Following its premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at this year’s Cannes, Louis Clichy’s first feature Iron Boy (Le corset) is part of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2026 competition lineup and is set for a French theatrical release on 14 October with KMBO Films. In rural northwestern Beauce, eleven-year-old Christophe tries to meet his distant father’s expectations on the family farm. When he begins collapsing unexpectedly and randomly, doctors make him wear an iron corset. This new approach helps him find a passion for music, and he starts playing the organ at the local church. He also befriends Clara, and she leads him into mischief, opening a new world.
Clichy co-wrote the film with Franck Salomé, drawing in part on his own childhood experience of growing up on a farm in Beauce until age 10 and wearing a back brace. Born in 1979, the director trained in animation at the École des Gobelins in Paris. He began his career as an animator at Pixar, working on Wall-E (2008) and Up (2009). He later co-directed with Alexandre Astier Asterix: The Land of the Gods (2014), which won the César Award for Best Animated Film, followed by Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion (2018).
Clichy aims to create a personal film both in story and visual style. He adopts a highly expressive approach, using techniques from his shorts with broad strokes. The film combines Chinese ink and watercolor, where color conveys meaning and alternates with bold black lines, sometimes receding and sometimes dominating. Watercolor white space leaves areas unpainted, producing a light, dreamy texture that heightens emotion. Variety describes it as “lovely.”
Iron Boy was produced by Eddy Cinema and co-produced by Rhône-Alpes Cinéma and Beside Productions. Playtime handles international sales, while Sony Pictures Classics has recently acquired all rights for North and Latin America, India, and Southeast Asian television.
