Since its establishment, the "SIFF Animation" unit of the Shanghai International Film Festival has been highly regarded and loved by animation fans. This unit allows animation fans to expand their international horizons by showing excellent animation works from countries and regions around the world, and to roam freely in the animation world that is like the vast universe, and feel the surprise and imagination of animation. Today, we will introduce the first batch of films in the "SIFF Animation" unit. There are both niche art masterpieces of different styles and super hits that are highly anticipated. The following is a detailed introduction to them:
Kingdom of the Winds (2023)
Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds
Benoît Chieux
Highlights:
A French animation masterpiece that inherits the aesthetics of Ghibli
Four-year-old Juliet and her sister Carmen discover a secret passage to the extraordinary world of their favorite book, The Kingdom of the Winds. Here, they are transformed into human-shaped cats and soon meet Scirocco, a blue-haired wizard who can control the wind. The sisters gradually discover that leaving this magical world is not an easy task... From the title, the audience can feel the imitation and tribute to the Ghibli animation Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, while the narrative and style of the film are reminiscent of Howl's Moving Castle. Director Benoit Thieu once mentioned the profound influence of the classic animation The King and the Bird on him. In this film, he also borrowed psychedelic elements such as the Beatles' Yellow Submarine MV to create a world full of pure imagination, dark but unusually comfortable. The Kingdom of the Winds wanders between the fantasy of breathing and tells a story about how we will protect and remember the people we love.
Nina and the Secret of the Hedgehog (2023)
Nina and the Hedgehog's Secret
Jean-Loup Felicioli/Alain Gagnol
Highlights:
Film noir aesthetics and bright painting style compose a love story
10-year-old Nina always has all kinds of fantastic ideas about the hedgehog stories her father tells her. But when her father loses his job, her life changes dramatically. Nina begins to worry about the future of her family. In order to save her father's career, she decides to embark on a thrilling adventure with her good friend Mehdi... Directors Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Ganol's previous works have used crime and suspense as the main elements. "A Cat in Paris" was nominated for the 82nd Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. In this film, the aesthetic style and crime elements of film noir still exist, but the style is very bright and fresh. The director draws a lot of inspiration from classic film noir and hard-boiled novels and joins Nina's adventure. In the director's view, crime is just a unique narrative method. The important thing is to use it to present a story about love, friendship and courage in the film.
Mars Express (2023)
Mars Express
Jérémie Périn
Highlights:
French cyberpunk pays tribute to classics
As a rare cyberpunk animation masterpiece in recent years, "Mars Express" is set in the near future after the immigration to Mars. Robots/cyborgs are everywhere. Detective Irene and her old partner who was reincarnated as a cyborg after death were hired to track down a hacker suspected of maliciously manipulating robots. They were accidentally involved in a missing case and discovered that there was a bigger conspiracy hidden on this planet. The story of the film inevitably reminds people of classics in film history such as "Ghost in the Shell" and "Blade Runner", and many details can also be seen as tributes to ingenuity. The director himself once admitted that he drew inspiration from the works of Japanese animation masters such as Mamoru Oshii, Satoshi Kon and Katsuhiro Otomo. All kinds of clues are left to be traced on the screen. The film was shortlisted for the main competition unit of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and was also screened in the "Beach Screening" unit of the Cannes Film Festival.
Hannah and the Monster (2023)
Hanna and the Monsters
Lorena Ares
Highlights:
4-year-old girl stirs up the monster world
Four-year-old Hannah accidentally breaks into the secret world where the monsters live, causing them to panic. If Hannah can't return in time, she will be trapped here forever, and humans will break into the secret world in search of her, which is exactly what the monsters are most worried about... Director Lorena Ares's warm and tender animated feature reminds us of Pixar's classic animation "Monsters, Inc." It uses a wonderful story to tell us a truth: break prejudices and accept each other, and everyone's characteristics can contribute to the team.
