Nov 2025: Manchester Animation Festival
The biggest animation event of the year, filled with inspiring films and in-depth panel talks.
A Visual Feast
From stunning feature films to the best of British animated shorts, through to panel talks led by some of the best names in the business, Manchester Animation Festival is the perfect place for motion makers, storytellers, and creative thinkers. Our team attended a selection of the events across the week, and we wanted to share some of our favourite bits with you here.
Mike attended several industry talks featuring some impressively big names:
“Kicked off with The Making of In Your Dreams with Alex Woo, formerly Pixar and now leading Kuku Studios, sharing his story, process, and inspirations, before a screening of the film itself. It was a lot of fun, and really resonated with me as a father of 2.
Next up was a fantastic first look at Rafi the Wishing Wizard from BBC Studio Kids & Family and Blue Zoo Animation Studios. It’s an absolute treat for little ones and parents alike with an incredible style and lovely nods to Manchester throughout.
Then it was off to an amazing look back at Industrial Light & Magic’s 50 years of history in film with Hayden Jones. From optically rotoscoping laser battles in Star Wars, to the very first T Rex tests for Jurassic Park, all the way to the process behind recent animated features like Transformers One – this was an absolute treat!
Finally, Magic Light Pictures shared their process of adapting the Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler classic, The Scarecrows’ Wedding which releases this Christmas. It was fascinating to see the full process of turning a short children’s book in to a 20 minute animation with charm, polish and humour.”
Inspiring Studios
So many fantastic films were screened across the course of the week, and we managed to catch a few. Mike attended both the Animation Mixtape and the British Short Film sessions, and had several stand-outs to recommend:
“Mixtape highlights included the hilarious and poignant Retirement Plan, the beautifully hand-crafted Sulaimani (which made me very hungry), and the dream-like The Night Boots.
Enjoying a plethora of British animated shorts, several were really memorable – from the mind-bending and visually striking Larval and the hilarious stop-motion Ovary-Acting, to the stunning Journey from the Forest of Eels, which happens to be one Winston directed on before joining our team here!”
Stunning Shorts
Alongside the talks by big names in the industry, there were several topical panel sessions led by some well-known figures across the creative and production space. Subjects ranged from international co-productions and the shift to a digital-first landscape, to the future of feature films and IP opportunities beyond the animation itself.
Mike and Alex attended several of the talks as part of the Animation Nation Forum, enjoying some truly thought-provoking content from the varied panelists, as well as getting time to network with fellow creators.
Talking the talk
Favourite Bits
We were all wowed by Arco, the fantastical French-American co-production. Winston described it as a “spectacle of animation and storytelling, paying homage to classics of the sci-fi genre and Japanese anime. A heartbreaking story about growth, discovery, and new friendships, and an emotional journey about what it means to be a family”. Mike thoroughly recommends catching this story of “love, robots, rainbows and climate change” when it releases UK wide in March.
Winston managed to catch the screening for New Animated Voices – 13 short films showcasing talented student animators from around the world. He said “It was great seeing a wide variety of animated styles used to depict various subject matters. The story telling was really strong from all the features, in particular my favourite one called The Undying Pain of Existence, about a nude model posing for an elite drawing class as a tiny mosquito bite challenges his self control.”
Winston also managed to catch up with several old friends and meet some new creatives and fans of animation during the evening’s NorthWestivus event – a fun and friendly networking session for those who prefer to keep things casual!
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