By Netflix and the Annecy Film Festival have fostered an incredible relationship over the last several years. No other major studio or distributor has been as omnipresent at the French film festival, and this year should be no different.
Netflix is planning several major sneak peeks of upcoming titles, a work-in-progress session, the world premiere of “Ultraman: Rising,” an exhibition of stop-motion figures from the upcoming Wallace & Gromit film, and two of its titles – “Blue Eye Samurai” and “Pokémon Concierge” – are screening in competition.
On Wednesday, June 12, the streamer will host Next on Netflix Animation: From Twilight of the Gods to Wallace & Gromit, a sneak peek at some of its most high-profile upcoming film and series titles.
“Wallace & Gromit” directors Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham and several of the film’s puppets will be in Annecy to tease their upcoming film. “Twilight of the Gods” will be presented by director Zack Snyder, executive producer Deborah Snyder, and Xilam Animation director Silmane Aniss.
In addition to teasing early looks at the event’s titular films, Netflix will also share materials from Skydance’s long-awaited second feature “Spellbound“ – helmed by “Shrek” director Vicky Jenson – and “The Twits,” one of Netflix’s first Roald Dahl adaptations.
Annecy’s work-in-progress panels are always hugely popular with festival guests, and this year, Netflix is hosting one for its upcoming holiday feature “That Christmas.” The film’s writer, BAFTA-winning filmmaker Richard Curtis (“Four Weddings and A Funeral,” “Love Actually”), will be in attendance for the pitch, joined by director Simon Otto (“How to Train Your Dragon”), producer Nicole Hearon, and production designer Justin Hutchinson-Charburn.
Shannon Tindle’s “Ultraman: Rising” will world premiere at Annecy on Wednesday, June 12. The following day, the film will get a making-of panel featuring Tindle, co-director John Aoshima, art director Sunmin Inn, lead animator Hayden Jones, and composer Scot Stafford. On June 14, the film will be available to stream on Netflix worldwide.
Other titles receiving making-of presentations include the eighth and final season of “Big Mouth” and the hugely popular Emmy-winning series “Arcane.” Netflix hasn’t provided many details about what to expect from those presentations, but if anything from the second season of “Arcane” is shared, it will likely be one of the most talked-about teases at this year’s festival.
Here are the titles that Netflix will feature at this year’s Annecy Festival.
Features:
Untitled Wallace & Gromit Film (Directors: Nick Park, Merlin Crossingham)
Last year, Netflix was the exclusive distributor of Aardman Animations’ stop-motion sequel “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget,” which appeared on the streamer’s top 10 most-watched English-language films list for four consecutive weeks after its release. Now, the streamer is preparing to debut (outside the U.K.) the company’s next feature, an untitled Wallace & Gromit film helmed by creator Nick Park and “Creature Comforts America” director Merlin Crossingham.
Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham
Courtesy of Netflix
“Spellbound” (Director: Vicky Jenson)
“Spellbound” is Skydance Animation’s second feature; its first was 2022’s Apple TV+ film “Luck.” The “Spellbound” project has been around for several years and even featured at last year’s Annecy. Since then, Skydance swapped its deal with Apple for one with Netflix, and “Spellbound” will be the first film to appear on the platform as part of that agreement.
Spellbound
Courtesy of Netflix
“Ultraman: Rising” (Director: Shannon Tindle; Co-director: John Aoshima)
As mentioned above, “Ultraman: Rising” will world premiere at Annecy and receive a making-of session. Adapted from the iconic manga and anime franchise, this Industrial Light & Magic-animated feature will be available on Netflix starting June 14.
Ultraman: Rising
Courtesy of Netflix
“That Christmas” (Director: Simon Otto)
Based on Curtis’ popular children’s book trilogy, “That Christmas” is the second feature produced by Locksmith Animation (“Ron’s Gone Wrong”). Set to release during the 2024 holiday season, the film features a stacked voice cast including Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, Lolly Adefope, Alex Macqueen, Katherine Parkinson, Sindhu Vee, India Brown, Zazie Hayhurst, Sienna Sayer, Jack Wisniewski, Rosie Cavaliero, Paul Kaye, Guz Khan, Andy Nyman, Kuhu Agarwal, Bronte Smith, Freddie Spry, and Ava Talbot, with Bill Nighy, and Rhys Darby.
That Christmas
Courtesy of Netflix
“The Twits” (Director: Phil Johnston; Co-directors Katie Shanahan, Todd Demong)
Netflix paid a reported $1 billion for the rights to animated series and specials based on 16 Roald Dahl stories back in 2021, and some of the early returns on that investment are starting to come good. The streamer’s upcoming animated adaptation of “The Twits” will feature in the June 12 Next on Netflix presentation, giving attendees an early look at the film, which is being animated by the U.K.’s Jellyfish Pictures (“Spirit Untamed”).
The Twits
Courtesy of Netflix
Series:
“Arcane”
Arguably the best-executed animated series based on a video game (“League of Legends”) to date, “Arcane” became a cultural phenomenon when its first season was released in 2021. The series won four Emmys, nine Annie Awards and a raft of other honors. Netflix hasn’t shared many details about what will be presented during the show’s Making-Of panel, but attendees will surely be hoping for an early look at the show’s second season, set to release in November this year. The show is produced by “League of Legends” developer Riot and animation studio Fortiche. Representing Riot in Annecy will be showrunner Christian Linke, scriptwriter Amanda Overton, and senior concept artist Arnaud Baudry. Fortiche is sending director Bart Maunoury and producer Christine Ponzevera.
“Twilight of the Gods”
Coming this fall, “Twilight of the Gods” is an animated twist on ancient Norse mythology featuring a star-stuffed cast of Sylvia Hoeks, Stuart Martin, Pilou Asbaek, John Noble, Paterson Joseph, Rahul Kohli, Jamie Clayton, Kristopher Hivju, Peter Stormare, Jamie Chung, Lauren Cohan, and Corey Stoll. The series may be a Netflix Original produced by Snyder’s Stone Quarry Animation, but it will be right at home in France as it is animated in France by leading studio Xilam Animation.
“Big Mouth”
Netflix’s animated comedy series “Big Mouth” is nearing the end of an incredible eight-season run, which saw the show score three Emmys. As it prepares to say goodbye to the popular coming-of-age series, Netflix will be hosting a making-of panel featuring co-creators Nick Kroll, Andrew Goldberg, Jennifer Flackett, and Mark Levin.
