BFI London Film Festival Animation Line-Up Revealed

The British Film Institute's annual London Film Festival is one of the most respected and prestigious festivals in the UK. And perhaps the world. BFI have now revealed the line-up for this year's line-up, and as with most years it contains a decent line-up of animation.

The only animated film to be screening in the main competition this year is Adam Eliot's Memoir Of A Snail. With several festival wins already in the bag, the Australian stop-motion feature will be hoping to become the first animated winner of the festival's grand prize.

Receiving a special gala screening is Piece By Piece, Morgan Neville, LEGO-animated biography of pop culture icon Pharell Williams. Also given this honour is That Christmas, Locksmith Animation and Netflix's festive tale, written by Love Actually's Richard Curtis.

Receiving a Special Presentation is DreamWorks Animation's The Wild Robot, written and directed by Chris Sanders, co-director of the original How To Train Your Dragon. Visionary film-maker Gints Zilbalodis returns with his new feature Flow as part of the Journey strand.

In the family strand Naoko Yamada (A Silent Voice) brings her latest anime feature The Colours Within. Savages, the new stop-motion feature from Claude Barras, director of the brilliant My Life As A Courgette will also screen. The new restoration of the classic Watership Down will get its world premiere at the festival. There will also be a program of family-friendly animated short films.

Also screening in the Animation strand is Sanatorium Under The Sign Of The Hourglass, the new film from legendary British stop-motion animators The Brothers Quay. Meanwhile, first-time filmmaker Tomás Pichardo Espaillat’s makes their debut with Olivia And The Clouds.

The Festival will also host a free talk celebrating 30 Years Of DreamWorks Animation, featuring Chris Sanders, and DWA President Margie Cohn. 

This year's BFI London Film Festival runs from 9 to 20 October. Priority tickets go on sale for BFI Members from 10 September. Tickets go on sale to the general public on 17 September. For more information and tickets visit the festival website.