2025 Annecy Animation Festival Lineup: A Diverse Array of Global Talents Unveiled!

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On Wednesday, Annecy, renowned as the top animation film festival globally, showcased its program, boasting a diverse array of films hailing from approximately 20 countries in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The lineup spans various styles, encompassing big-budget 3D computer animations like “Into the Mortal World” by Chinese director Zhong Ding, all the way to hand-drawn movies such as “Balentes” by Italian filmmaker Giovanni Columbu, and the digital cut out animation of Mexican filmmaker Aria Covamonas’ “The Great History of Western Philosophy“.

Covamonas made its first appearance at the Rotterdam festival, while the 2025 lineup for Annecy includes a variety of recent festival favorites such as “Lesbian Space Princess” and “Tales from the Magic Garden,” both highlights from Berlinale. Additionally, several films set to debut in Cannes next month are included, such as “The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol” by Sylvain Chomet, director of “The Triplets of Belleville”; “Dandelion’s Odyssey” by Momoko Seto, a Japanese filmmaker; and “Death Does Not Exist,” directed by Canadian filmmaker Felix Dufour-Laperrière.

As a gamer, I’m excited to share that among the Annecy world premieres, there are three standout titles that caught my eye. First, there’s “Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake,” a captivating coming-of-age stop-motion feature directed by Irene Iborra from Spain. Next, we have “Allah Is Not Obliged” by Zaven Najjar, a powerful tale about a child soldier during the Liberian civil war. Lastly, “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain,” directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, tells the heartwarming story of a Belgian girl growing up in Japan. Each one promises an immersive and enriching cinematic experience!

Key points from the late-night animation showcase encompass Kenichiro Akimoto’s rendition of “All You Need Is Kill,” an anime version of Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s sci-fi novel, which was adapted into the 2014 movie “Edge of Tomorrow” starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Additionally, we have Kenji Nakamura and Kiyotaka Suzuki’s sequel film “Mononoke The Movie: Chapter II – The Ashes of Rage,” which is part of a trilogy inspired by the Toei Animation series “Mononke.” Lastly, there’s “Heart of Darkness,” an animated adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s classic novel directed by Rogerio Nunes and set in a future Rio de Janeiro.

2024 was an exceptional year for Annecy, as two of its award-winning films – Gints Zilbalodis’ Latvian feature “Flow” and Adam Elliot’s Australian claymation drama “Memoir of a Snail” – garnered Oscar nominations. Notably, “Flow” was victorious, earning the Academy Award for best animated feature.

Apart from the films chosen for this year’s lineup, Annecy International Animation Film Festival will also offer exclusive previews, glimpses, and notable projects from prominent U.S. studios. Sony Pictures Animation will unveil a sneak peek of Tyree Dillihay’s basketball-themed movie “Goat”. DreamWorks Animation will showcase Pierre Perifel’s sequel “Bad Guys 2”, while Paramount Animation will present upcoming franchise titles such as “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants” and “Aang: The Last Airbender”. Netflix will give a first look at its upcoming “Stranger Things” animated series, alongside the works of Alex Woo from “3 Body Problem”, titled “In Your Dreams“, and Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s new creation, “Long Story Short”, which he will attend the festival to screen an episode.

For the first time ever, Disney is set to unveil a variety of films and series from across all its animation studios at Annecy. This includes exclusive previews of “Zootopia 2” from Disney Animation, “Elio” from Pixar, “Star Wars: Tales of the Empire” from Lucasfilm, “Eyes of Wakanda” from Marvel Animation, and “Dragon Striker” from Disney Television Animation. Additionally, they will screen early footage from upcoming 2026 titles “Hoppers” and “Toy Story 5” by Pixar. The renowned creative head of Pixar, Pete Docter, will be at Annecy to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original “Toy Story” and to receive an honorary induction into Annecy’s Walk of Fame.

