Introduction
Hello, fellow adventurers! Blaziker is for the final part of the Annecy Festival Rundown. It’s time to wrap up our Annecy adventure! Except for Minions and Monsters since I covered that movie back home instead of at Annecy, the format will be the same.
The first movie, Viva Carmen, is an animated movie adaptation of an iconic Spanish story about a Gypsy woman who was well known for her captivating voice. Given director Sebastien Laudenbach left me a lasting impression with Chicken for Linda, I was very excited to cover another one of his creations, and now that I got to see it, will this movie be as great?
The second movie, Monster Mia, tackles monster-loving Mia who was sent to a school full of monster students, and as the only human in the school, with the principal’s hatred for humans, Mia teams up with her other monster classmates to thwart his revenge scheme. I think I had said enough about my hatred for the German animation industry, considering I brought that up many times, whether on this blog or on Letterboxd. Will this be yet another German animated movie dud?
The third movie, We Are Aliens, centres on two childhood friends who seem to be irreparable until an incident tears them apart. This was another animated movie I was excited to cover based on its very positive Annecy reception, and given this is the only Japanese anime movie that I reserved my spot for, how will this movie fare for me?
The foruth movie, Decorado, is the new movie by Spanish surrealist specialist Alberto Vazquez about an unemployed mouse who realized the world he was living in might not be real. Considering I how much I raved about Vazquez’s previous movie, Unicorn Wars, I was very excited to see this one. Is this as great or even better than Unicorn Wars?
The fifth movie, 58th, is an animated movie focusing on the families of victims of the Maguidano Massacre, specifically the family of the 58th victim. Yet another animated movie produced by Filippino animation auteur Carl Joseph E. Papa, whose previous movie, The Missing, left me in a spellbinding manner, I was excited to see this movie, especially given this was the final movie I got to see at the festival. Will this cap off the festival on a high for me?
The sixth and final movie, Minions & Monsters, is the new Despicable Me spin-off movie about three Minions accidentally unleashing monsters to the world so that they can produce their own movie. Technically, I did not cover this at Annecy, but considering this is the opening ceremony movie at the festival, I am technically counting this as one. Now that I got to see this movie for myself, how would I feel about yet another movie in the Despicable Me franchise?
Let’s end this Annecy recap on a high, shall we?
Viva Carmen!
Key Information
- Director: Sebastian Laudenbach
- Animation Studio: Folvari
- Country of Origin: France
- Rating: PG
- Annecy Screening Date: 26 June 2026 (at Bonlieu)
The Review
As someone who loved Chicken for Linda, I was looking forward to seeing Viva Carmen, and I am happy to report that this movie did not disappoint.
Once again, Sebastian Launderbach put a lot of effort into making this animated movie adaptation of the Carmen story very well done. Just like with Chicken for Linda, this is a movie filled with a lot of light-heartedness and yet does not shy away from the intensity this movie sometimes needs, complete with characters that are very well written. There are other animated movies from this year’s Annecy Festival with better writing compared to Viva Carmen, but overall I was very happy with the writing.
The animation, once again, is a huge standout. This animation style is already quite iconic, and there are many animation sequences that made my jaw dropped. There is one particular scene in the second act involving Carmen and other Gypsy ladies singing to Carmen’s tune that was so spellbinding, I gazed into the movie screen throughout the many sequences. It is honestly amazing how Sebastian Lauderbach has a lot of personality with his movies’ animation, and it is one of the very reasons why I love seeing animated movies in theatres.
The soundtrack is once again fantastic, and as for my level of enjoyment, I am so happy with what Viva Carmen provides for me. You don’t get to see this kind of animation style every day, and Viva Carmen is as good as, or slightly better than Chicken for Linda, which is already a fantastic animated movie in its own right.
Unsurprisingly, after seeing this movie, I will admit that Viva Carmen is as good as Chicken for Linda, maybe slightly better, as this fun and expressive animated movie is faithful to the original tale, but with the signature Sebastian Launderbach touch that makes his previous movies so iconic. This is another great recommendation not to be missed!
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Monster Mia
Key Information
- Director: Verena Fels
- Animation Studios: ARX Anima, Arxlight Pictures and M.A.R.K 13
- Country of Origin: Austria, Germany and Spain
- Rating: PG
- Annecy Screening Date: 26 June 2026 (at Pathe Annecy)
The Review
Considering Monster Mia is yet another family-friendly foreign CG animated movie from Germany, I don’t think I need to repeat myself, so I will just keep it brief.
Monster Mia is another generic feeling German family-friendly CG flick that I covered so, so many times before, but what this movie did for me is that it is rather competent for German animation standards. The writing might be familiar and rather derivative, with the clear use of classic animated movie tropes done to death, but what this movie actually has is a quirky and spooky plot that leans into its horror genre decently. Plus, the characters are at least not too annoying, with some I actually like.
