What’s Next in Hungarian Animation

This year, Hungary is stealing the spotlight at the Annecy International Animation Festival. As guest of honor of this edition, the country is represented by the most significant figures of the industry, alongside major animation studios, leading producers, and promising new talents.

Five young Hungarian talents and their projects were selected last March by the Hungarian Animation Pitch Forum – organized by Friss Hús Budapest Short Film Festival, Hungary’s largest short film festival, with the support of the National Film Institute (NFI) – as representatives of the country’s expertise and creativity.

After a rigorous selection process, the winning projects – the TV series Little Ollie and the Tiny Legs, the TV film Three Wishes, the short film Witches’ Sabbath, the web series Tulip, and the short film Ergot – are presented at the MIFA, during the Hungarian Pitch Session.

The preschool series Little Ollie and the Tiny Legs, by Krisztina Murányi and Barbara Koskó, is set into the delightful world of the 3-year-old boy Ollie. He navigates each day with his beloved companions: a soft, fluffy plush Fox and a rolling Snail, surrounded by a wide array of other beloved toys sharing Ollie’s adventures.

An enchanting tale about Christmas, magic, and the holiday spirit, Three Wishes – by Kati Glaser and Doraya Bouandel – tells the story of a wish gone wrong. 10-year-old Leo and his friends Dia and Juli lose their joyful spirit during a sombre Christmas time when even snow refuses to fall. When a magical carp grants them three wishes, they wish Christmas away – turning the world into a strange reality where no one can remember it, and launching the children on a mission to bring it back.

In Witches’ Sabbath by Réka Anna Szakály, Emma faces the sudden loss of her eccentric friend and neighbor, Erika, who dies in a tragic gas explosion within their socialist-style housing block, shortly after they enjoy their customary morning cigarette ritual. Confined with her overbearing mother, Ágnes, Emma embarks on a surreal and mystical farewell journey – transforming her own perspective while also healing Emma’s fractured relationship with her mother.

Centered around themes of self-discovery and emotional turmoil, the web series Tulip, by Júlia Tudisco, stands out as a powerful story of growth and self-acceptance. Mixing humour, emotions, and a dreamy atmosphere, the series follows the protagonist’s transformative journey after a near-death experience. Guided by a Cat and a Moth, Tulip will finally learn to navigate her emotional rollercoaster.

Rooted around grief, paranoia, and madness, the horror short Ergot, by Damján Lazin, follows the control-obsessed supervisor of a wheat mill and his team sabotaging him during a night shift. While the controller is haunted by the loss of his child, strange hallucinations take hold, consuming them all.

As Hungary takes the spotlight at Annecy, it not only celebrates its rich legacy of animation but also presents a bold vision for the future, leveraging its emerging talents – a testament to Hungary’s increasing influence in the world of animated storytelling.