Cannes Annecy Animation Showcase: Alain Gagnol, Sofia Carrillo

The Annecy Animation Showcase comes again to Cannes’ Marché du Film for yet another yr, shedding light on 5 promising animated options. 

Hailing from Japan, France and Mexico, these ongoing tasks carry animation to Cannes, a collaboration between Cannes’ Marché du Film and the Annecy Festival which began in 2019 with an Animation Day and has been rising ever since.

“For Annecy, this Showcase represents a key extension of our commitment to supporting animation beyond the Festival itself, throughout the year,” said Annecy Festival CEO Mickaël Marin.

“Built over time with the Marché du Film, this collaboration allows us to accompany projects at a decisive stage, within one of the most strategic global platforms. It’s both a continuity and an amplification of our mission, in service of the movies,” he added. 

“Animation has always had a strong presence in Cannes, particularly within the Official Selection,” underlined Alexandra Zakharchenko, head of business applications at the Marché du Film. “In recent years, several animated titles presented in the Festival have achieved major international recognition and the role of animation within the broader ecosystem of the Marché du Film has significantly evolved.” 

Zakharchenko refers to movies such as “Flow,” which debuted its circuit run at Cannes 2024, before assembly global success with audiences and critics alike. “Flow” and its shock Academy Award win opened a path that other major indie animated titles such as Ugo Bienvenu’s “Arco” and “Little Amelie and the Character of Rain” have since tried as properly. 

“We are also seeing a growing interest in the potential of animation among professionals already attending Cannes, many of whom are no longer exclusively specialized in animation but are increasingly engaging with it,” continued Zakharchenko. “Private investors also increasingly view animation as an IP-driven business model. Animation travels across territories, platforms and generations, while offering long-term value beyond the screen. As buyers shift from volume to durability, animation stands out as a resilient ecosystem – connecting storytelling, fandom, distribution and global exploitation in ways few other formats can.” 

According to Zakharchenko, this shift is one thing the groups goal to replicate at the Marché du Film itself, the place animation is not confined to a single Animation Day, however is now embedded across the complete market under the Cannes Animation umbrella, spanning a variety of codecs: from work-in-progress and completed movie showcases to panels, workshops, networking occasions, and its integration into other applications, including focused co-production conferences. 

This yr, with Japan the 2026 Country of Honor at the Marché du Film, the groups are also putting a selected concentrate on Japanese animation, alongside the longstanding strength and global fame of French animation, a spotlight that is mirrored in the 5 tasks chosen for this yr’s Annecy Animation Showcase.

A more in-depth take a look at the titles:

“Hidari,” Masashi Kawamura (Japan)

Producers: Dwarf Studios, Whatever, Tecarat

Language: English; Genre: Action; Artistic method: Stop movement animation; Completion: 2029

Betrayed during Edo Castle’s reconstruction, legendary craftsman Jingoro Hidari loses his father determine, fiancée, and even his proper arm. Forging deadly mechanical prosthetics, he turns grief into vengeance and carves a path to justice together with his loyal “Sleeping Cat.” 

A pilot movie teasing the mindblowing wood stop-motion method used to carry “Hidari” to life was shared three years in the past by the project groups as proof of concept, together with BTS footage. Per “Hidari’s” team, Japanese animation is still extremely acknowledged across the world for its distinctive visible language, which supplies it the distinct flare. “We wanted to create an entertainment piece that no one has seen before, by merging this world of Japanimation and the technique of stop-motion animation. To do so, breathing life into wood (through wooden puppets animated in stop motion) mirrored both our artistic intentions and the anecdotes surrounding Jingoro Hidari’s life.” The project goes past live-action and 2D animation to craft a one-of-a-kind look, with quite a lot of potential for memorable action sequences.

“Bataille,” Vergine Keaton (France, Canada, Italy, Belgium)

Producers: Iliade et movies, Les Astronautes, Embuscade Films, Altara Films, Umedia

Language: French; Genre: Drama; Artistic method: 2D animation; Completion: 2028

On a chilly winter morning, a battle rages in the environment of a small city in the Italian Renaissance. As the navy ways steadily go awry, two actions oppose each other: the want to win and the want to live. Written and directed by Annecy-nominated artist Vergine Keaton, “Bataille” attracts from Renaissance artwork to remodel a single battle right into a common allegory.

