Annecy 2026 Lineup: European Animation Dominates as Festival Opens with ‘Minions & Monsters’

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival has unveiled its 2026 lineup, with 11 films in the main competition and 44 feature films overall representing 26 countries.

This signals a robust global animation sector despite industry headwinds. The festival runs June 21-27 in Annecy, France.

European production dominates the competition slate, with six of the 11 titles being French productions or co-productions.

The festival opens with the world premiere of Illumination’s Minions & Monsters, the seventh installment in the Despicable Me franchise, directed by Pierre Coffin.

The film follows the yellow creatures in the 1920s as they search for monsters for their movie — then must save the planet after unleashing them.

Competition Highlights

Headlining the competition is Viva Carmen! from Sébastien Laudenbach, who won the Cristal in 2023 for Chicken for Linda! (co-directed with Chiara Malta).

Artistic director Marcel Jean noted: “We want to follow a project from the very beginning. [2025 Oscar winner] Flow was a work in progress in Annecy, [2026 Oscar nominee] Little Amelie was a work in progress. This year in competition, you have Viva Carmen! which was a WIP. In Waves was a WIP.”

The new feature, an animated take on the classic opera, will premiere in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.

Also in competition is In Waves from Phuong Mai Nguyen, an adaptation of A.J. Dungo’s acclaimed graphic novel, which opens Cannes Critics’ Week.

Other competition titles include Iron Boy from Pixar alum Louis Clichy, Decorado from Alberto Vázquez, The Sunrise File from Rupert Wyatt and Émilie Phuong, and Tangles from Leah Nelson.

Alongside entries from China, Japan and Singapore.

Global Reach Amid Industry Crisis

Despite widespread reports of a production downturn, Jean emphasized the selection’s breadth.

He said: “If you look at the entire selection for official competition, a large majority of the films are from European producers. French producers, but also Spanish, Belgian, Italy. The Scandinavian countries, Eastern European countries.”

He added: “We heard about a crisis in European animation production, but when you look at the quality of these films, and the amount of films, this doesn’t look like an industry in crisis.”

Jean acknowledged the lag between greenlighting and screening:

“Of course, there’s a gap between the moment of impact and production schedules, and what we screen this year was greenlit three-to-four years ago.”

He also highlighted Asian growth: “The Asian market is also very interesting. Beyond Japan, it’s Korea, Philippines… eight Asian countries including China, which has itself an absolutely incredible evolution.”

The Contrechamp sidebar opens with Welcome to Dolly’s House, a Taiwanese rotoscope film from directors Seven Ych, Rady Fu and Tree MutaIt.

It blends YouTube creator culture with fantasy. It screens June 21 at 1:30 p.m. in Annecy’s Bonlieu Grande Salle.

Beyond competition, the festival will honor Mike Judge with an Honorary Cristal Award for his three-decade career shaping adult animation through Beavis and Butt-Head and King of the Hill.

Judge will give a masterclass and present a preview of the upcoming 15th season of King of the Hill alongside co-creator Greg Daniels.