Warner Bros. Animation, DC Studios and Warner Home Entertainment will bring Batman: Knightfall to France’s Annecy Animation Festival. The feature film, directed by WB Animation veteran director Jeff Wamester (Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths), is described as “the first in a multi-part animated event that brings to life one of the most iconic and beloved works in Batman comics’ rich history.”
In Part 1, anime fans and Batman fans alike will be lining up for this coveted world premiere in which the fan-favorite caped crusader is pushed to his mental and physical breaking point by a mysterious behemoth known as Bane. Depending on where Batman: Knightfall goes, this could be a big announcement. Many of the recent animated Batman titles are now available on Prime Video.
As June’s Annecy Festival approaches, Batman: Knightfall will be part of the global animation event’s first special screening event, showcasing classic characters, legendary animators and new homages to globally acclaimed animated series.
Another WBD legacy character that features this year’s edition comes with the new Looney Tunes animated short “Daffy Season” from Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. Running over six minutes, the short will have its world premiere at Annecy and will likely be screened during the opening ceremony, continuing the studio’s long-standing collaboration with the festival. In last year’s trailer for Ben Bokre, also produced by Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, when Bugs Bunny took the stage to introduce each festival’s film, all the festival-goers shouted “Lapin” (one of Annecy’s many unique traditions as soon as a rabbit appears on screen) even louder than usual.
Continuing in the Looney Tunes tradition of dynamic energy and dry humor, this year’s film finds Daffy Duck grappling with Elmer Fudd’s latest obsession: soccer, setting the stage for classic Looney Tunes chaos as Daffy Duck approaches his 90th anniversary in 2027.
Annecy also announced the exclusive world premiere of not one but two episodes of the new Ghost in the Shell series, as well as a behind-the-scenes event with key creators of the new animated adaptation. The core creative team, including critically acclaimed Dan Da Dan and Scott Pilgrim director Moko-chan and producers Kohei Sakita, Kengo Abe and Daichi Sasa, will guide Annecy viewers through the evolution of the project and share unique insights into the world-building, characterization and CG techniques of Masamune Shirow’s legendary manga.
Decades after its first publication in 1989, the futuristic story of Motoko Kusanagi, a full-body cyborg who begins to lead the anti-crime unit Shell Squad at the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and questions her mission, purpose and identity, once again proves its enduring relevance through this new adaptation. The show is produced by world-class studio Science Sal Co., Ltd., Bandai Namco Filmworks Co., Ltd. and Kodansha Co., Ltd., and is scheduled to premiere in July 2026.
“The world’s most famous cyberpunk series is coming to Annecy,” Jean emphasized.
Also, 11 years after the Academy Award-nominated short “Prologue,” the special screening of “Lysistrata” marks the posthumous return to Annecy of favorite animator and three-time Academy Award winner Richard Williams, who passed away in 2019 after a career spanning more than 60 years in the animation industry.
Marcel Jean, Artistic Director of Annecy, said: “The renowned Richard Williams is inextricably linked to the history of Annecy, and it is a great honor to be able to present this final work to the festival’s visitors, as it once again proves the extraordinary talent of its creator.”
The acclaimed animation director for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and an Individual Award for Special Achievement, wrote, adapted, and animated this short as part of a feature film based on Aristophanes’ comedy of the same name. “Prologue” was the first part of the project, and “Lysistrata” is now Richard Williams’ animated testament, following Lysistrata and the women of Athens and Sparta as they go on a sex strike and make drastic decisions to end the war between the cities. Richard Williams hand-drawed more than 9,000 animation drawings for the film, which stars Caronike as the voice and Meera Char as Lysistrata. The six-minute short was produced by Canadian-British producer and director Imogen Sutton, Williams’ widow.
Annecy’s full program will be announced on April 28th, with competitions for short films, television films and commissioned films already open. Annecy will be held from June 21st to 27th.