Warner Bros. Animation is going to participate in the 25-year milestone celebration of Cartoon Network Studios, and they will introduce a fresh season of the mature-themed show “Smiling Friends” on Adult Swim.

This year’s screenings have me particularly excited! I can hardly wait to witness Andy Serkis’s take on George Orwell’s classic tale, “Animal Farm,” in its animated form. Furthermore, the creator of Samurai Jack, Genndy Tartakovsky, is set to present his Netflix feature comedy, “Fixed.” For French cinema enthusiasts like me, there are some standout highlights such as Jean-Christian Tassy and Benoît Daffis’s Falcon Express, and Antoine Lanciaux’s The Songbird’s Secret.

This year, I’m super excited to check out the Work in Progress showcase at the festival – it’s always a fan favorite! Here are some of the amazing projects I can’t wait to catch a sneak peek of:

1. Sébastien Laudenbach’s Carmen from Chicken for Linda!, the director who never fails to impress me.
2. Alessandro Carloni and Erica Rivinoja’s adaptation of The Cat in the Hat for Warner Bros. Animation, I can hardly wait to see this iconic character brought to life!
3. Olivier Clert and Jean-Christophe Dessaint’s Lucy Lost from French studio Xilam – this one looks like it’ll be a real treat!

On the series side, there are some great projects coming up at Annecy’s Work in Progress:

1. Netflix’s upcoming Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Deathwatch – I’ve always loved Tom Clancy and can’t wait to see this new take on his work.
2. Adult Swim’s Women Wearing Shoulder Pads and Get Jiro! – both of these look like they’ll be hilarious and action-packed, just what I need to keep me entertained!
3. The French series Bitches from director Manon Tacconi – this one promises to be a unique and captivating watch!

The 2025 Annecy Film Festival runs June 8-14.

ANNECY 2025 LINEUP

Alternate Titles: “Official Competition” – Also known as “Allah Is Not Obliged“, directed by Zaven Najjar; “Arco“, directed by Ugo Bienvenu; and “ChaO“, directed by Yasuhiro AOKI.

1. Counterweight Competition (Balances) – Directed by Giovanni Columbu
2. Endless Cookie – Directed by Seth and Peter Scriver
3. The Great History of Western Philosophy – Directed by Aria Covamonas
4. Jinsei – Directed by Ryuya Suzuki
5. Lesbian Space Princess – Directed by Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese
6. Memory Hotel – Directed by Heinrich Sabl
7. Nimuendaj – Directed by Tania Cristina Anaya
8. Olivia & The Clouds – Directed by Tomás Pichardo Espaillat
9. Space Cadet – Directed by Kid Koala
10. The Square – Directed by Bo-Sol Kim
11. Tales from the Magic Garden – Directed by David Sukup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar, Jean-Claude Rozec

Movies to Explore:
1. Midnight Specials
All You Need Is Kill (Repeated Battles), Directed by Kenichiro Akimoto
2. Another World
Parallel Existence (Different Realms), Directed by Kai Chung and Tommy Ng
3. Heart of Darkness
Darkness Within (The Inner Conflict), Directed by Rogerio Nunes
4. Mononoke The Movie: Chapter II – The Ashes of Rage
Legend of the Enraged Spirits (Chapter II – The Fury of the Embers), Directed by Kenji Nakamura and Kiyotaka Suzuki
5. Nightmare Bugs
Terror in Dreamland (Bug Invasion), Directed by Saku Sakamoto and Osamu Fukutani