What this movie has is that the animation has a level of personality not seen in most German family-friendly animated movies. I was fearing the worst, given one of the studios involved also did some of the animation for one of my least favourite animated movies of 2024 in Giants of La Mancha, but at the very least, the animation surprised me! The designs fit into the story well, and there was some stylisation that was surprisingly well done! I normally berate the German animation industry for poor-quality and generic animation, but at least the animation is pretty well done.
The soundtrack, while generic for my liking, is at least not too annoying, and as for my level of enjoyment, I found myself surprised with how competent Monster Mia is. It is not a huge standout at the festival for sure, especially given there were much better family-friendly animated movies at this year’s festival, but for what it is worth, Monster Mia was not too bad for German animation standards.
Overall, considering my endless berating of most German animated movies in general, Monster Mia at least has enough personality and quality to stand out compared to most terrible German animated movies. It is yet another generic family-friendly foreign CG animated movie from one of the biggest animation black holes in the world, but at least it did not make me frustrated. That is good enough.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
We Are Aliens
Key Information
- Director: Kohei Kadowaki
- Animation Studio: Nothing New (with Miyu Productions)
- Country of Origin: Japan and France
- Rating: PG
- Annecy Screening Date: 26 June 2026 (at Bonlieu)
The Review
Wow… I had never been left without any words after seeing a movie, which already occurred with In Waves during the festival, but I got to say, We Are Aliens is a movie that I cannot describe in full detail because this was a transcending movie experience.
The writing and pacing for this movie are pure genius, exploring how childhood trauma and politics can traumatise people, even years after the trauma occurred. It is a movie told from the dual perspective of the two childhood friends, which provides moviegoers the opportunity to piece together what really happened. It is a movie filled with so much emotion and complexity with the characters involved. By the end of this movie, I realised I had witnessed a new masterpiece. This movie is also wildly unpredictable, which makes it oh so thrilling to see through to the end.
This movie also has fantastic animation. While rotoscoped animation is something we had seen before in past editions of the Annecy Festival (such as The Missing, which we will get into when we talk about 58th later), the animation is something else altogether. I had seen many animated movies before, but the animation style is very new and is very beautiful and picturesque. The animation is also super creative and very high-quality, resulting in one of the best animation work of any animated movie this year so far.
The soundtrack is equally impactful and helps to set the mood and atmosphere of the movie’s amazing animation so well. As for my level of enjoyment, I was blown away. The fact that this is the director’s first ever animated movie left me in shock. Sure, we had already seen amazing animated movies from debutants that ended up being recognised the world over (such as Little Amelie and Arco last year, plus In Waves this year), but I was still spellbound over how amazing and nearly flawless We Are Aliens is.
In conclusion, it is very rare for me to be at a loss for words with an animated movie, but that was exactly what happened with We Are Aliens. A transcending masterpiece in both storytelling and animation that is without a question one of the animated movies to watch out for this year.
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Decorado
Key Information
- Director: Alberto Vazquez
- Animation Studio: Uniko, Abano Producions
- Country of Origin: Spain
- Rating: M18
- Annecy Screening Date: 27 June 2026 (at Bonlieu)
The Review
Decorado is among my 12 most anticipated non-mainstream animated movies of 2026, and after seeing this movie, I was emotionally distraught over how impactful this movie was to me, so I will say this: this is even more devastating than Unicorn Wars, the director’s previous movie.
I guess it was a mistake to cover Decorado after covering We Are Aliens the previous day, but Decorado is a capitalist nightmare that is a fantastic character study into existential dread and depression, with a complex set of characters that add so much to the movie’s already complex and depressing story that is on brand with Vazquez’s signature surrealistic brand. In fact, Vazquez is the type of animated movie director that does not play safe and goes as hard as he could. The final act of this movie sealed the deal for me, as this was personally one of the best animated movie endings of 2026 so far.
In terms of the animation, the animation style still keeps the insane hand-drawn style of animation that Vazquez mastered with both Birdboy and Unicorn Wars, but here, he took the animation to new heights. The designs, while nothing out of the ordinary for the Vazquez movie, is filled with intense and frightening animation sequences that utilises the potential of the Vazquez style of animation. There are certain animation sequences that really took me by surprise, even as someone that saw Unicorn Wars 3 years ago. In fact, I will leave it at that because I could go on with the animation.
The soundtrack in Decorado freaking slaps, and I don’t think enough people will talk about how some of the music tracks are brilliant, especially one music track that is a spoiler to one of the main characters in the movie, so I will leave it at that. As for my level of enjoyment, as someone that had gone through similar events to some of the characters in the movie, I felt emotionally distraught being reminded of the past, but in a sense, Decorado was an antidote to the pain and suffering I went through, so I fell in love with this movie’s insane energy even more. Man, I just love how unhinged but important Decorado is for me.
