A Historic Opening: The Cité internationale du cinéma d’animation
The most significant structural news for Annecy 2026 precedes the Festival itself. On 19–21 June, the brand-new Cité internationale du cinéma d’animation opens to the public — supported by the City of Annecy, the Département de la Haute-Savoie, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region and the French State. This unique institution houses the Musée du cinéma d’animation (the first of its kind in France), a permanent gallery, and a dedicated cinema hall that will screen the official Festival selection alongside screenings in its other venues throughout the week.
At its inauguration, visitors will find a major opening exhibition by Ankama. The Galerie’s first show is by LAIKA Studios. The Cité’s park will also serve as a new open-air screening venue, free and open to all. For the Festival’s general public, with or without accreditation, this is a transformative addition to Annecy’s experience.
The Official Opening & Honorary Guests
The Festival opens on the evening of Sunday 21 June with a highly anticipated preview: Minions & Monsters, the new instalment of Illumination’s beloved franchise, directed by Pierre Coffin, produced by Chris Meledandri and Bill Ryan, and distributed by Universal Pictures.
Two Honorary Cristals, the Festival’s lifetime achievement award recognising outstanding contributions to animation, will be awarded this year. Mike Judge, the prolific creator of Beavis and Butt-Head and King of the Hill, is recognised for his over three-decade influence in adult animation and social satire. The Brothers Quay — the legendary twin filmmakers renowned for their innovations in stop-motion and their profound impact on the medium — will each receive an Honorary Cristal and lead an exclusive Masterclass highlighting their unique artistic legacy.
Feature Films: A Booming Global Selection
Animation feature film production is booming globally, and the 2026 official selection reflects this energy with no fewer than 44 feature films — representing 26 countries, including 13 European, 8 Asian and 5 from the Americas. France leads the way with 14 productions or co-productions.
The Official Competition presents 11 titles vying for the Cristal. Highlights include Sébastien Laudenbach’s Viva Carmen! and Alberto Vázquez’s acclaimed Decorado, which has already won a Goya (see Interview on The Animation Journal website). The Sunrise File, a Franco-Luxembourg production, recounts the Klarsfeld pursuit of Klaus Barbie. Tangles, directed by Canada’s Leah Nelson, is described by Artistic Director Marcel Jean as “one of the selection’s stand-out picks.” China contributes two strong entries: Nobody, a prizewinner at home, and the intimate Tana, set between Shanghai and Inner Mongolia. The international scope extends to Singapore and Italy with The Violonist, and to Japan and France with the reunion drama We Are Aliens.
The Contrechamp section — dedicated to independent and adventurous feature animation — opens on Sunday 21 June with Welcome to Dolly’s House from Taiwan. Its 11 titles span the Philippines, Brazil, Japan, Spain, Italy and beyond. The Annecy Presents section (mainstream and family films) opens with Belgian film Yugly and includes 14 titles, among them Cartoon Saloon’s Julián by Louise Bagnall, and Chilean Oscar-winner Gabriel Osorio’s Brave Cat. Five Midnight Specials round off the non-competitive programme for audiences seeking the radical and daring.
Short Films, TV & Graduation: The Full Competitive Spectrum
Beyond features, the Festival deploys its full competitive apparatus. 34 Official short films compete across themes of war, loss, love and emancipation. These works span puppets, drawings and experimental animation. Parallel sections include Perspectives, with 17 films that question our worldview. Off-Limits spotlights 8 multi-sensory experimental works. Young Audiences presents 10 films for children from toddlers to pre-teens. Midnight Shorts includes 16 genre films across horror, sci-fi and fantasy. The irreverent WTF section features 14 offbeat comedies.
The Graduation Films competition showcases 43 emerging talents from around the world. The TV competition brings 30 series and specials, from Japan to the USA via France and Italy. The Commissioned Films section presents 35 shorts, ranging from music videos to brand films. This year features works spanning Snoop Dogg to Thom Yorke. Work in Progress highlights 12 feature films, 3 series, and 1 immersive project from about 10 countries. Six of these are directed by women.
Special Events: World Premieres & Major Studio Moments
Annecy 2026 is packed with world and European premieres, as leading studios unveil global launch platforms.
- Aardman at 50 — Peter Lord, Nick Park and David Sproxton celebrate the studio’s golden anniversary in a special opening session.
- THE GHOST IN THE SHELL — The first two episodes of an all-new animated series adaptation of the legendary cyberpunk manga will be unveiled at Annecy for the first time.
