Escape Studios at Annecy Animation Festival 2026

Escapees at Annecy 2026 

A group of intrepid Escapees and current students, as well as some of our some of our recent graduates, travelled to the 2026 Annecy Animation Festival last week.

Braving the heatwave, they spent a week at the world's leading animation event, going to screenings, attending events and talks, and making contacts in the global animation industry.

The Making of Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Canadian author and animation historian Ross Anderson's long-anticipated book - Pulling a Rabbit Out of a Hat - The Story Behind the Making of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is finally in print.

Ross was first interviewed by animation blog FLiP back in 2013, about writing of the book, which has taken six years to bring to fruition.

Ross was signing copies at this year's Annecy film festival; his book aims to be the definitive history of the making of the film, which changed the animation industry and launched dozens of animation careers (including my own).

Among the book's highlights are Tom Sito's hilarious sketches and scribbles that documented the making of the film.

Animal & Creature Animation at Annecy

Annecy, France

Escape Studios will be heading over to the Annecy Animation Festival next week, checking out the latest developments in our industry at what has become the world's biggest animation festival.

I'll be on a panel tomorrow, Tuesday 12th June, talking about how to animate non-human characters, sitting alongside my fellow panelists Alonso Martinez from Pixar, Joeri Christiaen from Thuristar, and independent animator Nicolas Deveaux.

Evgenia Golubeva in Annecy Official Selection

"I want to live in the Zoo"

Many congratulations to Escapee Evgenia Golubeva, whose animated short film "I want to live in the Zoo" has been included in the Annecy Official Selection.

Annecy is arguably the most prestigious animation festival in the world, and being included in the selection (and therefore having a chance to win a prize) is a great honour.

"Putting Your Best Foot Forward" - Animation Careers Advice at Annecy

Annecy Panel "Putting Your Best Foot Forward"

Yesterday I got the chance to speak on a superb panel discussion organised by the School of Visual Arts (SVA), talking about how animation graduates can best find work in the industry.

The panel discussion was titled:  Putting Your Best Foot Forward: Animation Talent Search. On the panel were recruiters from Pixar, Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. It was fascinating to hear these representatives of top studios talk about what they are looking for in fresh talent.

So, what then are the secrets of breaking into the animation industry?

Escape Studios at Annecy

Raphael and Tom at the Escape Studios Annecy Stand

Escape Studios is at the Annecy animation festival this summer, attending the world's biggest animation festival.

One of the best things about being at festivals like this is to chance to show off our students' work - the quality of our demo reels speaks for itself.

The good news here is that animation industry is very busy, with a record number of attendees at Annecy (including many recruiters, looking for talent) and with a strong US presence as well.

Get Ready For Annecy! Thursday, June 16 at 2pm

Lake Annecy, in the French Alps

We'll be at the Annecy animation festival this summer, attending the world's biggest animation festival to take a look at the current state of the animation industry and spot the latest trends.  What skills do animation graduates need in today's job market, and who is hiring?

I'll be speaking at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) panel on Thursday June 16 at 2pm, talking about  how we can help our students to find jobs and kick-start their careers in the global animation industry.
 

Annecy Animation Festival - Escape Studios' Top Ten Survival Rules

Lake Annecy - Old Town

Next month, from 13-18 June, is the world’s biggest animation festival.  It takes place in the pretty little mountain town of Annecy in the French Alps, and it can be an overwhelming experience; there is so much going on at once that you can't possibly see everything.

Alongside the Annecy film festival is MIFA – the world’s biggest animation marketplace, a huge congress of industry people buying and selling.

But Annecy is an event that every student of animation should visit at least once – if only to get a feeling for the sheer size and diversity of the modern animation industry. Below are our top ten rules to make the best of Annecy.

Escape Studios Goes To Annecy!

Beautiful Annecy

Escape Studios will be at Annecy animation festival this summer, attending the world's biggest animation festival to take a look at the current state of the animation industry, spot the latest trends and - most important of all - figure out what skills our graduates need in today's market, and who is hiring.

I'll be one of the speakers at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) panel at Annecy, sharing the stage with Pixar and Nickelodeon, and talking about the current state of the industry and how we can help our students to find jobs and kick-start their careers in the global animation industry.
 

Where Are Animation Recruiters To Be Found?

Annecy - world's biggest animation festival

Where should animation graduates look for recruiters? Or, to put it another way, where do recruiters in the animation and VFX industries go to find fresh talent?

There are many festivals and events around the world which focus on animation and visual effects, and many of them feature jobs fairs where recruiters will take a stand.

Recruiters like to attend festivals because they know they can reach a large number of animators in a short amount of time. So, where should the ambitious student and recent graduate go looking for work? Below is our list of top places for students to attend.