When someone asks me about my preferred film festival, they usually anticipate an answer featuring high-end, exclusive events like Venice or Cannes, characterized by red carpet screenings and prolonged applause, where the triumphant director takes home a golden award, such as a lion, a bear, or the Palme d’Or.
People might not anticipate this, but my itinerary’s highlight turns out to be Annecy, contrary to being a typical film festival. Instead, it shares characteristics with both Comic-Con and Cannes, specifically focusing on animation.
Or, more concisely:
Surprisingly, the main destination on my travel calendar is Annecy, which isn’t a standard film festival but rather a blend of Comic-Con and Cannes, centered around animation.
In my opinion, animation stands out as the most creative and imaginative form of cinema. Unlike traditional filmmaking which involves capturing real-world scenes, animation begins with a clean slate – every visual element is painstakingly drawn, modeled, or conceived from scratch. From timeless classics like “Snow White” to stop-motion techniques, all images are born from the artists’ minds, employing an astonishing array of methods to create the illusion that their creations are living and breathing.
Annecy is a festival that celebrates and showcases the art of animation in its various forms. Over the course of a week, it presents animations ranging from long to short, those created for both large screens and small ones. The festival welcomes all types, from traditional hand-drawn pieces to modern computer-assisted works. It’s an inclusive platform that showcases a wide array of styles, such as the intricate paper cutout technique used by Michel Ocelot or the living painting approach seen in “Loving Vincent”.
In the past few decades, animation might have appeared as a minor part of the film industry, even on the verge of extinction. The glory days of Disney seemed to be over, and the animation departments at DreamWorks and Warner Bros. were facing challenges. However, since Pixar transformed the medium 30 years ago with “Toy Story,” showcasing the vast possibilities of computer animation, major Hollywood studios have wholeheartedly adopted this form of entertainment.
In the previous year, four out of the six highest-earning films were animated: “Inside Out 2”, “Moana 2”, “Despicable Me 4” and “Mufasa: The Lion King”. These movies grossed over a billion dollars each, with “Ne Zha 2”, a CG Chinese blockbuster, not far behind, breaking all box office records by earning approximately $1.9 billion. To quote Porky Pig, that’s a billion with a B.
It’s no surprise that Annecy attracts a larger presence of American studios than Cannes annually. While Jeffrey Katzenberg’s screening of “Shrek” at Cannes was significant, and Pixar premiered “Elemental” and “Up” on the Croisette – indicating that animation has a place at the esteemed French film festival – it’s in Annecy where you’ll find more Academy members in attendance. Furthermore, Disney/Pixar, Warner, Universal (which owns Illumination and DreamWorks), Paramount/Nickelodeon, and Netflix are not only showcasing new work at Annecy, but also scouting talent during screenings and networking events at the International Animation Film Market (MIFA).
As a movie enthusiast, I must confess, Annecy is more than just a beautiful town; it’s a dream destination for any animation lover. Nestled mere 30 minutes east of Geneva in France, this picturesque town offers a breathtaking view that extends to its glacier-cold alpine lake, even during the summer months.
The festival’s epicenter, the Bonlieu, boasts an unparalleled vista over this pristine lake. Did you know that American independent animator Bill Plympton makes a routine of diving into the icy waters every morning when he visits? If you find yourself with some spare time, you can also rent paddle boats or take to the skies for a paragliding adventure over the lake!
But
Over time, the Cannes Film Festival (held three weeks earlier on the French Riviera) has increasingly emphasized animated films within its lineup, growing from a solitary cartoon to several selections – a development I fully endorse. For instance, in 2024, the future Academy Award winner “Flow” debuted in the Un Certain Regard category, while Michel Hazanavicius’ “The Most Valuable Freight” secured a prestigious spot in competition.
