Viral Japanese Stop Motion, Grandmas Who Talk To Cats, Flavorless Distopias: Cannes’ Annecy Animation Showcase 2026

This year’s Annecy Animation Showcase, and increasingly influential strand at the world’s best-recognized film festival and market, has put together a diverse international lineup of animated features in various stages of development, spanning auteur-driven projects, commercially positioned genre films, and cross-border co-productions.

This year’s selection includes a mix of European arthouse sensibilities, Japanese auteur work, and emerging talent from Latin America, with projects meant to premiere over the next two to three years. Some of the projects are well-known, while others are relative newcomers to the scene.

This year’s selection also shows off just how crucial international partnerships have become to non-Hollywood animation, with three of the five films being cross-border co-productions.

Below is our breakdown of the five titles that will be presented at this year’s showcase, running May 15-17:

Hidari, Masashi Kawamura (Japan)

One of the most viral titles in this year’s Annecy Animation Showcase, Japanese project Hidari, directed by Masashi Kawamura and produced by dwarf studios alongside Whatever and Tecarat, is billed as a high-concept action feature with a planned 2029 completion. A Kickstarter campaign launched in March 2023 raised nearly $100,000 to get the project started. Things have surely gone well in the two years since, given the project’s presence at this year’s Cannes.

Set during the reconstruction of Edo Castle, the film follows legendary craftsman Jingoro Hidari, who embarks on a quest for revenge after losing his father figure, fiancée, and even his right arm. Rebuilding himself with mechanical prosthetics, the character blends historical drama with heightened, stylized action elements.

The project already has a huge online following. Its crowdfunding proof-of-concept trailer has already been seen nearly 5 million times on YouTube alone. Maybe an outlier, or maybe another indication that building an online following before going to market is the way forward.

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

French filmmaker Vergine Keaton returns with Bataille, an 80-minute set during a Renaissance-era conflict. According to early materials, the film depicts a battle that will gradually unravel into chaos, shifting focus from military tactics to human survival. The narrative juxtaposes the instinct to win with the instinct to live, suggesting a more philosophical and formally ambitious approach to animated war storytelling.

The project aligns with Annecy’s continued emphasis on animation as a medium for mature, thematically complex narratives. Keaton is no newcomer to Annecy, herself, having screened her 2009 short Je criais contre la vie ou pour elle in the festival’s prestigious main competition.

Dog My Cats!, Alain Gagnol (France, Canada, Belgium)

Oscar-nominated French director Alain Gagnol (A Cat in Paris) presents Dog My Cats! (Les chiens ne font pas des chats), a 2D heartwarming story currently set for release in 2027. This one was one of our favorites at Cartoon Movie 2024.

Produced by Parmi les lucioles films with Canadian and Belgian partners, the film follows siblings Jules and Lola, whose lives are disrupted by their grandmother’s arrival and a mysterious search for a missing teenager. The story unfolds into a discovery of a hidden family legacy. Oh, and Grandma can talk to cats!

With sales handled by KMBO, the project has already shown international commercial appeal, having been a standout at Cartoon Movie 2024.

Wasted Chef, Takayuki Hirao (Japan)

From Japanese director Takayuki Hirao, Wasted Chef is one of the lineup’s more conceptually distinct projects, combining culinary storytelling with speculative world-building. Hardly a surprise from a filmmaker who has directed episodes of Attack on Titan, Death Note, and the Annie-nominated 2021 feature Pompo: The Ciéphile.

Produced by CLAP Studio and targeting a 2027 release, the film follows a young chef searching for a lost flavor in a world where taste has disappeared. After encountering a mysterious ally, his cooking begins to restore memories, until a looming force threatens to erase desire entirely.

Insectario, Sofía Carrillo (Mexico, Spain)

Mexican stop-motion filmmaker Sofía Carrillo brings her feature debut Insectario to the showcase as part of a growing slate of Latin American animated features gaining traction at European events.

Speaking at the key Ibermedia Next platform last November, Carrillo described the project as a “dark fantasy noir” rooted in the real-world collapse of insect populations, using speculative storytelling to reframe their ecological importance. The film aims to function as both an allegory and a wake-up call, imagining how the evolution, or return, of insect life could reshape the balance between humans, animals, and the environment.

Visually, Insectario will lean into a richly tactile stop-motion aesthetic enhanced by emerging technologies, including 3D-printed facial replacement systems, AI-assisted concept development, and potential set extensions in post, working in a hybrid production pipeline with teams in Mexico and Spain.

Marché Snapshot

Several industry trends can be seen across this year’s lineup:

• Heavy reliance on international co-productions, particularly within Europe
• Genre hybrids, combining drama with fantasy, action, or speculative elements
• Strong auteur presence, nothing new or unexpected in that regard, given we’re talking about Cannes and Annecy, events with stellar reputations in that regard
• Broad tonal range, from family-friendly narratives to darker, adult-oriented stories, this year’s lineup has a bit of something for everyone

The Annecy Showcase continues to function as a key platform for projects seeking financing, sales representation, and festival positioning, offering an early look at animated features likely to circulate across major festivals and markets in the coming years. We’re excited to learn more about these titles next month.