“Beyond the grand scale,” said Keaton, the movie “dissects group dynamics (hierarchy, power, submission) and transcends history to focus on the intimate. And in doing so, ‘Bataille’ weaves a tapestry of individual stories.”  With French singer-songwriter Pomme collaborating in the project, which is backed by France’s CNC National Film Board, “Bataille’s” distinctive fashion and common message have all that it takes to appeal worldwide patrons at this yr’s showcase. 

“Les chiens ne font pas des chats,” Alain Gagnol (France, Canada, Belgium)

Producers: Jérôme Duc-Maugé (Parmi les lucioles movies), Brice Garnier (Kaïbou Production Inc.), Cédric Iland (UMEDIA)

Language: French; Genre: Drama; Artistic method: 2D animation with 3D parts; Completion: 2027

Jules and Lola’s life has taken a tragic flip after their dad and mom’ dying, however their routine is disrupted by their grandmother Jeanne, who turns up with a really particular mission: to discover a lacking teenager. Thanks to their grandmother, they uncover a rare household legacy within themselves. With a star-studded French solid including Josiane Balasko as Jeanne, Golshifteh Farahani as Sunny, Philippe Katerine as Bono, Prune Bozo as Lola and Ethan Maury Tragherset as Jules, the latest movie from Oscar-nominated writer-director and French animation veteran Alain Gagnol (“A Cat in Paris”) explores the bond between animals and people, as the latter uncover that cats and canines can really communicate. 

“I like to think that the world doesn’t stop at what our eyes can perceive,”, added Gagnol, as he shared particulars about a story playing with our creativeness and transferring across genres, from fantasy to road-movie to slapstick to poetry. “I wanted to address a family audience, as I’m convinced that the children’s perception of a film becomes richer with time. But above all, for this new film, I wanted to make them laugh!”

KMBO distributes in France, with Playtime dealing with worldwide sales. “Les chiens ne font pas des chats,” has already obtained assist from Eurimages, and is about for completion in 2027.

“Wasted Chef,” Takayuki Hirao (Japan)

Producers: CLAP Co., Ltd. Japan

Language: Japanese; Genre: Drama; Artistic method: 2D/3D animation; Completion: 2027

A younger chef chasing a misplaced taste lands in a ruined metropolis without style. Saved by Kasumi, his cooking awakens forgotten reminiscences. But a darkish power threatens to erase all want — making his quest the last hope to save lots of each worlds. The project, first revealed by “Pompo: The Cinephile” and “Gyo: Tokyo Fish Attack” director Takayuki Hirao in 2024 at the New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival, Hokkaido, Japan, is a totally authentic movie reuniting the “Pompo” team. 

Ryoichiro Matsuo, Yunosuke Uno and Kosuke Arai produce for CLAP studio, which teased “Wasted Chef” as “a unique yet classic Japanese animation that challenges a new genre, combining cooking and science fiction.” Although few particulars have been made public yet, Crunchyroll beforehand reported that Hirao’s collaborators Shingo Adachi (character design) and Kenta Matsukuma (music) are working with the director again, after their profitable collaboration on “Pompo.” 

“Insectario,” Sofía Carrillo (Mexico, Spain)

Producers: Pimienta Films, Inicia Films; Language: Spanish

Genre: Drama, Comedy; Artistic method; Completion: 2028

In a world the place bugs have gone extinct, Lexi preserves specimens in a group for her uncle, Dr. Krause, an entomologist. After eradicating the pin from a uncommon Attacus atlas moth, she takes it house to cover her mistake, only to find it has come again to life.

“Insectario” itself is dropped at the big display screen by established Mexican filmmaker Sofía Carrillo.“Sofía is one of the most distinctive and vibrant voices in animation in Mexico,” said Pimienta Films’ Nicolas Celis, producer of Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma.” “Her work stands out for its visually striking style, imbued with an unsettling and deeply emotional poetics.”

The two-time Ariel Awards winner and Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio” team member makes her feature debut with this bold, narratively distinctive and delicate movie, already chosen for Ventana Sur and the Quirino Awards Co-Production Forum, and backed by Mexican National Fund, Spain and Ibermedia Next.