Animation Evolution Celebrated at Annecy’s 30th Anniversary Festival

by

This year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, held in the charming French city of Annecy by Lake Annecy, will celebrate Pixar’s Toy Story anniversary amidst another major shift in the world of animation. Thirty years ago, Pixar kick-started a revolution with the introduction of the world’s first fully computer animated feature film, “Toy Story.

The event will unfold between June 8th and 14th, during a dynamic intermingling of artistic, commercial, and technological transformations, fueled by factors ranging from post-strike market conditions to advancements in artificial intelligence. As Pixar Animation Studio’s chief creative officer, Pete Docter, who was a budding animator during the creation of Woody and Buzz, acknowledges that the festival is “on the verge of pandemonium.” However, as the industry undergoes change, he recalls the wisdom of Disney legend Joe Grant, one of the writers of “Dumbo,” who once told Docter that the business has a tendency to cycle.

Docter maintains a sense of cyclical understanding as we navigate what appears to be chaos, and he finds solace in his faith in artists. Reflecting on his time at CalArts when artists had trouble finding work, he notes that this was also the period when some of the most remarkable animated shorts were created. He believes that artists will always find a means to express themselves and continually innovate within their medium, so he remains optimistic.

As a film critic, I wholeheartedly embrace the philosophy within the animation community that “animation is film,” not confined solely to children’s entertainment. It’s a versatile art form capable of captivating diverse, worldwide audiences with an array of narratives and across various budget ranges. Take this year’s Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, won by Latvia’s “Flow” – a profoundly impactful, wordless story about a solitary cat’s struggle to survive post-flood, created using open-source software Blender for only $3.4 million. Or consider the 2024 category winner, Hayao Miyazaki’s semi-autobiographical “The Boy and the Heron,” distributed in the U.S. by independent distributor GKIDS. These examples demonstrate the boundless potential of animation as a medium for storytelling.

Dave Jesteadt, GKIDS president, suggests that the belief that animation is exclusively linked to specific four-quadrant family films has been significantly questioned. He believes there’s room for a variety of films in the animation genre. “It appears that there’s growing acceptance of animation as a movie and an art form,” he states. “Whether it’s ‘Flow’ last year or ‘The Boy and the Heron’ from two years ago, and many other projects in between, it seems like the films we’re considering, which are screening at Annecy, do have the potential to appeal to wider commercial audiences.

Alex Woo, the director of the upcoming Netflix original series “In Your Dreams,” emphasizes not only individual projects but a series approach: “A show like ‘Arcane’ wouldn’t have come to life without a platform such as Netflix. And ‘Love, Death & Robots’ seems to be the spiritual successor to (the Wachowskis’ ‘Matrix’-inspired) ‘The Animatrix’ anthology, but with entirely original tales. It’s heartening to observe studios taking more risks and narrating diverse stories in animation, and even more thrilling to see audiences appreciating them.

Director Genndy Tartakovsky, whose work “Fixed” (a tale about a dog discovering his impending neutering, produced by Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix) is set to debut at Annecy, expresses optimism about the current state of adult animation. He remarks that adult animated series seem to provide the greatest scope for creativity in terms of both art and storytelling. However, he admits that it’s extremely challenging these days to get an original theatrical feature produced.

By the year 2024, it’s worth noting that three out of the top five box office hits were animated films. Notably, “Inside Out 2” and “Moana 2”, produced by Pixar and Disney Animation respectively, each generated over $1 billion in revenue.

Dreamworks Animation’s head, Margie Cohn, emphasizes the importance of crafting tales that motivate viewers to watch movies in cinemas. In line with this, Dreamworks produces around two to three theatrical films annually, a blend of new concepts and established franchises. As for the future, she mentions they will maintain a harmonious mix, releasing one original story and a revamped franchise title each year. She further notes that while there’s a strong sentiment towards classic franchises, it’s crucial to provide a solid reason for continuing the story – by updating characters, plots, and aesthetics to make them appealing to modern audiences.

To tackle the battle for viewers’ attention among social media, gaming, streaming, and cinema, Laika highlights its strategy to cultivate its audience. “It’s extremely difficult in a world where audiences’ focus is incredibly dispersed,” acknowledges David Burke, Laika’s CMO. He points to their upcoming release, “Wildwood,” which will be showcased as part of Laika’s Annecy slate presentation, as evidence of this approach.

For the past couple of years, our efforts have primarily been geared towards expanding our presence on social media platforms. This strategy has helped us establish Laika as the producer of unique films such as ‘family horror’ titles like ‘Coraline’ and ‘ParaNorman’. With this solid foundation of brand recognition among our audience, we can now generate excitement and engage with fans directly through online channels regarding our upcoming project, ‘Wildwood’.

He also mentions that Laika utilized the cinematic re-release of “Coraline,” titled “Wildwood” for its premiere, which was accessible online as well. In all, we amassed approximately 30 million total views – 8 million views in theaters and a further 25 million views online for the title unveiling, he states.

