Tribute to Japanese Animation: Little Norse Prince Valiant

A Japanese post-war animated film with a clear manifesto feel, Little Norse Prince Valiant by Isao Takahata (1935-2018) is a masterpiece well ahead of its time. Breaking with convention in the world of anime, Little Norse Prince Valiant, is one of the director’s first creative works to openly tackle political and social issues.

Behind the story of a young prince, a genuine creative revolution comes to life, led in close partnership with Hayao Miyazaki. They choose original themes, but also work in a formal style that completely contrasts with the Disney method, from camera movements to character animation.

This legendary saga reveals the profound transformation of an era and an industry.

"If I had to name one country with a true culture of animation, it would definitely be Japan." A seemingly obvious declaration made by French director Georges Lacroix in 1999, the year when the Annecy Festival celebrated Japanese animation for the very first time. Twenty years later the Festival pays homage to this truly singular cinematographic style through both a retrospective and a look to the future to reveal several hidden gems still relatively unknown in the West.

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