As a movie enthusiast, I can’t help but feel that gems like those directed by Sylvain Chomet, such as “The Triplets of Belleville,” often get lost in the shuffle when there are over 100 films to choose from. It sometimes feels like seating a master at the children’s table, especially when it comes to festivals like Annecy. Yet, Annecy elevates these same artists and warmly welcomes audiences of all kinds. Unlike Cannes, where you need industry ties to attend screenings, Annecy is open to everyone, with its popularity growing year after year—reaching over 17,400 attendees last time I checked.
I first visited Annecy in the year 2010. This wasn’t just any year for the event, it was its 50th anniversary and a significant one at that, as it featured the world premiere of “Despicable Me.” At that time, the festival occurred every other year due to a lack of animation production. It wasn’t about premieres back then; instead, it aimed to gather the industry and display the finest examples of the art form. That year, Illumination set a new trend, and since then, Annecy has hosted numerous world premieres (such as “Memoir of a Snail” and “The Day the Earth Blew Up” in 2024). Now, Netflix uses it to debut their entire animation lineup, along with one or two major features. This year, Genndy Tartakovsky’s “Fixed” will be launched there, following previous releases like “Nimona” and “The Sea Beast.
I’ve been going roughly every two years starting from 2010, and as a result, I’ve definitely aged. However, the Annecy audience always seems youthful, not in a childlike way, but more like enthusiastic college-aged cartoon aficionados and aspiring professionals. The MIFA draws animation students from all corners of the globe, who come to connect with others and present their portfolios to prospective employers.
Most attendees hail from France, given its proximity to renowned animation institutions like Gobelins (located in Paris), MoPA (formerly Supinfocom) based in Arles, and ESMA. It’s only natural that such a festival takes place here, as France appreciates the exceptional talent in art forms such as comics (bandes dessinées) and animation, often viewed as lesser forms in other countries. I find myself constantly motivated when I observe these students, creating sketches by Lake Annecy while I move between events.
At the festival, they introduce an exceptional level of enthusiasm, pulsating with eagerness while engaging in peculiar pre-screening customs specific to Annecy. Initially, there are handmade paper airplanes that spectators fold into long-range projectiles and hurl from their seats. Often, these homemade aerial contraptions plummet swiftly, striking whoever is seated directly below in the back of the head. However, on rare occasions, one of these airplanes takes flight from the uppermost rows, gliding all the way to the stage, prompting an impromptu burst of applause. While Cannes is known for prolonged 10-minute standing ovations, at Annecy, the audience spontaneously cheers itself.
whenever a rabbit appears on screen (which happens quite frequently in this medium that produced characters like Oswald and Bugs Bunny), the audience shouts together “Rabbit!
How do newcomers adopt these customs? I can’t say for certain, but there’s something truly special about the shared enthusiasm here – it’s both jubilant and playful. At Annecy, animators are revered like gods, admired and celebrated by the budding talents (this year’s honorees include Matt Groening, creator of “The Simpsons”, as well as Joanna Quinn, an Oscar nominee, and Michel Gondry, who will screen his latest work, “Maya, Give Me a Title”). At home, animators aren’t typically treated like celebrities – more like ordinary folk, not in the same way movie stars are. However, their humility is striking. They often make an effort to engage with those they’ve inspired. For instance, Guillermo del Toro, when in town, is known to gather admirers at Café des Arts, a bustling bar nestled in Annecy’s medieval quarter, where conversations carry on late into the night.
This year appears to be less bustling than previous visits, as there’s no major tentpole event scheduled. However, there are exciting developments! Andy Serkis is set to premiere his animated adaptation of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm,” and Dean DeBlois will offer a sneak peek at his live-action (although primarily animated) version of “How to Train Your Dragon.” There will be numerous work-in-progress presentations, but the one I’m particularly looking forward to is the ongoing renovation project by Annecy festival organizers. They’ve been gradually transforming the historic Haras horse stables into a permanent venue for animation exhibitions and screenings.
If you haven’t visited Annecy yet, experiencing it is likely to solidify its reputation as the global hub for animation.
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2025-06-07 16:47