Cannes And Annecy Winner ‘Iron Boy’ Gets U.S. Trailer And Release Dates

Sony Pictures Classics has released the U.S. trailer for Louis Clichy’s Iron Boy, one of the year’s most acclaimed animated features and one of this award season’s strongest international contenders.

The hand-drawn film will open in New York and Los Angeles on December 4 for an awards-qualifying run before expanding nationwide on January 22, 2027.

Since premiering at Cannes, Iron Boy has put together an impressive collection of prestige festival honors, including the Special Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section, both the jury and audience awards for best feature at Annecy, and two more prizes at Animation Is Film, including the audience award.

Set in rural France, the film follows 11-year-old Christophe, whose life on his family’s farm is upended when a medical condition forces him to wear a rigid iron corset, hence the title. His adjustment, which takes on a fantastic element at times, opens the door to new friendships, music, and an identity beyond his well-meaning father’s expectations.

The film’s striking, deceptively simple ink-and-watercolor aesthetic is a radical departure for Clichy, a Hollywood vet whose previous credits include Pixar’s Wall-E and Up and two CG Asterix features.

In our Annecy interview, the filmmaker talked us through the film’s deeply personal origins, its unconventional production, and his determination to prioritize expressive animation over polished detail.