Following the virtual version in 2020 and the hybrid outing last year, this week’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival seems to be fully and exclusively re-exploding onsite.
It also says a lot about the strong fundamentals of the animation industry. This and nine others take part in this week’s giant French animation reunion, which runs from June 13-18:
The biggest celebration of Annecy
France’s Annecy Festival, the largest event in the animation world, seems set for its biggest edition. Recognition numbers were heading towards the final 13,000, said artistic director Marcel Jean Diversity Mid week That compares to the all-time record of 12,500 in 2019. Representatives are still signing up, Annecy’s MIFA market presence was already at 4,200, Mikel Marin added Sunday. This is a remarkable achievement as China and Russia have good no-shows this year.
Stellar lineup of 2022
Rarely has Annecy packed so many big American heaters. Netflix’s “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Push in Boots: The Last Wish,” DreamWorks Animation, and Walt Disney’s “Strange World” will all hide new footage. NBCU-Illumination’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” Netflix’s “The Sea Beast,” HBO Max’s “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” first episode, and Nickelodeon’s short “Rock, Paper Scissors” fest world premiere; The first integrated animation showcase, Disney Television Animation, Disney Jr., and Disney EMEA Original Products will hold a joint press conference on a date with Walt Disney’s “LightYear” Bose Annecy Day and US Netflix. Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios and Hannah-Barbera Studios Europe focus on Sneak Peak Studios. These are just some of the goal setting shareware that you can use. Annecy’s schedule is not so packed.
Unique world
Credit: Disney
Glad to be back
Why record attendance and lineup? One explanation is situational. Annecy has been missed a lot. Chris Prinowski, co-founder of Titmouse, says: “I usually talk to everyone who goes to Ennis.
“This is one of the best celebrations in the world for animation and in such a wonderful place. Most of the people I know from the US haven’t been here since 2019, so everyone wants to go to Annecy.”
“Kidscreen was pushed back in July, not everyone went to MipTV. Many buyers and sellers are basically returning to Annecy,” says David Mitchell, president of Cottonwood Media, part of Federation Entertainment.
He adds: “On the creative side, many, many talents, especially young talents, are not able to screen and demonstrate what they have been doing for two or three years. So everyone is really excited to return to Annecy. ”
The impact of the epidemic
Then there is the epidemic. “During the epidemic we clearly saw a big, big boom in animation production, in general, because they had the ability to work and create content from afar,” says Gkids president David Gestaid. During the epidemic, Paramount and Nickelodeon Animation greenlit more than 10 new projects in series and movies, combining Paramount and Nickelodeon animation and broadening its strategy in plays, and employing about 1,000 artists to support all of their programs, Nitto said.
Paramount and Nickelodeon Animation President, Nickelodeon’s inaugural 2019 Intergalactic Shorts Program will be the world premiere of the first short annecy presentation “Rock, Paper, Scissors” to be greenlit.
Now, distributors want to increase the excitement in their major programs, including big dramas. “People are excited to go out and go to the movies and they’re looking for family events and we have a lot of movies coming up,” said Naito, who will share a new clip of “Pause of Fury: The Legend” in her Annecy presentation. Hank’s. “
“In recent conversations, when we asked sales agents or producers what is important for the success of their film, everyone said theaters,” says Rodney Uhler. Gkids Director of Special Projects. Some platforms are better for promotion than Annecy.
Industry basics
That said, Ennesi’s double-decade growth has been phenomenal: at the end of the century, about 4,000 interest-holders, 7,000 when Jean became artistic director in 2013, which has now almost doubled, Jean pointed out. Either the conditions have consistently played out in favor of Annecy, or it feeds strong industry fundamentals. One, most obviously, is that there are a lot of buyers out there playing especially in the OTT space.
“Every streamer who is not already in the animation game wants to be in it. We’re producing more than ever before, “said Priinowski.
Family entertainment has become a stronghold of dramatic box office.
“Large audience family facilities – animated adventure movies, comedy for kids and families – are doing really, really well at the French box office. But distributors aren’t getting enough pitches for commercial animated movies,” said David Mitchell, whose Cottonwood Media Days, ”produced by Studiocanal, was France’s biggest international box office hit in 2021. OTT Traction and the sometimes gigantic BO is a very powerful double fight.
Buzz titles
Among the highlights, Annecy 2022 should be shocking. The big question is whether any new footage of Pinocchio will only raise the specter that it is the forerunner of the 2023 Best Animated Picture Academy Awards. Kid Cudi’s “Entergalactic” and finally the upcoming sci-fi fantasy movie “Nimona” have good words – which also appears on Netflix’s Annecy showcase. “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” and Brazil’s “Perlimps,” which has just released a grand trailer, have high expectations. In the Annecy competition, Alberto Vasquez’s “Unicorn Wars,” a brutal anti-war story, and Angola-set “Noyola,” look like early pioneers. Michelle Hazanavicius’s “Most Valuable Cargo,” Chiara Malta and Sebastian Loudenbach’s “Chicken for Linda!” And “they shot the piano player,” from Fernando Truba and Javier Mariscal, one of the most anticipated anecdotes in progress.
Netflix scale back
This May, Netflix announced it was scrapping animated projects and titles in production, including “Wings of Fire” from executive producer Abha Duvern. With strategic timing, however, just before Annecy, the US streaming giant also announced a European slate of eight animated titles, including a follow-up to “Amber,” Sergio Pablos’ Oscar-nominated “Klaus” and “Seven Bears”. Florida producer Didier Bruner, whose films have received four Academy Award nominations. Netflix may be scaling back its animation. It’s definitely not pulled out, however, as the potentially shocking Annecy showcase could well be interpreted as underscoring.
… and more industry vibrations
Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average person. China, once the dominant force in Annecy’s MIFA market, will be largely no-show this year. There is war in Europe, destroying Russia’s presence. As part of the budget cuts, the BBC announced in late May that the CBBC would switch from broadcasting to an online channel. “Everyone with thousands of projects is flying to Annecy and the truth is that the distribution funnel is getting harder,” said one manufacturer. GKids’ Jesteadt says, “The most basic part of the business, how animation is sold and distributed, has just changed.” “Our main focus at Annecy will be to understand what their new realities are from all of our partners or potential partners and content creators.”
Age of IP
“Streaming services seem to be going through a very natural ‘reset’ phase, realizing that in order to get strong traction, they need a very strong IP, re-focusing on the classic family IP, as seen on the newly announced European slates. There are similarities, “says Eleanor Coleman, head of pre-sales for Blue Spirit Productions.
“One thing that’s very exciting is the explosion of premium family content in the series,” she says.
Adult animation
And next, she adds, is the explosion of adult animation globally, in particular, she argues, limited series, such as Italy’s “Tear Along the Dotted Line.”
“It looks like the market is finally moving away from the children’s paradigm for mainstream titles, as somewhat shown in ‘Spider-Wars’ and the huge success for the final seasons of ‘Arcane’ and ‘Attack On.’ – Targeted anime, “says Gkids CEO Eric Beckman.
The United States is still developing adult animation. “This is a really strong place for creativity for Netflix and other platforms, but it has now expanded into an ambitious service work for studios providing a variety of opportunities to engage in the creation of adult content.” Coleman says.
Playing on 2D / 3D Hybrid Sandpit
“The technology we’ve developed – a hybrid 2D / 3D – has really found a connection to the market,” says Coleman, whose Blue Spirit Studios recently provided animation services in HBO Max’s CGI “Gremlins” prequel.
Today’s directors can really combine things, creating a 2D painting quality with CGI, as is the case with “Gremlins”. “In the independent world, there’s always been a huge range of things that people use, from stop-motion motion to 2D paint and sand animation in a variety of ways, from rotoscoping to 3D, and of course a lot of adult rent,” says Beckman. Are becoming mainstream at the starting point. People are demanding more exciting forms of animation.
Direct work for the Animation Diaspora
This excitement about the artistic potential of animation, realizing its potential as a purely cinematic medium, comes with the release of the live-action-to-animation diaspora. “More and more people are interested in directing animation,” Marin pointed out. In Annecy, “Cargo’s Most Valuable” is the first animated feature of Academy Award-winning Hazanavicius (“artist”). The producers are also taking the step, notes MIFA director Veronica Ecranaz, who has produced Cloud Baras’ “You Are Not The One I Expected” by Paris-based Sombrero Films, which comes from live action.
Perlimps