French animation company Xilam will take part in the Annecy International Animation Festival with a programme that includes a work in progress session for The Wolf, a psychological thriller feature based on the graphic novel by Jean‑Marc Rochette. The festival also features official selections for Lucy Lost, adapted from Listen to the Moon by British author Michael Morpurgo, and the Disney+ series The Doomies, as well as the French premiere of Xilam’s original 2D animated series Submarine Jim.
“This year, Annecy will mark a historic milestone for Xilam as we introduce an unprecedented slate of varied and ambitious mix of projects at Annecy. We’re thrilled to be showcasing our work across all areas of the festival’s programme and highlighting our creative strength and resilience during a time of continued industry-wide challenges and this breakthrough across both our film and TV pipelines is testament to our commitment to creating and supporting striking and original content,” said Xilam founder and CEO Marc du Pontavice.
Screening as part of Annecy’s work in progress sessions, the upcoming feature film The Wolf is co‑written and directed by Benjamin Massoubre and Fursy Tessier, who previously collaborated on Xilam’s 2020 Academy Award‑nominated I Lost My Body. It is produced by Marc du Pontavice for Xilam, with Sabine Dabadie (Ourika) also serving as co‑writer. The session will conclude with a book signing by Jean Marc Rochette, author of the graphic novel on which the film is based. The Wolf follows the story of Gaspard, a hardened shepherd haunted by the death of his son, whose apparent tranquility is disrupted by the sudden and menacing appearance of a stray wolf.
Following its 2025 work in progress session, Lucy Lost is screening this year as part of Annecy’s official competition. Based on Listen to the Moon (2014) by award‑winning author and former British Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo, the film is co‑written and directed by Olivier Clert (Klaus, The Little Prince), with Helen Blakeman (Dustbin Baby, Hetty Feather) as co‑writer. It is produced by Marc du Pontavice for Xilam, with animation completed at Xilam’s studio. Goodfellas is handling international sales, while Canal+ and Ciné+ OCS have acquired French pay‑TV rights. The film will be released in French cinemas on 28 October through Le Pacte.
The story follows Lucy, a girl whose mysterious past gradually unfolds against the backdrop of wartime Britain, adapted from Morpurgo’s novel.
Following a successful work in progress session in 2024, the supernatural horror comedy series The Doomies will screen in the TV Films category. Produced by Xilam in association with Disney Television Animation, the series is created by Rémi Zaarour, Andrès Fernandez and Henry Gifford, and directed by Andrès Fernandez. The series will premiere on Disney+ during the Annecy Festival on 26 June, with 22 half‑hour episodes, accompanied by a new short‑form series of four episodes.
Rounding out Xilam’s television activity, the original 2D series Submarine Jim will premiere in France on Wednesday 24 June, with the first 26 episodes launching on Okoo, the FVOD platform for children operated by France Télévisions. The series has already launched in the United Kingdom and Ireland on CBBC and iPlayer, in French‑speaking Switzerland on RTS, and on Cartoon Network in Latin America and South‑East Asia. Upcoming launches include Super RTL in Germany, which commissioned the series alongside France Télévisions, as well as RTBF and VRT in Belgium, NPO in the Netherlands, YLE in Finland, NRK in Norway and Noga in Israel.
