A market at half mast, from studios in difficulty, the animation sector affected by a massive crisis

For the past year, the animation cinema market has been in recession for lack of orders for American platforms. After a prosperous period, redemptions, straightenings and even liquidations are now commonplace in a saturated sector.

However, the year had started well. In January, the animated feature film To flow Wins a Golden Globe, then won in two categories to the Oscars. In the running for the statuette of the best foreign film, the Latton feature film leaves with the prize for the best animated film against Vice-versa 2,, Memoirs of a snail AND The wild robot.

In Annecy, during the opening ceremony of the International Animation Film Festival, Dominique Puthod, president of the Citia, (city of image and creative industry) and departmental advisor does not hide his pride: it is thanks to the festival that the director of To flowGints Zilbalodis, was noticed with his first film, Elsewhere For which he received a prize in 2019. Focused on the future of animation cinema, he designs the Annecy festival as “The future of the subsidiary”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtzb_tyqbu8

Alongside the director of the Mickaël Marin festival, Dominique Puthod will take the lead of the future international city of animation cinema which will open its doors, in the old stud farms, next year so that“Annecy is no longer the capital of animation seven days a year but 365 days out of 365”. So, will the animation cinema flow in good days under the Annécian sun?

The festival assumes this ambition, encouraged by its 18,000 accredited and the 117 countries represented. However, a major crisis affects the animated cinema sector, in great difficulty. Last year, the Technicolor Group studio was sold for cutting, Teamto was bought to escape liquidation. The Solid Anim Paris and Digital District studios were placed in recovery, while the company Malouine O2O (Idefix and irreducible) did not survive the crisis.

Faced with this situation, the director of the festival does not veil his face. “There is indeed a major crisis in France, he recognizes. This is the result of a post-Cavid market correction caused by the drop in platform orders. “ The burst of the bubble was all the more important since the studios encouraged by the enthusiasm for animation during the pandemic developed their activity and recruited to meet demand. Since then, platforms have favored profitability to the diversity of the offer.

Optimist, Mickaël Marin hopes a return to normal and put on the festival to give a boost to the studios through its economic branch: the international animated film market. For the first time the MIFA, which celebrates its 40th anniversary, launches meetings between distributors and operators. A novelty imagined to accompany films to the room and better target audiences. In addition to a bridge between studios and distributors, the international animated film market also welcomes 4,500 students who try their luck with potential employers.

Installed in the imposing Imperial Palace, the MIFA dominates Lake Annecy. Inside, the atmosphere is less conquering. Aware of the difficulties in the market of many students are trying to find a job. Teacher at the Gobelins, Giuseppina Marronous confirms: “They have to put the double bites.” Soon graduated from the Sèvres workshops, Iris resigned himself: “It is rare to find a contract within six months, beyond work and investment is a lot of luck.”

No more era of the Royal CDI Way at school, now competition is tough and much higher than before. The 2D and 3D IRIS sector went from 15 students to two classes of 25 students. “Studios have the choice among a huge panel, and promote the top of the basket, worries the girl. We expect us from experience but without giving us our chance is complicated. “ This uncertain future pushes some young people to change their orientation, or take a break.“Many students take a food job while waiting for a contract”, Add Iris. A context that does not reject the girl who came to the festival present her school to the public.

For his part Bastien anticipates, he went to the Mifa with a clear objective: to make networking. Student in a 4th year in ECV in Aix, there is still a year of studies to the young man of 24 years before entering the job market. “We feel the crisis, professionals speak of a resumption of activity in 2026 but in the meantime you have to work and stand out from the lot”, says Bastien. Today, he came to present his portfolio to the Dwarf Animation studio, to receive advice and perhaps be identified by a member of the staff. And that’s good, the studio (created in 2010) has just signed a feature film and launches a recruitment campaign to Mifa, a glimmer of hope in this context.

“On the film there will be all the profiles, from the junior to the senior”, Enthuses Belisaire Earl. The team refuses many paper CVs, fear that they are lost and returns students to the QR code dedicated to job offers. “We receive a lot of applications, and as we refuse to use artificial intelligence to sort them, recruitment takes a long time”, admits the employee of the Dwarf studio. Next to it, Bastien shows his work to another member of the team who advises him on his style. Unfortunately, on this first day of the MIFA, the recruitment of the animation company is only aimed at the mids (category between junior and senior) and seniors to form the base of the team, no junior positions to be filled, therefore.

“I have seniors who come to apply in mid”, notes Bélisaire Earl. Another problem linked to the crisis, with the closure of the studios of many experienced employees are found on the job market and compete with students. “”We must not take advantage of this situation to lower salaries at the same level of competence “, insists the employee of Dwarf. Iris is aware of it: “At this point, there is not even a competition, the seniors are going first and we recover the crumbs.” At Dwarf, recruiters are still on the lookout for young talents, and spot the wonders of tomorrow, “I have some interesting candidates”, concludes Bélisaire Earl.

In this slump, studios turn to low investment projects. A hope for students and for the sector that relies on young talents to straighten the sector. “The success of To flow shows that a modest budget film can conquer the market “, underlines Mickaël Marin. This year, the feature film Amélie and the metaphysics of the tubes can aspire to a similar trajectory. The first film by Mailys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, this adaptation of Amélie Nothomb’s novel is already talking about him in very good terms.

Emilie Tronche, 29, also had a flash success. The designer of the series Samuel is spotted by Arte on social networks, since her animated series has accumulated 25 million views on the site. Playing an exhibition at new galleries, she tells her journey to admiring students, including Lisa. “”She is very inspiring, she created Samuel To have fun originally, and it made his career take off “, observes the 23 -year -old student. Emilie Tronche’s age when she imagined Samuelat school.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjkmagvl8ow

For many the current crisis is only a bad pass within a resilient sector which hopes for a resumption of activity in 2026. The director of the festival, Mickaël Marin has no doubt: “There will be many others Samuel. “”

Crusader in projection, Camille student in animation in Rubika and specializing in video games, another sector in crisis, came to appreciate the student’s end-of-study shorts. The girl intends to take advantage of the festival, the applications will be for later.