| Animation First Your Weekend Watch List |
| Online through Mon, Feb 15 Available Across the US Cuddle up with your Valentine and enjoy a treasure trove of animation! Calamity Jane is back by popular demand, Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs added to the program, Shooom’s Odyssey warms the heart, and two of the shorts, Genius Loci and Traces, were shortlisted for the 2021 Oscars. See program highlights below. Get the $20 pass for access to the entire Festival. Films have a 72-hour watch window* once you hit play. |
| *A watch window is the time available to you to finish watching a film after you first hit play. Bambi and Isle of Dogs have 24-hour watch windows and must be started by Sun, Feb 14 before 6pm ET and 7:30pm ET respectively. Unlock Calamity Jane by 11:45pm ET Mon, Feb 15 and watch within 24 hours. All remaining films can be unlocked until 11:45pm ET Monday and have 72-hour watch windows. |
| Nominated for the 2021 Césars |
| Calamity JaneNominated for Best Animated Feature, 2021 César Awards Available through Mon, Feb 15 Dir. Rémi Chayé, 2020 Ages 6 & up If you missed Calamity Jane on opening night, catch it over the final days of the Festival. This feminist western centers on the early life and adventures of the legendary Wild West figure Martha Jane Cannary. Learn more. |
| JosepNominated for Best Animated Feature, 2021 César Awards Available through Mon, Feb 15 Dir. Aurel, 2020 Mature Audiences A touching tribute from one illustrator to another, this debut feature film by Le Monde cartoonist Aurel recounts a painful chapter of French history through the life of Catalonian artist Josep Bartolí. Learn more. |
| Shooom’s OdysseyNominated for Best Animated Short, 2021 César Awards Available through Mon, Feb 15 Dir. Julien Bisaro, 2019 Ages 3 & up This heartwarming tale is set in a seaside town inspired by a lush Louisiana bayou. Born in the midst of a storm, baby owl Shooom must fend for herself and her unhatched sibling. Learn more. |
| Shortlisted for the 2021 Oscars |
| Genius Loci and Traces Shortlisted for Best Animated Short, 2021 Oscars Available through Mon, Feb 15 Genius Loci, directed by Adrien Mérigeau, is part of Best of Annecy. Reine, a young loner, discovers in the urban chaos a lively and vibrant movement, a kind of spirit guide. Traces, part of New French Shorts, beautifully imagines the creation of the Ardèche cave paintings 36,000 years ago. Directed by Hugo Frassetto and Sophie Tavert Macian. Watch them, along with all the Animation First shorts programs. |
| Wes Anderson Selects |
| Acclaimed American filmmaker Wes Anderson, a special guest this year, selected four films that have inspired him and his own Isle of Dogs for the Festival. |
| Isle of DogsAvailable until Sun, Feb 14, 7:30pm ET Dir. Wes Anderson, 2018 Ages 13 & up Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs, follows a young boy’s epic journey in search of his lost dog. This critically-acclaimed 2018 stop-motion sci-fi adventure from Wes Anderson was nominated for an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA. Learn more. |
| BambiHindi- and French-dubbed VersionsAvailable until Sun, Feb 14, 6pm ET Dir. David Hand, 1942 Ages 5 & up Disney’s quintessential masterpiece remains as beautiful and timely as ever, one of the first environmental films and a poignant commentary against violence. Learn more. Also selected by Wes Anderson: A Doonesbury Special, The Plague Dogs, and Peter and the Wolf |
| Special Presentations |
| Focus on African Animation Available through Mon, Feb 15 Curated by Dr. Boukary Sawadogo, founding director of the Harlem African Animation Festival. A selection of shorts showcases the richness and diversity of African animation, as well as contemporary issues facing the continent. For mature audiences. The 2013 feature film Aya of Yop City brings to the screen the best-selling graphic novels by Marguerite Abouet about three teenage friends. For ages 10 & up. |
| Tribute to Paul GrimaultAvailable through Mon, Feb 15Legendary French animator Paul Grimault’s The King and the Mockingbird—based on a Hans Christian Andersen tale—is a wildly satirical and surreal masterpiece about the corrupting nature of power. For ages 8 & up. The Animated World of Paul Grimault, a selection of newly restored shorts, showcases Grimault’s trademark poetic style, exquisite colors, and wry wit. |
| Spotlight on Florence MiailheAvailable through Mon, Feb 15 Miailhe’s richly picturesque films explore subjects such as femininity, the human body, and desire. For mature audiences. View the shorts. Plus, enjoy a peek at Miailhe’s soon-to-be-released debut feature film, The Crossing, the story of two young migrant siblings. |
| Festival Lead Sponsors The Florence Gould Foundation, The Kleinschmidt Family Foundation, Pôle Image Magelis (Angoulême), and Tikehau Capital |