At Pixar, Doctor emphasizes that their team continues to center their work on tales with universal appeal, yet ones that also leverage the distinct capabilities of animation – such as breathing life into characters, inanimate objects, and providing a fresh perspective on familiar things. Regarding technological advancements, particularly the complex topic of artificial intelligence, he notes that it seems reminiscent of the debates and speculations that surrounded the premiere of “Toy Story” regarding the future of animation.

For Doctor, technology doesn’t overtake human emotion. “Films will evolve, but at their core, people don’t want to watch emotionless machines creating things. I believe they go to the cinema because they want to feel understood, that someone else has felt and thought about the world in a similar way, experienced life,” he expresses. “It originates from going out, taking chances, feeling pain and hardship, then expressing those feelings through a story. … It originates from living.

THINGS TO SEE AT ANNECY

On November 26, Jared Bush, Chief Creative Officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios, is set to unveil a sneak peek for the upcoming movie “Zootopia 2,” which he co-directed and wrote with Byron Howard. Fans can look forward to an outdoor screening of the original 2016 film, “Zootopia.” Meanwhile, during that same week, Disney Animation director Ron Clements, known for his work on “The Little Mermaid” and “Aladdin,” will be honored by receiving a star on Annecy’s Walk of Fame.

Dreamworks Animation’s upcoming showcase will feature “The Bad Guys 2,” set to hit theaters on August 1st. The original film’s director, Pierre Perifel, is scheduled to attend the Annecy event, with Daniel Pemberton, the returning composer, also in attendance.

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be given a sneak peek into the live-action adaptation of “How to Train Your Dragon,” masterfully crafted by writer-director Dean DeBlois. Can’t wait to see it!

Paul McCartney’s 3D animated movie “High in the Cloud,” directed by Toby Genkel, has been added to the roster. The impressive ensemble cast, recently revealed, includes Celine Dion, Himesh Patel, Hannah Waddingham, Idris Elba, and Ringo Starr.

At the upcoming slate presentation, Pixar’s Pete Docter will be joined by directors Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi from the “Elio” team, along with producer Mary Alice Drumm. During this event, we’ll get a sneak peek at the June 2023 release of “Elio,” as well as early glimpses of Pixar’s 2026 projects, “Hoppers” and “Toy Story 5.” As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original “Toy Story,” Docter will showcase footage depicting Pixar as a fledgling studio during the production of that groundbreaking film.

Andy Serkis is set to introduce the premiere of “Animal Farm,” an upcoming animated version of George Orwell’s novel, co-produced by Aniventure and Imaginarium. The film boasts a star-studded voice cast, with Seth Rogen voicing the cunning pig Napoleon, Glenn Close, Laverne Cox, and Kieran Culkin among others. Additionally, Andy Serkis will contribute his voice to the production as well.

As a movie enthusiast, I’m excited to share that the Netflix lineup is adding fresh content! Coming up next is “In Your Dreams,” a hilarious adventure through the dreams of two siblings, which will be introduced by its talented director Alex Woo, production designer Steven Pilcher, and visual effects supervisor Nicola Lavender. Additionally, we’ll get an early glimpse at our new animated series, “Stranger Things: Tales From ’85,” led by showrunner Eric Robles. Can’t wait to dive in!

Genndy Tartakovsky’s latest animated film, “Fixed,” produced by Sony Pictures Animation (known for “Hotel Transylvania”), will make its debut at Annecy. This movie is scheduled to be released on Netflix on August 13th. Additionally, Annecy’s schedule from Sony Pictures Animation also includes a sneak peek of their upcoming feature “GOAT,” directed by Tyree Dillihay and produced by Michelle Raimo-Kouyate.

The presentation of upcoming animated projects from Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon will feature “Smurfs,” directed by Chris Miller, who is known for his work on “Puss in Boots,” as well as “The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants,” which is being led by Derek Drymon.

The upcoming 3D animated movie by Paul McCartney titled “High in the Cloud,” directed by Toby Genkel, will soon be showcased for the first time. Notably, its newly revealed voice actors include Celine Dion, Himesh Patel, Hannah Waddingham, Idris Elba, and Ringo Starr.

At the presentation of project proposals for Laika, attendees can expect a preview of “Wildwood,” directed by Travis Knight. Furthermore, Laika’s director Chris Butler (“Paranorman,” “Missing Link”) will conduct a workshop as part of the event.

At the upcoming event, Crystal Awards are set to be presented to three notable figures: Michael Gondry, who will also showcase his latest movie titled “Maya, Give Me Another Title”; animator and activist Joanna Quinn, who is being honored as part of the 10th Women in Animation Summit; and Matt Groening, creator of “The Simpsons,” who will take part in a discussion about the long-running series.

In 2025, Hungary will be the spotlight country in Annecy, showcasing a variety of Hungarian productions. This includes popular films like “Bubble Bath” and “Heroic Times,” along with student-made movies.

Read More

2025-06-06 00:18