From 21st to 27th June 2026, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival celebrates the best of international animation.
AMAZE. AMAZE. AMAZE: Animating Project Hail Mary’s Rocky
9:00am CEST 25 June | La Voliére
How do you give a soul to a faceless alien? How do you convey deep intelligence, humor, and heartbreak using only five arms and a metallic carapace? How do you make an audience cry for a creature that looks like a giant spider-crab made of stone?
Join Arslan Elver, Senior Animation Supervisor at Framestore, as he breaks down the creative journey of bringing Rocky to life. This session dives deep into the challenges of discovering a unique physical language for an alien with no eyes, no face, and no human expressions.
Arslan will reveal how the animation team:
- Built upon the initial creature design to turn biological constraints into character quirks.
- Leveraged on-set puppetry to create a tangible, tactile connection between Ryland Grace and his Eridian engineer.
- Pushed the limits of movement to translate musical dialogue into emotional resonance.
Discover how Framestore navigated the technical and artistic hurdles to deliver the breakout performance of Project Hail Mary, proving that you don't need a face to be the heart of a story.
Breaking the Ice - FX of Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age
Join FX Supervisor Guy Schuleman as he goes behind the scenes of Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age to reveal how the VFX team achieved absolute realism for a natural, documentary style. Discover how artists used Houdini to integrate CG creatures into real-world environments, utilizing animal studies and on-set puppetry to build physically grounded simulations of snow, sand, and complex character interactions without direct reference.
This session highlights the collaborative, cross-department "round trip" workflow between animation, FX, CFX, groom, and lighting. Learn how these teams bridged the gap between CG and live-action—refining everything from wet hair and fur simulations to footprints—to deliver world-class natural history filmmaking.
When Animation Goes Live
4:00pm CEST 25th June 2026 | Salle de l’Europe
Dragons, aliens and digital mascots: animated creatures now play a central role in many live-action films. But how do character designers and animators create these
characters so they feel believable alongside real actors? This panel brings together character designers and heads of animation to explore the artistic and technical bridges between animation and VFX, and the specific challenges of bringing creatures to life in a live-action environment.
Speakers:
Arslan Elver (Senior Animation Supervisor, Framestore)
Hal Hickel (Animation director, ILM),
Yvon Jardel (Animation director, Rodeo FX),
Sidney Kombo-Kintombo (Senior Animation Supervisor, WETA).
Moderator: Yann Marchet (Print The Legend)
Portfolio Reviews
We're offering a small number of one-to-one portfolio feedback sessions with Arslan Elver, Animation Supervisor at Framestore. If you're a character or creature animator and you'd value a focused conversation about your work, this is for you.
Sessions are 25 minutes, held during the festival, and genuinely about your reel. We'll look at what's working, what could be stronger, and talk craft. Slots are limited. If you're interested, submit via the link here, and we'll confirm sessions directly.
Meet the Speaker
Arslan Elver | Senior Animation Supervisor
A self-taught animator, Arslan specialises in conjuring nuanced, deeply resonant characters. His craftsmanship was most recently displayed throughout John Krasinski's IF, a huge, animation-heavy project demanding dozens of unique hero characters.
An AMPAS member who has worked on blockbuster franchises like Harry Potter, Star Wars and the MCU (he was key to establishing the hugely-popular 'Baby Groot' character), Arslan has also lent his skills to projects like Where The Wild Things Are and the Oscar-nominated Christopher Robin - both of which were praised for their quiet, zen-like approach to character animation. Arslan recently finished working on Project Hail Mary.
Guy Schuleman | FX Supervisor
Guy began his career in South Africa, where he earned a BA in Graphic Design and an Advanced Certificate in 3D Animation from the Midrand Graduate Institute. He initially worked in advertising, serving as the lead 3D artist, before making the move into feature film visual effects.
Since joining Framestore in 2016 as an FX TD, Guy has climbed the ranks to become an FX Supervisor. In this role, he oversees specialised teams to deliver complex FX for some of cinema's most prominent franchises. His extensive portfolio includes work on Avengers: Endgame, Wonka and How to Train Your Dragon.
A career standout for Guy was working as an FX Lead on Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age, where he worked across multiple sites and collaborated with a global team of artists to push the boundaries of natural history effects. His exceptional work on the series earned him both an Annie and a VES Award for Best Effects Simulation in 2026.
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