthroughs, the challenges
of crafting a pilot, and realizing daring concepts by the manufacturing pipeline.
Pre-Competition Preview: “The Twits” (dir. Phil Johnston / USA)
An early take a look at “The Twits,” the place two orphans be a part of a household of enchanted animals to tackle
the nefarious Mr. and Mrs. Twit. Author-Director-Producer Phil Johnston will attend in particular person to
focus on the movie’s creation and his adaptation of Roald Dahl’s traditional novel. (Netflix)
Shorts Program 1
“Éiru” (Eire / Giovanna Ferrari)
Éiru, the youngest little one of a strong Iron Age Irish clan, seizes an opportunity to show herself when
her village faces a mysterious disaster, embarking on a deadly journey beneath the earth. From
Cartoon Saloon.
“Forevergreen” (USA/Nathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears)
An orphaned bear cub finds a house with a fatherly evergreen tree, discovering consolation in its
branches, earlier than his curiosity — and need for snacks — leads him into hazard.
“Cardboard” (United Kingdom / J.P. Vine)
Apprehensive he’s let his piglets down, a single dad strikes them right into a trailer park. When his children flip
a field into an intergalactic journey, he should resolve — keep caught up to now, or take part. From
Locksmith Animation in affiliation with DNEG Animation and Ritzy Animation.
“Versa” (USA / Malcoln Pierce)
Poignant and visually fascinating, a younger couple navigate the highs and lows of affection, loss, and
pleasure, swept alongside in an ethereal cosmic dance of life. From Walt Disney Animation.
“Snow Bear” (USA / Aaron Blaise)
Hand-drawn over a few years and radiating all of the delicacy of traditional animation, a lonely polar
bear, craving connection, brings a companion to life in his frozen world.
Shorts Program 2
“Autokar” (Poland, Belgium / Sylwia Szkiłądź)
Within the Nineteen Nineties, 8-year-old Agata leaves Poland for Belgium, seeing migration by a toddler’s
eyes, as a journey of reminiscence, creativeness, and discovery unfolds on a fantastical bus trip.
“Como Si La Tierra Se Las Hubiera Tragado” (Mexico, France / Natalia Leon)
A younger lady returns to her hometown in Mexico, looking for to reconnect along with her previous, whereas
the systemic darkness she witnessed as a toddler endures, stirring reminiscences she should confront
and reconcile.
“Gigi” (France / Cynthia Calvi)
From a tormented little mermaid to the blossoming lady she is at present, Gigi recounts her
journey of transition with humor and sensitivity, exploring her path towards selfhood and
belonging.
“The Evening Boots” (France / Pierre-Luc Granjon)
Winner of the Annecy Competition’s Cristal for Brief Movie. When Elliot meets an inquisitive little
creature within the woods, solitude provides approach to each wander and surprise. Between shadows and
mild, the pair chart a quiet night time of magical discovery.
“Enjoying God” (Italy, France / Matteo Burani)
A sculptor, obsessive about perfection, infuses life right into a clay determine. Blinded by his pursuit, he can
not see the sweetness in his creations — whilst they arrive alive.
“Retirement Plan” (Eire / John Kelly)
Within the throes of an overstimulated, energy-drained midlife, Ray fantasizes about all he hopes to
do in retirement, as soon as he lastly has the ‘time.’
“Shadows” (France, Jordan / Rand Beiruty)
At an overcrowded airport, a 14-year-old runaway mom struggles towards lurking shadows that
threaten her, holding quick to the one dream which may lastly set her free.
The Better of Annecy, In Partnership With Ladies in Animation
“Afterglow” (Hungary / Sophia Belleli, Lazarine Biaud, Joyanne Marquetant, Sarah Remane,
Yann Tournois)
On this 2025 Annecy Ident, a bunch of younger Hungarians wander from Budapest’s outdated metropolis,
uncovering its layers of historical past and sweetness earlier than arriving on the metropolis’s iconic smash bars and
nightclubs.
“Bushy Legs” (Canada / Andrea Dorfman)
One query — “Why do I’ve to shave my legs?” — units a 13-year-old on a journey of
self-discovery, capturing the shift from carefree days to dealing with — and difficult — the
expectations and stereotypes that form girlhood.
“Ovary Performing” (Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom / Ida Melum)
At her sister’s child bathe, a thirty-something lady is pressured to confront motherhood… in
maybe essentially the most sudden — and literal — manner attainable.
“Safo” (Brazil / Rosana Urbes)
Impressed by fragments of poems by Sappho (Lesbos, 600 BC) — the primary recognized feminine creator of
the Western world — lyrical expressions entwine with the shifting interpretations of her determine
throughout historical past.
“Sulaimani” (France / Vinnie Ann Bose)
Two associates share a meal at an Indian restaurant in Paris, the place the flavours stir buried
feelings and unlock reminiscences that slowly reveal why they left their homeland.
“Zwermen ❊ Mumuration” (Belgium, The Netherlands / Janneke Swinkels, Tim Frijsinger)
Trapped in a nursing house — a world of bingo, tablets, dentures, and dementia — an aged man
longs for freedom past its partitions, in a magical-realist fable of longing and escape.
Scholar Showcase
Celebrating the subsequent technology of filmmakers, this Scholar Showcase presents quick movies from
rising artists, delivered to you by instructional companions at California Institute of the Arts,
College of Southern California, California State College Lengthy Seaside, California State
College Fullerton, and ArtCenter School of Design.