ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Lifestyle devider Arts and Culture devider 5 animated films to look out for at the French Film Festival

5 animated films to look out for at the French Film Festival

How animation transcends borders

Published Nov 21, 2025 12:50 pm

At A Glance

  • When we view these drawn stories, we are granted a window into the creativity molded by the artists' surroundings.
Animation is one of the most vital genres of the film industry.
Through animation, we are able to understand cultural differences through the handicraft of artists. When we view these drawn stories, we are granted a window into the creativity molded by the artists’ surroundings. France, one of the leading countries for the animation industry in Europe, is set to share some of its iconic works at the 28th French Film Festival. Here’s a look at the five animated films featured in this year’s lineup.
“Amélie et la métaphysique des tubes (Little Amélie or the Character of Rain)”
Directed by: Mailys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han
How much of your life do you remember from the age of three? In “Amélie et la métaphysique des tubes (Little Amélie or the Character of Rain)” we follow the story of Amélie, a two and a half year old child who starts to navigate the world around her. These include learning about language, her family, likes, dislikes, and how various things make her feel.
“La Plus Précieuse des Marchandises (The Most Precious of Cargoes)
Directed by: Michel Hazanavicius
As war ravages their surroundings, a woodcutter and his wife power through the hardships while living in the forest. One day, the wife finds a baby girl thrown from the trains that pass through the forest. She decides to take her in, and while the woodcutter is reluctant at first, they find their lives transformed by the girl’s presence. Expect this to be a touching story that shows humanity at its best and worst.
“Maya, Donne-moi un titre (Maya, Give Me A Title)”
Directed by: Michel Gondry
In a deeply personal film, Michel Gondry brings to life stories from titles given to him by his daughter every night. The film came about as a way to keep in touch with his daughter, who is away in another country. In these animated shorts, Michel puts Maya at the center of each one, showing the wholesomeness of a father bringing his daughter’s vision to life.
“Le Pharaon, le Sauvage, et la Princesse (The Pharaoh, The Savage, and the Princess)”
Directed by: Michel Ocelot
Stories from Sudan, France, and Turkey are brought to life in a vividly animated epic of dreamy visuals. Here you’ll witness stories of gods, revolting tyrants, joyful vigilantes, astute lovers, and free-spirited princes and princesses. They all mesh together in a colorful kaleidoscope of well-animated visuals.
“Le Roi et l’Oiseau (The King and the Mockingbird)”
Directed by Paul Grimault
It took over 30 years for French animation icon Paul Grimault to bring this work to life. It has inspired many other animators, including Studio Ghibli’s very own Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. “Le Roi et l’Oiseau (The King and the Mockingbird)” is loosely based on “The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep” by Hans Christian Andersen. Here, we follow the story of a tyrant, King Charles of Takicardie, who is hellbent on capturing a shepherdess to wed her. The shepherdess, however, is in love with a chimney sweep who helps her escape.
Catch these animated French films on the big screen at either SM Aura in BGC or SM City Manila from Nov. 24 to 30.
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.