Overall, not only is Decorado better than Unicorn Wars, which is among my favourites for 2023, but Decorado left me with one of the biggest bombshells of the year for me, even as someone that loves Alberto Vazquez’s work. Honestly, we need more of these animated movies that cater to their more mature audience, because Decorado is a sledgehammer of emotions and a half for me. Easy recommend!
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
58th
Key Information
- Director: Carl Joseph E. Papa
- Animation Studio: GMA Pictures
- Country of Origin: The Philippines
- Rating: NC16
- Annecy Screening Date: 27 June 2026 (at Pathe Annecy)
The Review
Considering that this was from the same director of The Missing, I was quite excited to cover 58th, and while not as strong, it is nevertheless another great animated movie from Carl Joseph E Papa.
I think what makes 58th a weaker movie compared to The Missing was the lack of emotional investment this movie provides for me. Animated documentaries are not my thing, so of course I inherently will rate them lower compared to no-documentaries, but that said, the writing is solid. I was quite into the story into question, as the pacing is solid and the writing quality is strong, which cannot be said for another one of the Annecy movies I covered, which is a pseudo-documentary, The Sunrise File.
Once again, Papa used the same rotoscoping animation style just like The Missing, and while the animation in The Missing is more impactful, the animation quality is very good. One thing to note is that this movie used an AI filter in some of the real-life news footage of the massacre which is the main topic of the movie, but other than that, there is no other usage of AI, plus the overall styling is still great despite the animation not taking needed risks to make it stand out.
The soundtrack and other elements are as equally good, and as for my level of enjoyment, I honestly feel it is not as strong as The Missing, but Papa still deliver with another impactful animated movie about a real-life event taking place in his home country of The Philippines. It is still worth seeing despite the AI filter usage, and even so, it was used quite sparingly.
Overall, while 58th is not as strong of an animated movie as The Missing, it is still a very impactful animated movie that has great storytelling to keep this documentary from going too boring, and the animation is still a one-of-a-kind from Carl Joseph E Papa. This is another home run of an animated movie from Papa!
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Minions & Monsters
Key Information
- Director: Pierre Coffin
- Animation Studio: Illumination Entertainment
- Country of Origin: United States
- Rating: PG
- Release Date: 2 July 2026 (in Singapore)
The Review
I got to be honest, was anyone expecting this movie to be the opening ceremony movie for this year’s Annecy Film Festival? Definitely not me, as there were other animated movies on the festival lineup that would be more suitable, such as In Waves, Iron Boy or Viva Carmen. After seeing this movie in Singapore, I will have to admit something: this turned out to be WAY better than I was expecting.
For this third instalment in the Minions movie series, there is actually some purpose for them, which pays homage to the art of filmmaking and cinema, especially since this movie referenced several iconic film scenes from the early ages to even Babylon, which is quite bold considering how divisive Babylon was. It was even bolder when the gags and punchlines from the Minions are way better and more ridiculous compared to their usual ones, especially with them injected into those iconic movie scenes. The new main Minions of James, Henry and Ed all have their moments to shine, and of course, Goomi, probably the cutest villain to ever existed so far.
It is also shocking how solid the animation is. I am not worried too much about the animation in Illumination’s movies. However, it is quite insane to see how very interesting character designs in especially the monsters (besides Goomi, who is a sure given). Additionally, the incorporation of different styles for some of the filmmaking sequences gel well to the animation design in the Minions series, and the visual comedy is unsurprisingly strong.
John Powell returned to compose the soundtrack for this movie and, I don’t think I need to beat around the bush when I say how great the score in Minions & Monsters is, leaning to the filmmaking score tracks that existed in that time. As for my level of enjoyment, I was shocked to find out that I actually loved this movie! Minions and Monsters might be the best of the entire Despicable Me franchise, although it still lags behind Sing 2 and Migration when we compare to the Illumination movies, but still, this is just a fantastic tribute to cinema that I am sure would inspire young filmmakers to be actual filmmakers someday.
Yeah, I am shocked by how amazing Minions & Monsters is, as I do cared about how the Minions pay their respects to the art of filmmaking in such a respectful manner, while also adding their usual chaos that actually do not distract from the main story at hand. Colour me impressed, but I can see why this was the opening ceremony movie at the Annecy Film Festival, because it was well worth the admission ticket for!
Blaziker’s Hot Sauce Rating
Conclusion
Overall, this is such a splendid way to end my Annecy Film Festival adventure! After 18 animated movies, I am happy to report that there were quite a lot of hits that came at the festival, and it is such an exciting experience to see all these animated movies there. I cannot wait to cover some of the animated movies I did not cover at the festival, but for now I need a small break.
Tune in next time as I cover the final animated movies before I can officially bring the first half of 2026 to a close. Until next time, see you on the next adventure!
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