By Ben Croll
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Courtesy of Universal Organizers of the Annecy Intl. Animation Festival aren’t shy about calling this upcoming edition “historic.”
With 18,300 accredited attendees from 118 countries already confirmed, participation is poised to meet, and likely exceed, past records. More consequentially, the June 21-27 edition will be the first held under the recognition of the International Federation of Film Producers Assn. (FIAPF), making Annecy the first and only Class A festival for animation. “Our mission is to support and promote animation wherever it comes from,” says Mickaël Marin, CEO of the festival and Marché International du Film d’Animation (MIFA) organizer CITIA. “Animation is cinema, full stop. And we aim to be one of the great film events in the world.” Befitting that stature, the festival will open with the world premiere of Illumination’s “Minions & Monsters,” further cementing the bond between Annecy and the American studio, which produces all of its films in France and has been premiering most of them there since “Despicable Me” in 2010. “It’s like a sports team playing on home turf,” says artistic director Marcel Jean. That exception, however, proves the rule for a Class A festival that wears its nonchalance toward world premieres as a badge of honor. “We’re here to take a snapshot of the state of animation at a given moment,” says Jean. “We don’t want to force producers and sales agents to choose between festivals or gamble on their chances — that would be a competition where everyone loses. Our goal is to bring the best of animation together in one place and give it the widest possible visibility.” The numbers are striking: Of the 11 films competing for Annecy’s top honor, six arrive fresh from Cannes — among them “In Waves,” “Iron Boy” and “Viva Carmen” — heralding what Jean sees as a banner year for French animation. Many in the industry have described to Variety the growing relationship between the two festivals, a one-two punch that sent prizewinners like “Arco” and “Flow” to significant global attention. But the most noteworthy competition title may be director Shui Yu’s “Nobody” — already China’s most successful 2D film of all time, with $250 million at the global box office and numerous prizes to its name. That such a proven hit might find new life at Annecy only underscores the festival’s programming ambitions to reach global audiences. ”Nobody” is one of two Chinese films in competition, playing alongside the 3D musical “Tana” — which, as it happens, is a world premiere — and among many Asian projects meant to bolster Annecy’s standing as an international crossroads. Alongside a predictably strong focus on Japan, this year’s edition spotlights features from Taiwan, Singapore and the Philippines, while the flagship works-in-progress program showcases Apple’s “Snoopy Unleashed” and Disney Jr. & Pixar’s “Cars: Lightning Racers” alongside “Baahubali: The Eternal War,” spun off from India’s most profitable franchise. Organizers say the latter announcement has driven unprecedented attention from Indian netizens. That “Baahubali” creator S.S. Rajamouli will also introduce a special screening of his live-action “RRR” reflects a wider trend running through this year’s guest list. From a lifetime achievement honor for Mike Judge to a special presentation from Laika founder Travis Knight to a Netflix event pairing Brad Bird and Ricky Gervais, Annecy has deliberately sought out talents who move freely between mediums, not just to celebrate those already in the sector, but to encourage established voices to test new waters. This year, three live-action veterans took the plunge, with Rupert Wyatt (“The Sunrise File”), Duncan Jones (“Rogue Trooper”) and Harald Zwart (“ViQueens”) each presenting animated features. “We’re here to break down walls, create more dialogue, make the prejudices disappear,” says Jean, who is already angling for Bong Joon-ho’s nautical adventure “Ally” for next year’s edition. “This permeability between techniques is increasing, partly because live-action filmmaking today, especially in major studios, uses visual effects and techniques that are already closely related to animation. So this is a deep wave that won’t stop. It will only grow.”
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