1. I’m currently following the progress of several upcoming animated films, including:
* Carmen, directed by Sébastien Laudenbach
* The Cat in the Hat, directed by Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni
* Daisy’s Life, directed by Masaaki Yuasa
* The Devil’s Vein, directed by Germán Acuña
* Fairyheart, directed by Anita Doron
* Fallen, directed by Louis Clichy
* Heirloom, directed by Upamanyu Bhattacharyya
* In Waves, directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen
* Lucy Lost, directed by Olivier Clert
* The Mourning Children: Nagiko and the Girls Wearing Tsurubami Black, directed by Sunao Katabuchi
* The Violinist, directed by Ervin Han and Raul Garcia
* Zsazsa Zaturnnah, directed by Avid Liongoren.
2. I’m keeping tabs on a number of exciting animated projects that are still in the works, such as:
* Carmen, helmed by Sébastien Laudenbach
* The Cat in the Hat, led by Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni
* Daisy’s Life, masterminded by Masaaki Yuasa
* The Devil’s Vein, spearheaded by Germán Acuña
* Fairyheart, brought to life by Anita Doron
* Fallen, orchestrated by Louis Clichy
* Heirloom, spearheaded by Upamanyu Bhattacharyya
* In Waves, dreamed up by Phuong Mai Nguyen
* Lucy Lost, crafted by Olivier Clert
* The Mourning Children: Nagiko and the Girls Wearing Tsurubami Black, created by Sunao Katabuchi
* The Violinist, co-directed by Ervin Han and Raul Garcia
* Zsazsa Zaturnnah, brought to life by Avid Liongoren.
3. I’m eagerly awaiting the release of several upcoming animated films, such as:
* Carmen, directed by Sébastien Laudenbach
* The Cat in the Hat, directed by Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni
* Daisy’s Life, directed by Masaaki Yuasa
* The Devil’s Vein, directed by Germán Acuña
* Fairyheart, directed by Anita Doron
* Fallen, directed by Louis Clichy
* Heirloom, directed by Upamanyu Bhattacharyya
* In Waves, directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen
* Lucy Lost, directed by Olivier Clert
* The Mourning Children: Nagiko and the Girls Wearing Tsurubami Black, directed by Sunao Katabuchi
* The Violinist, directed by Ervin Han and Raul Garcia
* Zsazsa Zaturnnah, directed by Avid Liongoren.
4. I’m looking forward to checking out the progress of these upcoming animated films:
* Carmen, under the direction of Sébastien Laudenbach
* The Cat in the Hat, helmed by Erica Rivinoja and Alessandro Carloni
* Daisy’s Life, led by Masaaki Yuasa
* The Devil’s Vein, directed by Germán Acuña
* Fairyheart, brought to life by Anita Doron
* Fallen, created by Louis Clichy
* Heirloom, directed by Upamanyu Bhattacharyya
* In Waves, dreamed up by Phuong Mai Nguyen
* Lucy Lost, crafted by Olivier Clert
* The Mourning Children: Nagiko and the Girls Wearing Tsurubami Black, spearheaded by Sunao Katabuchi
* The Violinist, co-directed by Ervin Han and Raul Garcia
* Zsazsa Zaturnnah, directed by Avid Liongoren.

Series
The following movies were directed by different people:
– Bitches, directed by Marion Tacconi
– Get Jiro, directed by Rick Morales
– Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, directed by Guillaume Dousse and Félicien Colmet Daâge
– Women Wearing Shoulder Pads, directed by Gonzalo Cordova, Rodolfo Ambriz, Arturo Ambriz, Ana Coronilla, Fernanda G. Manzur, Irene Melis, Beto Petiches, Marta Hernaiz Pidal

Series
The movies below were directed by various people:
– Bitches, directed by Marion Tacconi
– Get Jiro, directed by Rick Morales
– Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, directed by Guillaume Dousse and Félicien Colmet Daâge
– Women Wearing Shoulder Pads, directed by Gonzalo Cordova, Rodolfo Ambriz, Arturo Ambriz, Ana Coronilla, Fernanda G. Manzur, Irene Melis, Beto Petiches, and Marta Hernaiz Pidal

Both versions convey the same information in a more reader-friendly way, emphasizing that each movie was directed by multiple people instead of simply listing them without any context.

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2025-04-23 21:26