Hasta La Motion!

The first all-online Annecy festival 2020 has revealed noted names from the  international animation community to be joining the previously announced Masterclass, Work-in-Progress and Preview highlights.

All the veterans will speak about the passion that drives them for their craft of art and animation.

The details are as follows – 

> Dean DeBlois, writer-director (How to Train Your Dragon films) will have a conversation with Variety‘s Peter Debruge on 18 June at 5pm (CET), and will be replaying at Annecy Online until 30 June.

> Henry Selick, director and Bruno Coulais, composer, will discuss the role of music in Selick’s filmography and their collaborations on Coraline, as well as their upcoming film Wendell & Wild. This will also be available to view from 15 to 30 June.

> Legendary Disney directors Ron Clements and John Musker of The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, The Princess and the Frog, Moana will discuss on – Animation, Careers and Industry on 19 June 19 live at 6pm (CET), following a replay at Annecy Online until 30 June.

Ron Clements and John Musker

> Sexual Violence in Animation by the Blies Brothers. The directors will discuss and analyse the power of animation for addressing the issue of sexual violence.

Presented in 2019, the Blies Brothers’ Zero Impunity is hybrid animation and live recording in a feature film about sexual violence in wartime. Ghostdance, the second part in pre-production, will deal with indigenous femicide in Canada from a fictitious and poetic perspective. The third part, Aimer moins, will be focused on attachment and detachment theories. A film about a blighted and abused childhood, but it is especially a film about the friendship of two friends rehabilitating. Zero Impunity will be available from 15 to 30 June with a live Q&A on 22 June at 2 (CET). Zero Impunity will also be available for viewing on the platform throughout the Festival.

> In Cartoon Network Studios: The Art of Storyboarding, the fans will discover the artists behind some of CNs’ hit series such as Summer Camp Island, The Amazing World of Gumball and Apple & Onion. During this exclusive masterclass, they will share their journeys, learnings and tips for aspiring storyboard artists worldwide from 15 to 30 June. The panelists are:

Mic Graves –The Amazing World of Gumball series director; Elliott From Earth executive producer and series director. 

Julia Pott – Summer Camp Island creator.

Alabaster Pizzo – Summer Camp Island storyboard artist. 

Chuck Klein – Apple & Onion director. 

> Work-in-Progress lineup, a first-look at Baobab Studios’s Baba Yaga — the Asteroid! and Bonfire studio’s latest immersive storytelling experience. Featured speakers will include:

Baobab Studios co-founder Maureen Fan, Baobab Studios co-founder and director Eric Darnell, Baobab Studios co-founder and CTO Larry Cutler, as well as several other key members of the Baobab team such as:

Kane Lee – head of content

Mathias Chelebourg – co-director

Baba Yaga

Ken Fountain – animation supervisor

Glenn Hernandez – production designer

This session will be Available to view from from 15 to 30 June, along with a live Q&A on 22 June at 6pm (CET).

Annecy 2020 is also having a Preview section, where one can catch up on the latest developments in the anticipated animated features:

> Connected – Directed by Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe, it’s a comedy about an everyday family’s struggle to relate while technology rises up around the world! Produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, from Sony Pictures Animation, the film is distributed by Columbia Pictures / SPA.

Yakari

> Yakari – Directed by Xavier Giacometti and Toby Genkel, the film is produced by Dargaud Media, Wunderwerk GmbH and Belvision, distributed by BAC Films. This film revolves around Yakari, the little Sioux boy who sets out on his own to follow the trail of Little Thunder, a wild, untameable mustang. What follows is a great adventure and way back home.

> La Calesita – Directed by Augusto Schillaci, produced by Reel FX, this film tells the heartfelt story of the beloved Argentinian merry-go-round operators who have dedicated their lives to providing fun and happiness to children and their neighborhoods.

Apart from these, two favourite franchises have been added to the Making Of line-up.

> Chicken Run – 20 years after the release of Chicken Run, Nick Park and Peter Lord look back at the making of this film which changed the history of animation and brought Aardman to a new level. The film was distributed by DreamWorks Animation SKG.

> Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 – The filmmakers who created the next chapter in the Frozen saga, had immense pressure on them, in fact more so when cameras were present to capture the last year of production as the team raced against the clock. 

Frozen 2 filmmakers, including Walt Disney Animation Studios’ chief creative officer Jennifer Lee and her fellow director Chris Buck, will share insights into the creation of both the film and the documentary series that followed them through the process. 

Jennifer Lee

Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 is a rare and raw look at the creativity, passion and hard work that go into the craft of animation, giving viewers an insight into the world of artists and storytellers as never before.

The first episode will be available to discover in OV with French subtitles from 26 to 28 June. All six episodes of Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2 will be streamed on Disney+ on 26 June.

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