Annecy 2026: the next Disney, the animated series from Ricky Gervais, the father of Beavis and Butt-Head…

Big, big program for the next edition of the International Animated Film Festival.

From June 21 to 27, the Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2026 will once again deploy its incredible mapping of global animated creation. At a time when the industry is going through areas of turbulence, Annecy is responsible for demonstrating that animation remains one of the most vibrant areas of contemporary cinema. Presented at the National Center for Cinema and Animated Images (CNC) on April 28, this edition promises to be a turning point. For its president Gaëtan Bruel, Annecy is “ a place where major artistic and industrial trends take shape “.

The 2026 edition also marks the opening of the International City of Animated Cinema, inaugurated on June 19. A new room enriches an already massive system, with the return of the entire Pathé Annecy complex. The result is several thousand additional seats and increased reception capacity, worthy of the event.

And since March 11, the festival is now part of the very closed circle of events accredited by the FIAPF, at the rank of category A festival. A first for an event devoted exclusively to entertainment. For Mickaël Marin, director of CITIA, organizer of the festival, “ this obviously gives us the responsibility to bring (the festival), as well as the market, to an ever higher level of requirements and to fully play our role in the global ecosystem. “.

Honor Crystals

Two major figures will be celebrated this year. Mike Judge, irreverent spirit of American animation, to whom we owe Beavis and Butt-Head or even King of the Hill. The opportunity to rediscover his work at a time when adult animated series occupy a central place in the cultural debate. Then, a double tribute to the Quay Brothers, figures of experimental stop motion. Their work, marked by surrealism, will be revisited through a retrospective and a masterclass led by Joseph Wallace. Their film Street of Crocodiles is also celebrating its 40th anniversary.

The competition

Of the 11 films in official competition, 6 are French or co-produced by France. Among the most anticipated titles, Carmen, the rebel bird by Sébastien Laudenbach, The Corsetfirst long solo by Louis Clichy, In Waves by Phuong Mai Nguyen or Lucy Lost by Olivier Clert, adaptation of the novel by Michael Morpurgo.

Spain returns with Decorated by Alberto Vázquez, a social satire already awarded the Goya, and historical memory irrigates The Dawn File by Rupert Wyatt and Émilie Phuong, around the hunt for Klaus Barbie. We also find Nobody: Travel with you by Shui Yu, massive success in China; Tana by Ji Zhao and Ke Er Zhu, contemporary chronicle between Shanghai and Inner Mongolia; Tangs by Leah Nelson, on Alzheimer’s disease; The Violinist by Ervin Han and Raúl García and We Are Aliens by Kohei Kadowaki, French-Japanese co-production. The official opening will be hosted by Minions and monsters by Pierre Coffin.

Reverse shot: room for experimentation

The Contrechamp section, faithful to its exploratory DNA, brings together eleven daring feature films. Among them, Welcome to Dolly by Seven Ych, Rady Fu and Tree Muta; Blaise by Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guigue; Muyi, the legend of the women’s village by Julien Chheng; The 58th by Carl Joseph Papa; A New Dawn by Yoshitoshi Shinomiya.

Annecy Presents: heading to Japan

Japanese animation will be particularly highlighted withSamurai Ballerina – The Star of Paris in Bloom by Goro Taniguchi; On the other side of the world by Yusuke Hirota; The heroine with the ribbon by Yuuki Igarashi; The Keeper of the Camphor Tree by Tomohiko Itō. Without forgetting the opening with Mochy, the ugliest dog in the world by Yanis Belaid and Jérémie Degruson.

The studios still going strong

Aardman Animations will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a masterclass event, while Warner Bros. Pictures Animation will reveal the first images of The Cat in the Hatas well as a new Looney Tunes short film. The much awaited Rogue Trooper by Duncan Jones will have its world premiere and DreamWorks Animation will defend The Island of Memorieswhile Netflix is ​​aligning several projects including Ray Gun by Brad Bird (which we’ve been waiting for forever) and a new series Ghostbusters, while Ricky Gervais will come to defend his series Alley Catsand will give a masterclass.

Travis Knight will present Wildwoodaccompanied by an exhibition. Paramount Pictures will unveil a new installment of Paw Patrol. Finally, Walt Disney Animation Studios will present its highly anticipated Hexedand Pixar Animation Studios will offer a preview of Nero by Enrico Casarosa. Note also the presence of Robert Kirkman, star screenwriter, whose work has been adapted into series many times (The Walking Dead, Invincible for animation…) for a masterclass on the film market side.

Work in Progress: animation in the making

On the program, 12 feature films, 3 series and an immersive project. Among them:

In Gwei (China)

Baahubali: The Eternal War (India)

Desechable (Colombia, Spain)

Igi (Georgia, Greece)

Killtube (Japan)

Monkey Quest (Japan, United States)

Snoopy Unleashed (Canada, United Kingdom)

Steps (UNITED STATES)

The Shiatsung Project (Canada)

On the French side, we will find The Wolf, Ogress by Cécile McLorin Salvant and Seraphine by Sarah Van Den Boom.