BFI London Film Festival Animated Line-Up Revealed

We are in the middle of festival season, with Venice currently ongoing and Toronto just around the corner. One of the other most prestigious festivals worldwide is the BFI London Film Festival, which has just revealed its line-up for 2025.

LFF has a decent reputation for screening animated films and has hosted the UK premiere of films from Studio Ghibli, Studio Chizu and Cartoon Saloon in past years. The festival even awarded its top prize to Adam Eliot's Memoir Of A Snail in 2024. There is nothing quite so high-profile this year, and no animated films are screening in competition. However, there is an interesting selection of films, including the latest from Studio 4°C,  the follow-up to Unicorn Wars and Andy Serkis's take on Animal Farm.

There is also a program of animated shorts for young audiences, which includes Locksmith Animation's Cardboard, Capybara and Aaron Blaise's Snow Bear. There are also a couple of animated shorts among the general shorts programs.

The festival runs from 8-19 October, in various locations across the capital. Tickets (starting at £10) go on sale from 16 September, although BFI Members can book early.

Feature Films

Endless Cookie 

Half-brothers Seth and Peter Scriver love to chat, giggle and reminisce. One Indigenous, one white, their shared and divergent heritages offer a fascinating view of the world. Jam-packed with joyful and surprising moments, with animation that recalls a freewheeling 1990s slacker aesthetic, this documentary skilfully navigates the gross inequity of post-colonial societies with the precision of a sniper and the heart of a poet.

ChaO

In a future Shanghai, where humans and merpeople co-exist, mermaid princess ChaO proposes to Stephan, a human ship worker who finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of romance, misunderstanding and chaos. With some beautifully drawn and weirdly psychedelic character design, and an enjoyably surreal story that teases out important underlying themes, ChaO is a true original.

Decorado

Arnold, a middle-aged mouse who challenges everything, from the ruling corporation that governs his society to the giant owl citizens live in fear of, is feeling overwhelmed. While his wife chats with the Depression Fairy, Arnold takes drastic action to prove there is truth to his paranoia. This darkly comic dystopian tale about nonconformity and questioning those in power is an animated delight.

Animal Farm

Farm animals successfully overthrow their human oppressors, but find themselves repeating past mistakes. Both chilling and entertaining, this new version of Animal Farm thrillingly grapples with the dangers of consumer excess and corporate corruption. The character design and cast are outstanding, with Seth Rogen excelling as Machiavellian pig Napoleon. Many years in the making, this independent British production hits the big screen with gusto.

Little Amélie

Amélie lives by her own rules. Initially unresponsive when other children are already talking, she can suddenly become bright and chatty. She stands astride two cultures, bonding with her Belgian grandmother, who wins her over with chocolate, and her nanny, who maintains strong links with Japanese traditions. Darker themes, dealing with death and the lasting impact of war, are more suitable for older children, but the film will resonate with all.

The Songbird's Secret

Lucie is holidaying in her mother’s hometown of Bectoile. With the help of new friend Yann and two songbirds, Lucie explores the countryside. It’s there that she stumbles across a mysterious figure known as the ‘wizard of the wood’ and discovers some lost family secrets. This lovingly animated treat will bring as much joy to the young as it will to those who accompany them.

Shorts

Border As Interface (Short screening as part of Back and Forth Across The Line).

An animated avatar reflects on existence in-between various boundaries, while traversing a hybrid reality where floating frames of streaming images populate the sky.

Hope Is Lost (Short screening as part of Discovering Home).

Animated Shorts For Younger Audiences

The stars of this shorts selection include mushrooms, pigs and capybaras, and feature a feast of different animation styles to captivate all ages.