Disney has lots of new animated projects coming to our screens this year and for the first time Walt Disney Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Animation, Lucasfilm, Disney Television Animation and 20th Television Animation will come together at the Annecy Film Festival to celebrate the very best of creativity and innovation in animation.

The Festival is thrilled to welcome the talented creators from The Walt Disney Company’s iconic studios to present a preview of their upcoming productions. The film festival takes place from June 8th through to June 14th 2025 in Annecy, France.

The Walt Disney Studios is preparing to make a big splash at Annecy International Film Festival this June, with exciting appearances, Q&As, content, panels and surprises from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Animation, Lucasfilm, Disney Television Animation and 20th Television Animation.

This year, the Festival welcomes studio leaders Pete Docter (Pixar Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer) and Jared Bush (Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer, Zootopia 2 Director/Writer), special honorees including celebrated Disney Animation director Ron Clements (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Princess and the Frog) and The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, and renowned filmmakers and creative executives behind highly anticipated titles including Disney Animation’s Zootopia 2, Pixar’s Elio, Marvel Animation’s Eyes of Wakanda and 20th Television Animation’s The Simpsons.

Festival attendees will be treated to behind-the-scenes details, insight and a pair of exclusive screenings, including a new short and a full episode, respectively, from Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Visions and Star Wars: Tales of the Empire.

Here’s a look at what’s coming to the event:

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Making his first appearance at the Annecy Festival, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer & Oscar-winning Director/Writer Jared Bush (Encanto, Zootopia, Moana) will unveil a sneak peek of the upcoming theatrical release Zootopia 2—a film he is directing (with Byron Howard) and writing—on Friday, June 13, at the Bonlieu Scène nationale. The sequel to the global phenomenon sees detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde on the twisting trail of a mysterious reptile who turns the animal metropolis upside down. The film is set for a theatrical release on November 26th, 2025.

Adding to the excitement, legendary Disney Animation Director Ron Clements (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, Moana) will be honored with an induction into Annecy’s prestigious Walk of Fame.

Festival attendees will also get the chance to experience once again the original Zootopia with a special open-air screening on the evening of June 14th, on Le Pâquier.

Pixar

Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc., Up, Inside Out, Soul) will host an exclusive presentation on Friday, June 13, at the Bonlieu Scène nationale, showcasing Pixar’s upcoming slate of animated titles.

Docter will be joined on stage by Elio Directors Madeline Sharafian (Burrow SparkShort) and Domee Shi (Bao short, Turning Red), and Producer Mary Alice Drumm (Coco). They will offer a sneak peek of footage from the 2025 Summer Pixar Animation Studio feature, which follows Elio, a young boy and space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. So, when he’s beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio’s all in for the epic undertaking. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s leader, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.

Following Elio, Docter will continue to explore Pixar’s upcoming films, including first looks at the studio’s 2026 releases Hoppers, a heartwarming story about Mabel, an animal lover who seizes an opportunity to use new technology to ‘hop’ human consciousness into life-like robotic animals; and Toy Story 5, in which the Toys encounter new challenges when technology enters the picture.

Speaking of Toy Story, 2025 is the classic’s 30th anniversary, and in celebration of this milestone, Docter will share little-before-seen footage of Pixar as a nascent studio working to create this film that would forever change animation. For nearly three decades, audiences have followed the adventures of Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and their fellow toy friends, and to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of Toy Story, the Annecy International Animation Festival is the place to be.

In recognition of his contributions to animation, Oscar-winning Director Pete Docter will also be inducted into Annecy’s Walk of Fame.

Marvel Animation

During a Making-of Session on Monday, June 9, Marvel Animation will host an exclusive premiere screening of the first episode of the action-adventure series Eyes of Wakanda. The story follows the adventures of brave Wakandan warriors throughout history. In this globe-trotting adventure, the heroes must carry out dangerous missions to retrieve Vibranium artifacts from the enemies of Wakanda. They are the Hatut Zaraze and this is their story.

Director and Executive Producer Todd Harris will be on hand for a conversation about the four-episode series event, which premieres August 6, 2025, exclusively on Disney+.

Disney Branded Television

During a Studio Focus session on Tuesday, June 10, attendees will get an exclusive look at the upcoming anime-inspired Disney+ Original series Dragon Striker. Set in a world where sports and magic combine, the creative team at Chouette Studios, including Executive Producer and Co-Creator Sylvain Dos Santos, Director and Co-Creator Charles Lefebvre, Head Writer Paul McKeown, and Art Director Claire Sun, will take audiences through the creative development journey of the series, from the genesis of the project to the international music studio sessions and the artistic complexities involved in the production process, accompanied by stunning visuals.

Additionally, animated buddy comedy, Kiff, will compete as an official TV Films selection at this year’s festival.

20th Television Animation

Visionary Matt Groening, creator and executive producer of The Simpsons, along with Executive Producer and Showrunner Matt Selman and consulting Producer/Animator David Silverman, will attend the Festival. Widely recognized as the world’s largest animation festival, Annecy will honor Groening’s extraordinary contributions to animation and pop culture this year and will provide fans and professionals with the rare opportunity to experience unique moments with Groening, Selman and Silverman, who all bring The Simpsons to life.

The trio will participate in several key events during the Festival, including an exclusive Screening Event on June 10, where they will share insights into the creation of The Simpsons and its impact on the animation industry. The Screening Event will be followed by a Q&A session and a signing event, giving fans the chance to interact with these animation legends. That same day, an Honorary Cristal will be presented to Groening in recognition of his outstanding contribution to animation.

On June 11, Silverman will take part in a live drawing session at the Campus Mifa.

These special events dedicated to Groening, Selman and Silverman will provide attendees with a rare glimpse into their artistic vision and lasting influence on the world of animation.

Lucasfilm

Lucasfilm will present the world premiere of Black, a brand-new Star Wars: Visions short from David Production as part of the Short Films competition. Black is written and directed by legendary animator Shinya Ohira, who also served as character designer, animation director and a key animator. The short follows a psychedelic battle between past and present, light and dark, and life and death that plays out in the haunted psyche of an Imperial trooper who is on the cusp of defeat.

The third volume of Star Wars: Visions, comprising of nine shorts by nine visionary Japanese anime studios, will be streamed on Disney+ later this year.

Lucasfilm will also present Devotion, an episode from the critically acclaimed Star Wars: Tales of the Empire, in the Official Selection TV Films Competition. Created by Supervising Director Dave Filoni (The Clone Wars, The Mandalorian) and directed by Saul Ruiz, this chapter follows former Jedi Barriss Offee, once an enemy of the Republic, who is inducted into the New Galactic Empire’s division of Inquisitors.

Roger’s Take: It’s great to see Disney heading to the Annecy Film Festival to showcase so many of its projects. Hopefully, those of us who are not attending will also get to see some footage from the event!

What are you hoping to see revealed at the Annecy Film Festival? Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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