Cité internationale du cinéma d'animation opens in Annecy June 19

The Cité internationale du cinéma d'animation will open in Annecy on June 19, 2025, two days before the festival. Housed in a 19th-century former horse stable listed as a historic monument, the hybrid venue aims to celebrate animation year-round. Designed by dd.a architecture agency and landscape architect Philippe Deliau, the project costs €54 million, funded by the city of Annecy (€30M), Haute-Savoie department (€19M), state (€4M), and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region (€1.9M). The Cité includes a 450 m² permanent museum, a 332-seat cinema, temporary exhibition spaces, educational workshops, artist residencies, and image education programs. Its permanent collection integrates the former Musée du film d'animation d'Annecy (2005–2024). The first exhibition will focus on French studio Ankama (Dofus, Wakfu), followed by a show on US studio Laika (Coraline, 2009) with a preview of their upcoming film Wildwood. CNC president Gaëtan Bruel emphasized animation as a French industrial flagship and defended 'sovereignty of the imagination' against AI and homogenization. Mayor Antoine Armand noted the city's animation history dating to 1960. The opening poster by Laurent Durieux depicts the Cité floating above mountains, evoking Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky.