Cannes Annecy Animation Showcase: Alain Gagnol, Sofia Carrillo

The Annecy Animation Showcase comes back to Cannes’ Marché du Film for yet another year, shedding light on five promising animated features. 

Hailing from Japan, France and Mexico, these ongoing projects bring animation to Cannes, a collaboration between Cannes’ Marché du Film and the Annecy Festival which started in 2019 with an Animation Day and has been growing 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 industry programs 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 films such as “Flow,” which debuted its circuit run at Cannes 2024, before meeting global success with audiences and critics alike. “Flow” and its surprise 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 well. 

“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 something the teams aim to reflect at the Marché du Film itself, where animation is no longer confined to a single Animation Day, but is now embedded across the entire market under the Cannes Animation umbrella, spanning a wide range of formats: from work-in-progress and finished film showcases to panels, workshops, networking events, and its integration into other programs, including targeted co-production meetings. 

This year, with Japan the 2026 Country of Honor at the Marché du Film, the teams are also placing a particular focus on Japanese animation, alongside the longstanding strength and global reputation of French animation, a focus that is mirrored in the five projects selected for this year’s Annecy Animation Showcase.

A closer look at the titles:

“Hidari,” Masashi Kawamura (Japan)

Producers: Dwarf Studios, Whatever, Tecarat

Language: English; Genre: Action; Artistic technique: Stop motion animation; Completion: 2029

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

A pilot film teasing the mindblowing wooden stop-motion technique used to bring “Hidari” to life was shared three years ago by the project teams as proof of concept, along with BTS footage. Per “Hidari’s” team, Japanese animation is still highly recognized across the world for its unique visual language, which gives 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 beyond live-action and 2D animation to craft a one-of-a-kind look, with a lot of potential for memorable action sequences.

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

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

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

On a cold winter morning, a battle rages in the surroundings of a small town in the Italian Renaissance. As the military tactics gradually go awry, two movements oppose each other: the desire to win and the desire to live. Written and directed by Annecy-nominated artist Vergine Keaton, “Bataille” draws from Renaissance art to transform a single conflict into a universal allegory.

“Beyond the grand scale,” said Keaton, the film “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 taking part in the project, which is backed by France’s CNC National Film Board, “Bataille’s” distinctive style and universal message have all that it takes to charm international buyers at this year’s showcase. 

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

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

Language: French; Genre: Drama; Artistic technique: 2D animation with 3D elements; Completion: 2027

Jules and Lola’s life has taken a sad turn after their parents’ death, but their routine is disrupted by their grandmother Jeanne, who turns up with a very special mission: to find a missing teenager. Thanks to their grandmother, they discover an extraordinary family legacy within themselves. With a star-studded French cast 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 film from Oscar-nominated writer-director and French animation veteran Alain Gagnol (“A Cat in Paris”) explores the bond between animals and humans, as the latter discover that cats and dogs can actually speak. 

“I like to think that the world doesn’t stop at what our eyes can perceive,”, added Gagnol, as he shared details about a story playing with our imagination and moving 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 handling international sales. “Les chiens ne font pas des chats,” has already received support from Eurimages, and is set for completion in 2027.

“Wasted Chef,” Takayuki Hirao (Japan)

Producers: CLAP Co., Ltd. Japan

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

A young chef chasing a lost flavor lands in a ruined city without taste. Saved by Kasumi, his cooking awakens forgotten memories. But a dark force threatens to erase all desire — making his quest the last hope to save both 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 completely original film 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 details have been made public yet, Crunchyroll previously reported that Hirao’s collaborators Shingo Adachi (character design) and Kenta Matsukuma (music) are working with the director again, after their successful collaboration on “Pompo.” 

“Insectario,” Sofía Carrillo (Mexico, Spain)

Producers: Pimienta Films, Inicia Films; Language: Spanish

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

In a world where insects have gone extinct, Lexi preserves specimens in a collection for her uncle, Dr. Krause, an entomologist. After removing the pin from a rare Attacus atlas moth, she takes it home to hide her mistake, only to discover it has come back to life.

“Insectario” itself is brought to the big 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 ambitious, narratively unique and sensitive film, already selected for Ventana Sur and the Quirino Awards Co-Production Forum, and backed by Mexican National Fund, Spain and Ibermedia Next.