The Inventor (2023)
The Inventor
Jim Capobianco/Pierre-Luc Granjon
Highlights:
All-Star Stop-Motion Animation Recreates Leonardo da Vinci's Later Years
Jim Capobianco, who was nominated for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Ratatouille, teamed up with French veteran animation director Pierre-Luc Grandjon to make the stop-motion animation The Inventor, which was shortlisted for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival's main competition unit and nominated for the Annie Award for Best Independent Animation. The film focuses on the last years of Leonardo da Vinci's life, when he left Italy for the French court and was free to experiment, invent flying devices and various incredible machines, and explore the ultimate meaning of life. Leonardo da Vinci's fantastic ideas and the wild imagination of animation seem to fit naturally, and the all-star voice cast consisting of Daisy Ridley, Marion Cotillard and Stephen Fry also adds a lot to the film.
Monster Girl (2023)
Scarygirl
Ricard Cussó/Tania Vincent
Highlights:
Gothic Octopus Girl Saves Her Father
Abandoned little girl Archie is raised by a kind octopus. Suddenly one day, her octopus father is kidnapped. Archie must break through layers of obstacles to rescue her father, and her strength comes from her unique self. "Scary Girl" is a classic image created by Australian illustrator Nathan Jurevicius. The prototype of the quirky Archie is his little daughter. This popular IP has also been adapted into games and other products. The film was produced by John Stevenson, the director of "Kung Fu Panda". It retains the rich and rich colors of Scary Girl and has a subtle stop-motion animation style. The two directors won the Australian Directors Guild Award for Best Animation Director for this film.
Spell Warriors: Legend of August (2023)
Mantra Warrior: The Legend of the Eight Moons
Veerapatra Jinanavin
Highlights:
Mecha War God Twin Monkeys Defeat Demons
This is an ancient legend. Whenever eight moons are in a line, a "magic warrior" with extraordinary power will appear to protect the balance of the world. The film is inspired by the epic masterpiece "Ramajian", the source of traditional Thai literary and artistic creation. It is transformed into a futuristic and gorgeous space opera with a sense of the future. In the film, characters in ancient myths and legends such as Rama, Sita, and Tossakan are given new images and vitality. The plot of the two monkeys defeating the demons in the eight consecutive moons, Hanumaan, a white monkey, and Nilapat, a black monkey, is not only exciting, but also a significant deconstruction of traditional classics.
Pushkin and Mikhailovskoye Estate (2023)
Pushkin and... Mikhailovskoye. Beginning
Ekaterina Gavryushkina
Highlights:
The Rural Fantasy Adventure of "The Sun of Russian Poetry"
What kind of chemical reaction will happen when a passionate and imaginative poet meets the ancient and mysterious rural world? In 1824, the exiled Pushkin returned to his father's farm in Mikhailovskoye Village, forever changing the face of Russian literature. Ekaterina Gavlyushkina's animation is based on this period of history. The Russia in the film and her proud poet are like a tolerant mother and a naughty son. In addition to the innocence and childishness, they often reveal their nostalgia and attachment to classical harmony, which seems a bit different in today's film industry where "breaking the old and establishing the new" is popular.
Extinction Rescue (2024)
Extinction
Behnoud Nekooei
Highlights:
The little boy fought side by side with the big tiger to realize his heroic dream
Mussen, a boy who is crazy about superheroes, meets the endangered tiger Tiggy during a wild dinner. He is determined to protect Tiggy and help it escape the pursuit of poachers. A thrilling forest survival battle begins and they fight side by side and become close comrades. Director Benoît Naycouet's first animated feature film creates a heroic myth full of childlike fun and will be screened at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentacle (2024)
Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram
Nagaoka Tomoka
Highlights:
The truth about Kaito Kidd is finally revealed
As a long-lasting and popular national anime IP, "Detective Conan" has launched a theatrical version of the film every year in Japan since 1997, with a cumulative audience of over 100 million people. In recent years, the theatrical versions have also been introduced to China, and every year they are a holiday for Chinese fans. This film is the 27th work in the series, set in Hakodate, Hokkaido, and unfolds a wonderful story around a mysterious Japanese sword. This time, another famous detective Hattori Heiji and the popular character in the series, Kaito Kid, will appear and have a confrontation, and the most anticipated thing is that the mystery of Kid's identity will also be revealed in a shocking way! The film was released in Japan on April 12, and domestic fans will have the opportunity to taste it first in this year's "SIFF Animation" unit.
Tickets for this year's film festival will go on sale on the Tao Piaopiao platform at 12 noon on June 7.
Note: If the film list changes, please refer to the actual schedule.
