Annecy 2026 Lineup: Artistic Director Marcel Jean Takes Notes From Guillermo del Toro to Emphasize ‘Animation Is Film’

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival is nearly here.

The biggest, most important animation film festival in the world, taking place in its namesake French city this year from June 21–27, has just unveiled its slate, which includes (among other things), the premiere of Illumination and Universal’s “Minions and Monsters,” first looks at Disney’s “Hexed,” Pixar’s “Gatto,” Laika’s “Wildwood,” Skydance and Netflix’s “Ray Gunn” and an upcoming, 1990’s-set “Ghostbusters” animated series for Netflix. Plus a special look at Warner Bros. Animation’s ongoing DC projects, including a screening of “Batman: Knightfall – Part 1,” an adaptation of the hugely influential comic book series that saw Bruce Wayne injured and subsequently replaced.

TheWrap spoke to Marcel Jean, the artistic director of Annecy, about what to expect from this year’s festival – and what he’s particularly excited about sharing with the rest of the world.

According to Jean, this year’s festival will emphasize the importance of genre films within animation.

“We will have special programs of genre film this year, but genre film will also be present in different sections of the official selection – in the convention or even in the midnight program. The midnight program is the place by excellence for horror and things like that. You will find genre films almost everywhere,” Jean said. “What was important for me is to go with something that Guillermo del Toro said when he received his Academy Award for ‘Pinocchio.’ He said, ‘Animation is not a genre. You can meet all the genres in animation.’ And this is what we want to show. It’s something that we were conscious of for a long time.

“We knew that, but it’s interesting to put that on the front of this scene, just to remind everybody and to, let’s say to the general press, to the general audience, to the people from the film community and the film industry, that animation is film. And with animation, you can do basically all the genres you will find in the film industry and in the film history. It’s at the core of the festival this year.”

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