- Warner Bros. Pictures Animation — a brand-new Daffy Duck short (Daffy Season) ahead of his 90th anniversary in 2027, plus a first look at The Cat in the Hat.
- Batman: Knightfall — the beginning of a bold multi-part animated event from Warner Bros. Animation and DC Studios.
- King of the Hill — Season 15 — an exclusive first look with creator Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, ahead of the Disney+ premiere.
- Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn (Netflix) — a very personal presentation of his passion project, 30+ years in the making, alongside a world exclusive preview of the Ghostbusters animated series.
- LAIKA Studios — a first look at the upcoming stop-motion film Wildwood, presented to mark the opening of the Cité.
- Walt Disney Animation Studios — never-before-seen footage from HEXED, an original coming-of-age saga directed by Fawn Veerasunthorn and Jason Hand, arriving in cinemas this November.
- Pixar Animation Studios — a behind-the-scenes preview of Gatto, directed by Academy Award-nominated Enrico Casarosa, set in Venice and due in 2027.
- Ricky Gervais Masterclass — a discussion on his upcoming Netflix adult animated comedy Alley Cats, with a world exclusive sneak peek of the first two episodes.
- President Curtis — world premiere and making-of of the new Adult Swim series co-created by Dan Harmon (Rick & Morty).
MIFA 2026: Five Pillars for a Rapidly Evolving Industry
The Marché International du Film d’Animation (MIFA) has restructured around five strategic pillars. This change helps the industry navigate rapid and disruptive shifts. The market covers 7,000 m² on two floors. It hosts over 975 exhibiting companies from 118 countries and has 18,200 accredited attendees.
Mifa AI & Mifa Invest (Pillar 1 & 2): Monday 22 June is dedicated to a full day of workshops and panel discussions on artificial intelligence and private funding. This three-year initiative will compile its findings into a white paper to help the industry organise around effective practices and regulations.
Mifa Online (Pillar 3): Online accreditation is reinstated, enabling professionals who cannot attend in person to access conferences, pitches, work-in-progress sessions and webinars. The video library will be expanded from June 2026, ahead of a fully redesigned platform launching in early 2027.
Mifa Cross IP (Pillar 4) catalyses opportunities between animation, comics, webtoons, video games and virtual reality. A new exhibition area welcomes book and webtoon publishers, including SCELF, Bologna Children’s Book Fair and White Dragon. A European Cross IP acceleration programme runs from February to September. It is in partnership with SpielFabrique, EFM Berlin, and gamescom. This programme brings together 10 video game studios and 10 animation companies to explore the creation of new IP. The 3rd Video Game Cinematics & Game Trailers Competition drew 93 entries from 26 countries and will award prizes on 23 June. A Campus Mifa Masterclass by Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead and Invincible, anchors the Cross IP programme.
Annecy European Animation Summit (Pillar 5): A brand-new annual forum for direct dialogue between European institutions and the animation industry. Its inaugural edition focuses on regulations, co-productions and distribution, aiming to establish a sustainable framework for the European model and recognise animation as a strategic sector.
Market Highlights: Pitches, Industry Awards & Toei’s 70th
48 projects will be presented across 7 pitch sessions — short films, features, TV series & specials, and immersive experiences — with a 2026 focus on 2D animation in all its forms. The animated documentary pitch session, introduced in 2025, returns with six new projects. Nearly 15 Mifa Conferences will address new business models, IP circulation (comics, webtoons, animation, video games), the creator economy, and IP development strategies on the African continent.
Toei Animation — the iconic Japanese studio behind Goldorak, Albator, Dragon Ball and One Piece — celebrates its 70th anniversary at Mifa 2026, with a significant presence at the stands and partnership of the Mifa opening night on 23 June.
The Mifa Animation Industry Award will be presented on 22 June to the seven French companies behind Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, Butterfly and Arco — productions that reached the Oscars, the Golden Globes and the César Awards, and which, as Mifa Director Véronique Encrenaz notes, help “put animation on the global map”.
The Campus Mifa — dedicated to students and young professionals — welcomes CEO Catherine Winder of Wind Sun Sky Entertainment as its 2026 patron. Tech workshops by Epic Games, Autodesk, TVPaint and SideFX, and recruitment sessions with LAIKA, Illumination, ILM/Lucasfilm, Netflix and DNEG, complete a programme designed to connect emerging talent with the industry’s leading studios.
