Pictured: Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, Nimona, Orion and the Dark, The Monkey King
The Annecy Film Festival is in full flow this week and Netflix has been actively participating with a slate of movies and series showcased throughout the festival. Here’s a rundown of everything that was announced.
Taking place in the quaint town in Southern France, Annecy Festival is the annual animating festival that brings together top talents from around the globe to showcase their upcoming projects and pay respects to released titles.
Netflix first unveiled its lineup for the Annecy Film Festival in late April 2023, and via the See What’s Next Panel, other panels and snippets of information, here’s everything we learned:
Leo directors, Robert Marianetti and David Wachtenheim; Blue Eye Samurai supervising director and producer Jane Wu; Leo director Robert Smigel; Blue Eye Samurai executive producer, Erwin Stoff; Chicken Run director, Sam Fell; host Brooke Keesling; Chicken Run producer, Leyla Hobart; executive producer, Peter Lord; Nimona director, Troy Quane; creator, ND Stevenson, director, Nick Bruno
Big Mouth (Season 7)
Coming to Netflix: Fall 2023
Picture: Netflix
We’ve known for a while that Big Mouth will be returning for a seventh season later in 2023, but we got another confirmation plus a first look courtesy of a sizzle reel of the forthcoming season. As you may know, Big Mouth also was renewed for a season 8.
Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix
Coming to Netflix: October 19th
Picture: Ubisoft
First announced in 2021, we’ve finally had more information about the new Captain Laserhawk series from visionary creator Adi Shankar.
We got our first look at the series on Monday at the Ubisoft Forward event. On Tuesday, we exclusively revealed Netflix was eying an October 19th release date.
On Thursday, the series will be presented at Annecy as a work-in-progress with Mehdi Leffad (Director, Bobbypills); Balak (Art Director, Bobbypills); Jérémie Bonnouvrier (Production Director, Bobbypills); Hugo Revon (Development Director, Ubisoft Film & Television) and Claire Rieuneau (Development Manager, Ubisoft Film & Television).
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Coming to Netflix: December 15th
Picture: Aardman / Netflix
We already knew that the long-awaited sequel to Chicken Run was eying a December release date but now we’ve got official confirmation that the movie is set to release on December 15th, 2023.
At Annecy, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget was presented by Sam Fell, Leyla Hobart, and Peter Lord. Lord commented on showcasing the sequel at Annecy, saying:
“It’s wonderful to be returning to Annecy, the greatest animation festival in the world. I came here years ago with Nick Park when we co-directed our first movie Chicken Run. We both felt that there hadn’t been nearly enough truly memorable chicken heroes in movies, and we set out to correct that injustice with our film. Since then, it’s been amazing to watch those characters become beloved by audiences all over the world. Well now they’re making their return in Dawn of the Nugget – a thrilling new chapter which I’m delighted to say is being directed by the equally amazing Sam Fell. For all of us, humans and chickens alike, the adventure continues.”
Leo
Coming to Netflix: November 21st
Picture: Netflix
A sneak peek at the coming-of-age animated musical comedy Leo starring Adam Sandler, set to release in November 2023 debuted at Annecy Film Festival presented by directors Robert Marianetti, Robert Smigel, and David Wachtenheim with the added bonus of a recorded message from Sandler himself.
Speaking about the movie the trio of directors said:
“It’s been a long journey for us, from making cartoons for grownups on Saturday Night Live to directing an animated musical about a class pet, but we’re thrilled to be here in Annecy to share it. Leo is voiced by Adam Sandler and of course it’s silly and funny but it’s also about honest emotions and situations that every kid (and parent) experiences in elementary school. We hope people of all ages will relate to it.”
Footage to come.
Nimona
Coming to Netflix: June 30th, 2023
Several new snippets from Nimona, including a brand new trailer and new poster art for the movie.
A behind-the-scenes panel is also due to take place for the movie on Thursday, May 15th, at Annecy following the worldwide premiere of the movie presented by Nick Bruno & Troy Quane (directors), ND Stevenson (creator), Karen Ryan & Julie Zackary (producers) in the evening of the 14th.
Speaking about the world premiere, directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane said:
“After a long journey, full of unexpected twists and unforeseen turns, we are all so excited to be able to share Nimona with the world and to finally talk about the challenges and joys that went into bringing this film to life! There’s no better place we could imagine unveiling the film than right here in Annecy, at the preeminent animation festival in the world. Surrounded by like minded people who love animation and the art behind creating cinema with this medium makes the Annecy audience a dream to share our creative journey with. We know once you meet Nimona, you’ll love her as much as we do!!”
Orion and the Dark
Coming to Netflix: 2024
Read our full preview for Orion and the Dark.
Orion and the Dark – Cr: DreamWorks Animation © 2023
The big surprise for the event was undoubtedly the announcement that DreamWorks Animation is working with Oscar-winning writer Charlie Kaufman on a new adaptation of the children’s book. Better yet, the movie was announced to be heading directly to Netflix.
The announcement came with three first-look stills at the new movie alongside the news that Jacob Tremblay would voice Orion and Paul Walter Hauser would voice Dark.
Untitled Series from Jorge R. Gutierrez
Maya and the Three – Picture: Netflix
Jorge R. Gutierrez not only presented the Annecy Film Festival (which had a particular emphasis on Mexico this year) but also announced a brand new series set within the world of Maya and the Three, the excellent animated limited series.
We also got an update on the already announced I, Chihuahua, with some pictures showcased during the event. Perhaps more surprisingly, the title is now referred to as a series instead of a movie which is how it was initially announced.
Other Netflix Titles Presented at Annecy Film Festival 2023
Some titles were presented that we don’t yet have any assets for what was shown. These include:
- Blue Eye Samurai (Season 1) – Coming to Netflix in Fall 2023 – Presented by Erwin Stoff and Jane Wu
- Exploding Kittens (Season 1) – Coming to Netflix in 2023
- Mech Cadets
- Pokémon Concierge (Season 1) – Coming to Netflix in 2023
- The Monkey King (Movie) – Coming to Netflix on August – Presented by Anthony Staachi, Peilin Chou and Stephen Chow
What was your favorite new announcement at Annecy Film Festival? Let us know in the comments down below.
Netflix Synopsis: "Teenage friends find their lives upended by the wonders and horrors of puberty in this edgy comedy from real-life pals Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg."
