An Oscar Candidate Emerges and Attendance Spikes: 12 Takeaways From Annecy Animation Festival

ANNECY Bathed by gorgeous sun, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and MIFA market came of age as a major industry and artistic event last week at the fairy-tale looking town nestling in the laps of the French Alps.

Takeaways from this years extraordinary edition, which ran June 11-17:

Annecy Blasts Attendance Records

The Annecy Festival and MIFA market smashed prior attendance figures to smithereens, recording 15,820 accreditations, 20% up on last years then all-time record of 13,200. That reflects the extraordinary dynamism of the animation industry; more and more countries producing: our support of a lot of talents in emerging countries who want to come, of course; the [year-round outreach]in terms of meetings, and the official selection, Mickal Marin, CEO of the Festival and MIFA organizer CITIA, toldVariety. The festival was a great success, in its record numbers of attendance, exhibition booths and companies and dynamism and sensation of an extraordinary energy, agrees Olivier Lelardoux, Blue Spirit Studio.

Annecys Vibrance

Global streaming services, Hollywood and international studios and indie producers sneak peeked or talked up at this years Festival a plethora of crafted, engaging, bold or sometimes stunning new shows, from Netflixs anticipated Nimona and the alternatively exquisite and brutal Blue Eye Samurai to Warner Bros. Animations Lord of the Rings: War of Rohirrims, Banijays Shasha Milo, Sonys Fixed and, on another scale, enthralling art pic animated features at Annecys Residency, such as the handcrafted 2D, rich-colored The Bird Kingdom.

The Bird Kingdom Yet a Contrasting Context

Yet later last year and again in early 2o23, multiple streamer animation titles, in development or production, film and TV, have been pulled or put on hold. So some execs left Annecy with mixed feelings. The Festivals dynamism contrasted with the state of the global economy and many studios and producers in the Western world who are battling declining orders or awaiting greenlights, says one producer. Nobody knows how the streamers cost control will play out. For producers or studios largely dependent on streamer orders, it is a large concern.

So, Annecys Big Question

Annecys big question was often phrased as a big hope, made in reference to the most talked-about movie at Annecy, unpacked at a panel: Across the Spider-Verse. Annecy wound down on June 15 as the Sony Pictures Animation movie punched $426.0 million, passing Into the Spider-Verses total gross of $384 million after just 12 days of release.

Right now, things like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are this Trojan horse they are taking a well-known IP and using that to break artistic boundaries and move the medium forward. My hope is that the studios will take these kinds of risks also with original ideas, Jeff Rowe, co-director of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, said at aVarietypanel at Annecy. The film was the talk of Annecy, not just on panels but even in ticket office queues. So right now a lot is riding on two titles at Annecy: Netflixs Nimona and Rowes own Mutant Mayhem, for Paramount-Nickelodeon movies. If they punch a large audience on Netflix or big theatrical box office for Paramount-Nickelodeon, that could help to build game-changing momentum.

An Exciting New Sandpit: Creating Something New Out of a Global Mix

A lot of our shows are a sort of western genre action thrillers or dramas. But the question is whether we can also create this other zone, which maybe has a L.A. writer and maybe a studio from Japan or not from the U.S. which has an influence of anime in this new form but there are also some unique things that are not really copying, John Derderian, Netflix head of animation series, toldVarietyat Annecy.

Many of the most exciting shows at Annecy Samurai, Rohirrims, Sasha take this new route, and nothing excited executives more than talking about it. Blue Eye Samurai isthe convergence of different cultures of animation cinematography and live action cinematography. Its anime, but not exactly anime. So its a new world opening up now for the animation, says Lelardoux, whose Blue Spirit provides studio service animation on the series.For a long time, weve had single cultures, primarily the U.S. and Japan. Thanks to the streamers weve now savoured manydifferent cultures. Our goal is to meld our knowledge and Korean culture in a show which we then bring worldwide, adds Benoit Di Sabatino, CEO of Banijay Kids Family of Shasha Milo, produced by Banijay-owned Zodiak Kids Family France and South Koreas Pingo Entertainment.

