Toy Story 5 spent another weekend dominating the box office and solidifying its position as the movie to beat for Best Animated Feature at the 2027 Oscars. But across the Atlantic, some potential challengers emerged.
The Annecy International Film Festival, a showcase for the best in global animation, had its share of Hollywood representation. Universal premiered Minions & Monsters and Forgotten Island; Disney debuted footage from Hexed; and Netflix teased Brad Bird’s hugely anticipated Ray Gunn. All those titles will be jockeying for Oscar slots, but there were two notable international features that scooped up the top Annecy prizes on Saturday and also figure to be in the Academy Award mix: The Violinist and Iron Boy.
The Violinist, a poignant hand-drawn film from Singapore directed by Ervin Han and Raúl García, won the Cristal, the fest’s top juried award, for animated feature. The film traces the lives of two childhood friends who bond over their musical gifts only to be driven apart by the Japanese occupation of World War II. The film doesn’t yet have a U.S. distributor or release date, but its high-profile Annecy win will no doubt help. Singapore has never received an Oscar nomination in any category, and The Violinist represents the country’s best chance in years.
France’s Iron Boy, meanwhile, first gained notice following its premiere at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard, where it was snapped up by Sony Pictures Classics. Directed by Louis Clichy, an animator who worked on PIxar classics WALL-E and Up, is a coming-of-age story about a preteen whose medical condition forces him to wear a cumbersome metal brace, hence the title. Iron Boy scored Annecy’s runner-up Jury Prize as well as the Audience Award. The film is slated for an October release in the U.S.
Among shorts, “Paper Trail,” by two-time Oscar nominee Don Hertzfeldt, continues to romp through the festival circuit, taking the Cristal at Annecy months after capturing a Special Jury Award at Sundance and the Audience Award and Best Animated Short at SXSW. The hand-made film employs different techniques to tell the life story of a person in 14 minutes using only sheets of paper. It’s available on Vimeo.
A deeply unsettling animated horror, France’s “God Is Shy” from Jocelyn Charles received the Jury Prize and Audience Award at Annecy. The short, whose style is an homage to hand-drawn Japanese classics, focuses on two art students on a train ride who challenge each other to sketch their deepest fears. The playful contest takes a turn after attracting the attention of a mysterious fellow passenger. The 16-minute film is streaming on Mubi.
Here’s the list of winners at the 2026 Annecy International Film Festival:
Cristal Award for Best Feature Film
The Violinist (La Violonista), directors: Ervin Han, Raúl García, Singapore, Spain, Italy
Jury Award
Iron Boy, directors: Louis Clichy, Eddy, France, Belgium
Paul Grimault Award
Decorado, director: Alberto Vázquez, Spain
Contrechamp Grand Prix
Blaise, directors: Dimitri Planchon, Jean-Paul Guigue, France
Contrechamp Jury Award
A New Dawn, director: Yoshitoshi Shinomiya, Japan, France
Gan Foundation Award for Distribution
Iron Boy, directors: Louis Clichy, Eddy, France, Belgium
Short Film Cristal
“Paper Trail,” director: Don Hertzfeldt, United States
Short Film Jury Award
“God Is Shy,” director: Jocelyn Charles, France
Jean-Luc Xiberras Award for a First Film
Please, director: Anna Mantzaris, Sweden, France, Czech Republic, Norway, Finland
Off-Limits Award
Core Dump, director: Alona Rodeh, Germany
Audience Award for a Feature Film
Iron Boy, directors: Louis Clichy, Eddy, France, Belgium
Audience Award for a Short Film
“God Is Shy,” director: Jocelyn Charles, France
Cristal Award, TV Production
The Great Dreamscape, director: Rémi Durin, Belgium, France
Jury Award, TV Series
Takopi’s Original Sin, director: Shinya Iino, Japan
TV Jury Award, TV Special
Song of the Storms, director: Caroline Attia, France, Belgium
Audience Award, TV Production
The Broos, director: David Mirailles, France
Cristal Award, Commissioned Film
Unloved, directors: Victor Caire, Lucas Navarro, Théophile Dufresne, France
Jury Award, Commissioned Film
Eco Beat, directors: Eva Bienert, Max Mörtl, Austria, Germany
Lotte Reiniger Award
Gently, director: Jamaica Kindlová, Czech Republic
Jury Award, Graduation Film
Dying Embers, director: Léa Pulini, France
Cristal Award, Graduation Film
Ball Face, director: Laurence Thérien, United Kingdom
Cristal Award, Best Immersive Work
A Long Goodbye, directors: Kate Voet, Victor Maes, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands
