The Big Picture
- Animation Is Film’s 6th edition will feature a diverse lineup of animated films from around the world, including renowned filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film The Boy and the Heron.
- The festival will also feature a screening of Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.
- The competition section will include a variety of animated films, and the festival will also feature a popular shorts showcase and workshops for attendees to make their own clay models.
Animation is Film (AIF) has announced the slate of films for its upcoming 6th edition. The festival will start with an IMAX presentation of The Boy And The Heron, the latest film from legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki at the TLC Chinese Theater on October 18. The five-day event which will exhibit theatrical presentations, special events, and shorts showcases will close with the Los Angeles premiere of Chicken Run: Dawn Of The Nugget, followed by a Q&A with Oscar-nominated Director Sam Fell, and Peter Lord, the director of the original Chicken Run (2000) movie.
This has been a good year for animated movies and AIF has lots of good ones in store from around the globe. As part of the feature film line-up, Annecy International Animation Film Festival Prize Winners, Robot Dreams and Chicken For Linda! will make their West Coast and US debuts, respectively. Also in the lineup is Japanese feature Phoenix: Reminiscence Of Flower which will make its North American Premiere, while Dreamworks Animation will host a special presentation for its upcoming Trolls Band Together.
Another interesting project is Sony’s The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story, a new Spider-Verse short film, which will see Miles having a panic attack and realizing that reaching out for help can be just as brave an act as protecting his city. Walt Disney Animation Studios’ will have a special theatrical presentation for its narrative short, Once Upon A Studio, which features iconic voices from Disney Animation’s past, including Dwayne Johnson, Paige O’Hara, Jodi Benson, and Josh Gad. Attendees will also witness a “Work-In-Progress” sneak peek of the studio’s upcoming Wish.
Films From Across the Globe Added to Competition Section
The competition section also features animated films from across the globe like Art College 1994, The Concierge, Mars Express, Phoenix: Reminiscence Of Flower, Sirocco And The Kingdom Of The Winds, and many more. Matt Kaszanek, Executive Director of AIF, said of the lineup, “‘Animation Is Film’ is not just the name of our festival, it is its mission. New films from Studio Ghibli and Aardman are seismic cinematic events and a reason for movie lovers of any medium to rejoice. Joining these titles is a collection of some of the most audacious, genre-defying, and critically acclaimed films of the year.” Also, the festival’s popular shorts showcase presented in partnership with Annecy and Women In Animation will highlight the best of female-directed animated films, the annual student film program, and an Aardman Animations-hosted workshop where kids can make their own clay models.
Animation Is Film will take place over five days, October 18-22, in Hollywood.