The Annecy festival gets under way
ANNECY: Seventeen new animated TV series and specials from 12 countries around the world are among the many projects being pitched to buyers and investors at MIFA this week. Here, we showcase what’s on offer in the TV Series & Specials category.
This year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival and MIFA market has spotlighted the ingenuity and global reach of today’s animated storytelling. Among a diverse array of new series and specials presented during the MIFA Pitches – TV Series & Specials strand are 17 projects that span 12 nations, target audiences from preschool to adult, and draw on a remarkable variety of techniques and genres.
French series Beasties explores young-adult relationships
From Estonia comes Adult Bedtime Stories, a 2D computer-animated compendium of 10 shorts of roughly six minutes each. Conceived and directed by Kaspar Jancis and produced by Kadriann Kibus at Tallinn-based Rebel Frame, the series mines literary erotica for an adult audience, layering humour over historical sensuality. Its ambition is to reclaim age‑old erotic narratives through an artful, animated lens.
Also aimed at adults is the French series Beasties – originally Au Secours – a 30×5’ exploration of young-adult relationships. Writer‑director Lola Lefèvre, producing with Judith Nora and Priscilla Bertin at Paris-based Silex Films, captures the emotional turbulence of recent break-ups: intrusive animals, botched hook‑ups, anxiety and libido collide in what promises to be a wry, relatable portrait of navigating one’s 20s.
Hauntingly poignant and also from France, Brune is a 26‑minute, paper‑drawn drama following a 13‑year‑old girl’s descent into grief after the death of her friend in a car crash. With Stella Ramsden and Nicolas de Rosanbo at Paris toon house Eddy Animation producing this family special, director Benoît Michelet brings a deeply emotional, psychological narrative to life through minimalist artistry.
For a preschool audiences, Coco Yoko presents a charming eco‑educational spectacle from Chile and Mexico. Over 52 episodes of 11 minutes each, a curious boy and his whimsical crocodile friend explore nature’s wonders. Conceived and directed by Raúl Alejandro Morales Reyes and produced by Gabriela Noé at Chile’s Zumbastico Studios, part of Pipeline Studios of Toronto, the series promises gentle adventures grounded in environmental awareness.
Little Nico & the Giant Questions is from Brazil’s Birdo with Teremim Studio and Café Com Angu Filmes
Among the animated documentary‑drama hybrids at MIFA, Erased (fka Effacé.e.s) transports viewers through Europe’s overlooked histories from the late 18th century. Over 10×6’ episodes blending animation, archive footage and hip‑hop artists, directors Vladimir Mavounia‑Kouka and Rémy Reboullet (Talweg), with production partners Artichoke (Slovakia), Squarefish (Belgium) and US collaborator Jon Halperin, spotlight marginalised communities. This ambitious YA project seeks to fuse histories with contemporary voices and musical energy.
In lighter fare, the French‑language thriller‑comedy Filip Who Flips – by writer‑director Mehdi Alibeygi – plays on identity and transformation. With a somewhat surreal premise, the 10×8’ series follows an office worker whose alter ego appears in dangerous situations, toggling between fear and a host of humorous, spooky possibilities.
Hair’mess (15×4′), another animated French documentary series, takes a comedic investigative look at hair as cultural and personal taboo. Directed by Vic Roure, Lila Boses and Thibault Llonch, with Clement Treboux at Melting Productions handling production duties, it delivers topical, politically framed storytelling about identity and liberation.
For preschoolers, Brazil’s Little Nico & the Giant Questions (26×11’) features cut‑out and 2D animated visuals. Directed by Marcus Vasconcelos and produced by Brazil prodcos Birdo with Teremim Studio and Café Com Angu Filmes, it follows Nico’s childlike quest to find big answers, drawing from his father’s pocket when life presents its mysteries. Vasconcelos and Vanessa Fort wrote the scripts.
Pouic & Pica centres on a hamster and magpie
French, Canadian and US talent converges in Macanudo, based on Argentinian cartoonist Liniers’ beloved graphic novel of the same name. Over 26 episodes of 11 minutes, producers CJ Kettler (US syndicator King Features), Chantal Ling (Mercury Filmworks of Toronto) and Charlotte de La Gournerie (Sun Creature Studios of France), along with director Andrea Fernandez, revive Henrietta and Martincito’s imaginative adventures with a talking cat and imaginary monster, blending youthful fun with universal fantasy.
French animated documentary Ouch! (Aïe!) offers a raw, intimate exploration of taboo issues in seven 10‑minute episodes. Bianca Scali both directs and designs, with production via Anna Films, in collaboration with producer Constance Le Scouarnec. Through animated footage and photos, the series addresses adult‑themed issues like endometriosis with candour and humour.
Meanwhile, Pouic & Pica, a children’s ecology‑driven adventure from France, sees a hamster and a magpie team up across 52 episodes of 11 minutes to aid wild animals in need. Directed and designed by Elsa Duhamel, this charming series spotlights environmental topics through anthropomorphic comedy.
From the Philippines comes Sun Chaser, a family fantasy with supernatural stakes. Over 12 episodes of 22 minutes, a teenager becomes a Spirit Guardian to rescue his island from a demon‑inflicted curse. Creator‑director Bobby Pontillas, with producer Marlyn Montano, blends Filipino folklore and contemporary adventure, offering a culturally rooted narrative for family viewers.
Argentina’s The Ricochet Splendid, a 20‑minute comedic sci‑fi special, follows a band of misfit heroes in 2065 attempting to save humanity from aliens. Producer Agustin Valcarenghi and director Pablo Gostanian pivot towards humour‑driven YA adventure, with potential crossover into genre‑savvy global markets.
Family fantasy series Sun Chaser is from the Philippines
Adding to the family‑fantasy segment at MIFA this week, Ireland’s The Star‑Child is a 40‑minute standalone adventure that imagines a celestial being landing in a forest and getting adopted by a poor woodcutter. Based on a short story by Oscar Wilde, it is produced by Emma Keane at Irish toon house Eat the Danger, and directed by Paul Ruttledge and Jack O’Shea. This 2D project marries folklore with moral fable, suitable for children.
The diversity of TV series and specials being pitched today at MIFA is notable, from short storyboard anthologies to 10‑part documentaries and longer standalone specials. The series originate from 10 countries, spanning Europe, Latin America, North America and Asia, reflecting the festival’s international breadth. Several reuse classic literature or graphic novels – seen in The Star‑Child and Macanudo – signalling stronger interest in proven IP. Documentary offerings like Hair’mess, Erased and Ouch! also demonstrate animation’s growing use in non‑fiction storytelling.
Production companies from diverse nations including France, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, the Philippines, Ireland, Canada, the US, Brazil, Estonia, Slovakia and Belgium suggest a slate of culturally situated, internationally pitched content. Although no distribution partners or broadcasters are yet attached, the presence of multi‑country coproduction teams suggests strong potential for cross‑territory sales.
The breadth of genres showcased – from erotic historic shorts to narrative documentaries, preschool ecology to adult thriller‑humour – is matched by the variety of animation techniques including 2D computer, paper‑drawing, cut‑outs, clay and mixed media. Opportunity for these projects lies with public broadcasters, eco‑conscious kids’ channels, SVoD children’s hubs and new international documentary windows.
