The "SIFF Animation" section of the Shanghai International Film Festival has been highly regarded and loved by animation enthusiasts since its establishment. This section, by showcasing excellent animation works from countries and regions around the world, allows animation enthusiasts to expand their international horizons, wander freely in the animation world that is like the vast universe, and feel the wonder and imagination of animation.
The latest official international poster of "Ranbiwa"
Today, we would like to introduce to you the first batch of films in this year's "SIFF Animation" unit, including "Ranbiwa", which combines the traditional aesthetics of Chinese animation, folk mythology and two-dimensional hand-painted ink style; the surrealist new work "Sanatorium in the Sand Mirror" by the Quai brothers; "Space Apprentice", the first animation work of Canadian cross-border artist and musician Koala Boy; "Garden Boat Trip", a French animation in which the 86-year-old animation master uses light poetry to show the warmth of the times; "Grandma's Death", in which four animation directors work together to heal the pain with love and stories; the latest theatrical version of "The Rose of Versailles", one of the three immortal masterpieces of Japan in the 1970s; the second part of the "Mononoke" theater version, which has been loved by the audience for 18 years and is smoother than the previous one; "Miss Moxxi", a story about a kitten who returns to her owner after 13 years, is based on real events in the UK.
The screening list for this unit is as follows:
Ranbiwa (2025)
A STORY ABOUT FIRE
Director: Li Wenyu
Highlights: Shanghai Animation Film Studio’s new film, an aesthetic awakening engraved in its DNA
In ancient times, a monkey raised by humans followed in the footsteps of his mother Awubaji and came to the sacred mountain to search for the secret of "warmth". Finally, after going through thousands of dangers, he obtained the fire and achieved nirvana.
The film is produced by Shanghai Film (Group) Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio Co., Ltd., and is selected into the "Newcomers and New Works" program of Shanghai Film Group. Director Li Wenyu studied under Ma Xuan, the director of "Mountain and Water Love". In the film, he combines traditional oriental charm with modern art aesthetics and reinterprets the Sichuan Qiang folk legend "Ranbiwa Stealing Fire". The film uses unique ink painting brushstrokes, bold and sharp colors and clever white space to create a mysterious and profound visual conception.
During the production stage, the film was selected for the WIP unit of the Annecy International Animation Festival in France, which is known as the "Oscars" of the animation industry. After the film was completed, it was shortlisted for the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival's New Generation Kplus competition unit.
Sanatorium under the sand mirror (2024)
SANATORIUM UNDER THE SIGN OF THE HOURGLASS
Director: Quay Brothers
What to watch: The latest film by a film master who influenced Nolan and Terry Gilliam
The Quay brothers' new surrealist work "Sanatorium in the Sand Mirror" is adapted from Bruno Schulz's novel of the same name. The film tells the story of the protagonist Joseph who takes a ghost train to a remote sanatorium to visit his dying father, but falls into time confusion and finds that death has not really come. In the sanatorium, he experiences a dreamlike interweaving of time and space, gradually exploring the boundaries of memory and identity.
The film combines Gothic stop-motion animation with live-action shooting techniques to create a visual world where decadent reality and surreal fantasy are intertwined. The Quay brothers' unique visual style has influenced film masters including Terry Gilliam and Christopher Nolan. The film was selected for the "Venice Day" section of the 2024 Venice International Film Festival and received high praise from critics.
The Garden Boat Trip (2024)
A BOAT IN THE GARDEN
Director: Jean-François Raggio
Highlights: The 86-year-old animation master uses lightness and poetry to show the warmth of the times
In 1949, in a small town on the Marne River in post-war France, ten-year-old François discovered that he was not his father's biological son. He also found that his father was secretly building a small sailboat in the home garden. This boat witnessed a navigator's first round-the-world trip in 1895.
The 86-year-old animation master Jean-François Raggio injects imaginative and poetic emotional expression into the film with a light and humorous brushstroke. The clever light and shadow effects and the delicate texture of the charcoal sketches, combined with the gypsy jazz music, outline the daily life of that era - the boy on a bicycle, the first love by the river, the figure of Gary Cooper in the movie...
The film was screened at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and was shortlisted for the main competition unit of the 2024 Annecy International Animation Festival.
