Annecy Opens on Note of Artistic Defiance as Disney Premieres Centenary Short ‘Once Upon a Studio’

variety.com:

Ben Croll Three days after a barbarous playground attack left the lakeside town in grief and shock, and in an amphitheater facing the public park where the tragedy occurred, the Annecy Intl.

Animation Festival inaugurated this year’s edition with a show of solidarity and communal defiance. “In response to barbarity, this festival will hold up creativity and artistic perspective,” said event organizer Dominique Puthod as he addressed the lively crowd. “You will bring color and wonder to the eyes of young and old alike, on bruised and battered paper, as a tribute to life.” “The best response to this tragedy is to live even more forcefully and more intensely,” added Annecy mayor François Astorg. “With this conviction art and culture celebrates life, and enables us to change the world to make it a better place.” With those rousing words, the animation showcase kicked off what promises to be a banner edition, boasting record attendance numbers, a substantial studio presence, and a spotlight on Mexico’s animation industry.

Annecy lost little time honoring both transatlantic delegations, preceding the screening of opening film “Sirocco and the Kingdom of Air Streams” with the charming, black-and-white short “Kikiriki” from Mexican animator Ram Tamez (“The Beast”), followed by the world premiere of the Disney’s “Once Upon A Studio,” from directors Dan Abraham and Trent Correy.

A passion project, started on the fly in anticipation of the Mouse House’s centenary this year, the nine-minute short brings nearly one hundred characters back to life, throwing hand-drawn, CG and live action characters into a dizzy mix as they collectively buzz around the Roy E.