Scotland to see raft of animation-heavy festivals and special events throughout February
Skwigly
As Scotland’s international reputation as a leader in cinema goes from strength to strength, this February will see a great month for animated film take shape across the country, with exciting projects taking place at the anticipated Manipulate Festival (12 – 15 February, Edinburgh), MOVE SUMMIT (19 – 21 February, Edinburgh), Glasgow Film Theatre and Glasgow Film Festival (26 February – 9 March, Glasgow) – in addition to further events at Dundee Contemporary Arts and Skye Community Cinema.
MANIPULATE FESTIVAL
Embarking on its 18th festival edition, Manipulate Festival (Scotland’s annual celebration of international and UK animated film, puppetry, and visual theatre) will return to Edinburgh for a lively four-day programme including 3 short film programmes, 2 feature films, 2 Open Studios, 15 live works and installations, and 6 workshops, running Wednesday 12 – Saturday 15 February 2025 across some of the city’s most cherished arts venues.
In animation highlights, Manipulate Festival will screen the first ever stop-motion title to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival (2009) A Town Called Panic (Panique Au Village), in addition to three curated international shorts programmes – From ‘La Fantasmagorie’ to the Future, a retrospective of French and Francophone animated cinema from the first animated cartoon in 1908 through to the present day; On the Edge, a programme of animated shorts from the circumpolar north, highlighting the relationship of communities in the very north of our planet to a changing climate, co-curated with Take One Action Festivals; and Queer Stories, a showcase of the very best LGBTQAI+ animated stories from around the world, curated in partnership with Sanctuary Queer Arts.
The festival-favourite travelling cinema for one – ‘One Bum Cinema Club’ – will also return this year, showcasing a selection of acclaimed international family-friendly shorts in an 8-week tour of Edinburgh libraries from 30 January.
MOVE SUMMIT
Also coming to Edinburgh is MOVE Summit 2025, taking place 19 – 21 February 2025 at The Pleasance.
MOVE brings together all sectors of the UK animation/CGI industry, from 2D & 3D animation to VFX and AR / VR, covering all media including film, TV, advertising, and games. The annual conference will showcase some of the best current work across the industry, offering a place for industry leaders, practitioners, and technology providers to connect, be inspired, and learn in the heart of Edinburgh’s creative capital.
Spanning 3 days, MOVE Summit 2025 will host a series of keynote talks, workshops, creative reviews, screenings, demos, networking, and parties – all to celebrate the joy of ‘making things move’. This year’s keynote speakers include Framestore Visualisation Supervisor Chris McDonald, who’ll discuss his work on Jon M. Chu’s critically acclaimed Wicked; and Pixar Lead Editor Maurissa Horwitz, who will offer a peek behind-the-scenes of Inside Out 2. Delegates will also be treated to ‘The Animated Life of Mike Mitchell’, with the man himself talking us through his incredible career working on some of the biggest films in the world; and Renfrewshire-born James Hodgart (Walt Disney Animation Studios) will speak about his journey in 3D environments, including his recent work on Moana 2.
The full conference programme is expected to be revealed within the coming week, with details on currently confirmed guest speakers already available on the MOVE Summit website.
GLASGOW FILM THEATRE
Glasgow’s iconic home for independent cinema, Glasgow Film Theatre will also show two animated films by Oscar-winning animation writer and director Adam Elliot from 14 February – 20 February.
Winner of the Best Film award at last year’s BFI London Film Festival, and nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film, Memoir of a Snail is a poignant, heartfelt, hilarious chronicle of the life of an outsider finding her confidence and silver linings amongst the clutter of everyday life. A love letter to misfits everywhere, the film boasts an all-star cast including Sarah Snook (Succession), Kodi Smit-Mcphee (The Power of the Dog), Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook) and a memorable guest appearance by Nick Cave.
To celebrate this new release, Glasgow Film Theatre will also screen Elliot’s captivating first feature film, Mary and Max. A story spanning 20 years and two continents, Adam Elliot’s debut explores the unlikely pen-pal relationship between two very different people: Mary Dinkle (Toni Collette), a chubby, lonely 8-year-old living in the suburbs of Melbourne, Australia; and Max Horovitz (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a severely obese, 44-year-old Jewish man with Asperger’s Syndrome, living in the chaos of New York City.
GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL
Running 26 February – 9 March, the Glasgow Film Festival will bring their talent development scheme ‘Animatic’ to the capital – a major industry initiative that supports Scotland-based creatives and studios in developing their animated feature film, series, or short film ideas for an international audience. Nine projects from Scotland-based creatives will take part in a six-month training programme including workshops, one-to-one meetings, and pitching training delivered by executives from leading animation and screen organisations, such as Aardman, Netflix, BBC, Paramount – Nickelodeon & Milkshake!, Mackinnon & Saunders, Annecy Festival’s MIFA Talent, Jellyfish Pictures, Sky Kids, Blink Industries, Screen Scotland, Warner Bros Discovery, Bang 2 Write, Wild Child Animation and My SMASH Media.
Participating in ‘Animatic’ this year are British Animation Award-winning animator Iain Gardner, whose film A Bear Named Wojtek was shortlisted for the 2025 Academy Awards for Animated Short Film, who will be developing his family-friendly sitcom, Badger Beats, starring gay badgers Mustard & Ketchup; and BAFTA and BIFA-nominated screenwriter Hannah Kelso, who will be developing her adult animated comedy series Overlords, which follows a family of shapeshifting reptilians on a secret mission to enslave the human race.
DUNDEE CONTEMPORARY ARTS
In Dundee, DCA’s February cinema programme will welcome a series of award-winning animation. Family audiences will be able to enjoy The Red Turtle and The Wild Robot – both with their own special ticket offers – whilst older animated film fans can explore Ghost Cat Anzu and the Oscar nominated Memoir of a Snail.
SKYE COMMUNITY CINEMA
On the Isle of Skye, Friday 7 February, Adam Elliot’s Memoir of a Snail will also be shown in the Skye Community Cinema as part of their February programme, and will be accompanied by a short film by Scottish animator Cat Bruce and a post-show discussion.