Grandma's Death (2025)
TALES FROM THE MAGIC GARDEN
Directors: David Soukup, Patrick Pasch, Leon Vidmar, Jean-Claude Hoze
Highlights: Four senior animation creators use stop-motion animation to heal trauma
Tom, Susanna and Derek, three siblings under ten years old, are about to spend the weekend alone with their grandfather for the first time. Since their beloved grandmother passed away, their grandfather has become taciturn and the whole family seems to be immersed in sadness. Smart Susanna begins to imitate her grandmother's storytelling, and the house is once again lit up by all kinds of magical stories of adventure, humor and fantasy.
Under the clever interpretation of the four directors, "storytelling", a simple family tradition, exudes a magical healing power, which not only heals the trauma of a family in the film, but also overflows the screen and heals every audience. The four directors are senior animation creators and are frequent guests of international animation film festivals. This time they joined forces to tell how love and imagination heal the trauma in life through classic stop-motion animation technology, showing the world the magical power of "storytelling".
Space Trainee (2025)
SPACE CADET
Director: Koala Boy
Highlights: No dialogue but stunning the audience, a hymn to love and life
Canadian cross-border artist and musician Koala Boy has composed soundtracks for films such as The Great Gatsby and Looper. Space Trainee is his first animated feature film, adapted from his graphic novel of the same name. This dialogue-free work amazed the audience at its premiere in the New Generation Kplus Competition Unit of the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival, winning applause from the audience.
The story tells the story of a young astronaut named Celeste who was separated from her robot partner during her first interstellar journey. She encountered various challenges and crises in the vast universe, but fortunately, her warm childhood memories became her strength and hope to move forward. When the director wrote this story about farewell and growth, it was at a turning point in her life when her grandmother passed away and her daughter was born. This unique life experience made this animation about "home is the voice of the soul".
The Rose of Versailles (2025)
THE ROSE OF VERSAILLES
Director: Yoshimura Ai
Highlights: A new animated theatrical version of a classic masterpiece that has been passed down for half a century
The story revolves around two women with very different fates during the French Revolution. One is Oscar, a general who was raised as a "son" and dressed as a man, and the other is Marie, a pure and noble princess who married from Austria to France. They met in the glorious Palace of Versailles in the second half of the 18th century, struggled forward in the turbulent tide of the times, and wrote a magnificent and sad chapter together.
The original manga by Ikeda Riyoko was first serialized in a magazine in 1972, with a cumulative circulation of over 20 million copies. It has been staged many times by the Takarazuka Revue and has also been adapted into a popular Japanese TV animation. This legendary story remains as vivid as ever more than 50 years later, and will be revived in a new theatrical animation.
Monster Cat: Fire Rat (2025)
MONONOKE THE MOVIE:CHAPTER II - THE ASHES OF RAGE
Director: Kenji Nakamura, Kiyotaka Suzuki
Highlights: The sword of exorcism is unsheathed again, a unique work that interweaves beauty and weirdness
The TV animation "Mononokemon" series has been broadcast since 2007 and is still loved by the audience after 18 years. It launched the first theatrical animation "Mononokemon: Kara Umbrella" in 2024. Under the enthusiastic anticipation of fans, the second theatrical version "Mononokemon: Fire Rat" was also officially released.
The story takes place in the deep palace "Ooku" of the Edo period. The conspiracy and struggle over the issue of succession intensifies, and bizarre incidents of spontaneous human combustion occur one after another. The protagonist, the medicine seller, who carries the "Exorcist Sword", reappears and fights fiercely with the alien "fire rat" bred by the women's inner love.
This work continues the essence of the "Mononoke" series, using the texture of Japanese paper to create a gorgeous and splendid world like Ukiyo-e, presenting a high-density aesthetic and original visual style.
Cat Lady Moxie (2025)
MISS MOXY
Director: Vincent Barr, Vip Vernoy
Highlights: The kitten's thrilling journey home is based on a true story.
Proud cat lady Moses and her cat friends have always rejected other animals. One day, Moses and her little master Josie's family went to a farm for vacation, but the farmer secretly hid Moses, who played the piano, in order to prepare for an animal show. After failing to find her, Josie left the farm sadly. In order to go home, Moses formed an alliance with the animals she once disliked and embarked on an adventure...
This film is inspired by a true story: a tabby cat in the UK miraculously returned to its owner after 13 years. The director recreates the pet cat's thrilling journey home, and the wonderful soundtrack accurately highlights every touching moment of laughter and tears. It is during this adventurous journey that Miss Cat puts aside her prejudices and realizes the true meaning of friendship.
Note: If the film list changes, please refer to the actual schedule.