Shasha Milo Courtesy of Banijay A Shout-Out for Chris Meledandri

In 2010, Pierre Coffin stood on the terrace of Annecys Hotel Imperiale in the late afternoon on the day when Despicable Me, his feature film debut, was due to world premiere and reflected that in a few hours hed know if he had what it takes to be a film director. Produced by Chris Meledandris Illumination Entertainment, Despicable Me played to a rousing reception at Annecy and went on to gross $543.2 million worldwide. It broke in Hollywoods habit of world premiering big animation plays at Annecy, many from Illumination. On June 14, Meledandri was presented with Annecys Golden Ticket Lifetime Award. The collaboration between Illumination and Annecy has been a determining factor in the Festivals recent development, said Marcel Jean, Annecys artistic director. Rarely have awards been so deserved.

Annecys Oscar Frontrunner

This year, one short leads the pack: the sexually charged 27, from Hungarys Flora Anna Buda, director of Berlinale 2019 Teddy Award winner Entopia. Produced by Miyu Productionsbehind so much thats exciting coming out of France these days and Hungarys Boddah, the 2D film turns on the sexual fantasies of Alice, 27, who has been forced to move home to her parents place, 27 won a Cannes Festival Palme dOr, and on Saturday Annecys Cristal for best short. Its just incredible that a woman director, Anna Buda, topped a short film category which also had live action shorts, Coleman enthuses about the Cannes win.

New Market Drivers

Major broadcasters, the BBC and France Tlvisions, were talking up their streaming services at Annecy. These used to be treatedmoreas a complement to their linear offering.Butnow its increasingly the other way round: 2023 may be the year of the pivot.Terrestrial broadcastersespeciallyare really starting tofocus ontheir SVOD platformsas akeypart of their businessand revenue streams. Already at the Cannes Festival, such streaming services were creating a new ancillary for theatrical film distributors. They are now making a decisive impact on the animation business as well.

A Sector Still of Many Moving Parts

We are not quite after the post-COVID period, with the streamers reorganisation and restructuring of the market, but my sensation is that we are ending that. Were beginning to see the start of a new cycle, says Benoit Di Sabatino, CEO of Banijay Kids Family.The reorganisation is also yielding new market opportunities. Warner Bros. Animation and DC are opening up to partner producers in international, yielding one of the big hits at Annecy: Aztec Batman, made in partnership with Mexican powerhouse Anima Estudios and Chatrone. At Annecy, a studio focus announced the first DC title to be made out of Europe: Beast Boy: Lone Wolf.

Could the Center of Innovation Swing to International?

The level of MIFA feature film pitches was just extraordinary, says Eleanor Coleman, at Blue Spirit Studio, citing Heirloom, from Indias Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, and Mfinda, as well as the gorgeous ground-breaking musical Ogresse, and the top prize winner Le Petit Cavale (On The Run). She also predicted that African sci-fi anthology Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, presented at Annecy by Disney and South Africas Triggerfish, will make such a boost to non-Western animation.Its a first stepping stone to creating a truly diverse offer, says Coleman.

Mexicos Aztec Batman was one standout in Annecys Works in Progress this year, sluiced by Meso-American mythology and a sense of realism. So Batman himself has No big jaw, no big shoulders. Slimmer. A little less Schwarzenegger, a little more Bruce Lee, director Juan Meza-Len said at whatVarietydescribed as a riotous presentation at Annecy.

Adding a Contrechamp competition in 2018, Annecys feature film official selection is far better equipped to underscoreinnovation, whether from singular approaches to animation in the official feature film competition, Marcel Jean argues instancing Sirocco, Mars Express, Four Souls of Coyote, Chinas Art College 1994, and Japans The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes and Lonely Castle in the Mirror as well as experimental or exploratory films in Contrechamp, he adds.

On the Run Courtesy of Picolo Pictures Hungary: A Rising Star

Doubled in feature competition titles, Annecy can now take note of new production forces. One this year was Hungary: 4 Souls of Coyote walked off with Annecys Jury Prize; 27 won its best short Cristal, the second year running Hungary has taken that plaudit, after 2022s Amok by Balzs Turai. In all, Hungary had four titles in official competition or Contrechamp, more than the U.S. or Japan. We noticed Hungarys strength back in 2016 and 2017 in Annecys graduation film section. What were seeing today is the result of that, says Jean. Were going to see more interesting content from Eastern Europe, Coleman predicts.

France, Spain, Catalonia: The New Ebullience

One of the things that were really excited about is the amount of talent in Europe, thats just getting better and better, Sam Register, president, Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, toldVarietyat Annecy.

One example: French broadcasters Canal+, France Tlvisions and Gulli have presented their animation lineups for years at Annecy. Traditionally, titles have been largely solid plays with one or two standouts.

No more. This year round, all three operators invited slates brimming with invention and class, such as, just in the case of Canal+, Ki Hi, based on a best-selling manga from Frances Top-5 YouTuber Kevin Tran and billed as the very first Japanese-style anime comedy series targeting 6-10s.

Spain, and more especially Catalonia, have animation scenes scenes that are exploding. It no coincidence that France, Spains central government and Catalonia have all established special support mechanisms for animation, Frances as part of its multi-billion dollar 2030 program. Money talks.

Anime

Anime is now like a second language for animators outside Japan, David Jesteadt, Gkids CEO, toldVariety. The biggest animation title at Annecy this year, was anime: Rohirrims. Gkids itself announced just before Annecy that it was joining NLite to produce Mfinda, billed as a first Afro-anime film, and during Annecy the acquisition for North America of the music-driven anime feature Blue Giant. Anime influence can appear in the most unlikely places. In one scene in DCs My Adventures With Superman, a charming and inclusive romcom riff on the IP featuring a fresh-faced Clark, an Asian-American Lois and Black Jimmy Olsen, sneak peeked at Annecy Clark in Superman garb jumps into his flat via a back window as Lois rings at the front-door. The view outside seen through the window sports the serene natural tones of anime. The whole series in fact has an anime cast.

My Adventures With Superman Courtesy of Warner Bros. Animation Mexico

Guillermo del Toro confirmed at Annecy that his stop-motion project with Netflix, The Buried Giant, will take another four or even five years and that hes co-writing a Mexican stop-motion feature for director Karla Castaeda (The Waterwheel). Jorge R. Gutirrez announced a new limited series with Netflix, drawing on the Meso-American culture of Maya and the Three. As for the Mexican tribute, it was as if Jorge and also our Beloved Book of Life exploded with joyspattering throughout the fest. Such incredible young talent emerging there, said Chuck Peil at Reel FX Animation Studios.Varietyprofiled 10 emerging Mexican talents, but it could have included a score or more.

Annecy Rejigs the Animation Market Calendar?

We have Mipcom, the key event of the year, and Kidscreen, Annecy and Cartoon Forum almostone major animation event every three months. Given the level of Annecy, the question is whether MipTV might not be so much of a must-attend forthose in the animationbusinessas it used to be,especially as companies are becoming more selective and watching budgets,but maybe things will change again in the future, says David Michel, president of Cottonwood Media,a subsidiary ofFederation Studios.He was not the only executive at Annecy to voice this sentiment.

Festival Highlights

Annecys opening ceremony, with a show of solidarity and communal defiance three days after a crazed knife attack in Annecy. Anything to do with Guillermo del Toro, who came for the Mexico tribute as guest country of honor, and delivered a master class which had its audience in stitches at which he declared that he would shoot two more action films and then just make stop-motion. The festivals biggest risk bet, however, says Marin, was Le Campus, a new dedicated training venue near the Imprial Palace. It worked very well. One of Marins main memories of Annecy 2023 was seeing young people, students, happy, happy to meet people happy, to see films, talking together with this energy I thought to myself: O.K. Its already a great industry and tomorrow it will be even better.

Marta Balaga contributed to this article.

27 Credit: BODDAH, MIYU PRODUCTIONS