Aside from Marcel the Shell with Shoes on and Annapurna picking up Nimona, smaller distributors don't seem to both with animation at all, except for bottom-of-the-barrel CGI dreck. And that's a real shame. If a joint like a24 or Neon picked up a promising indie animated film for distribution, that would do a whole lot for the viability of animation as a medium.

Are there just not enough indie animated films looking for distribution?

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mikeyfreshh t1_ja9prjv wrote on February 27, 2023 at 9:41 PM

Independent animated movies don't really make money. It's just not worth it financially for most distributors.

SuperL_Ken OP t1_ja9pu45 wrote on February 27, 2023 at 9:42 PM

Based on what?

testingtor t1_ja9ra0t wrote on February 27, 2023 at 9:51 PM

Animation is expensive, there are easier ways to make money.

Jerrymoviefan3 t1_jaadl20 wrote on February 28, 2023 at 12:24 AM

There actually isn’t much to acquire. Sundance 2023 had only one animated feature film and distribution rights for it in the USA were acquired by a small company a five months before the festival. Most animated films are made by large companies with lots of money so they already have distribution. My local film festival usually only has one or two animated features and they are usually not very good Asian ones desperately searching for a USA distributor.

mrmechsale t1_jad9mfp wrote on February 28, 2023 at 4:39 PM

Audiences also generally think animated features are for kids and that stigma still exists pretty strongly.

Its why every Oscar season Del Toro or Bird will reiterate that animation is a medium not a genre.

allegedly the category "best animated feature" was only made they were afraid of a cartoon winning best picture.

AlanMorlock t1_jaef97y wrote on February 28, 2023 at 9:03 PM

People say this but there's been more animated films nominated for best picture, and notably far more animated films nomi ated for other awards like screenplay after the the category was started thst in the several decades before. It's made animated festures much more of a part of the awards conversation generally.

AlanMorlock t1_jaefnnv wrote on February 28, 2023 at 9:06 PM

Given how low a24 films actually geoss, not sure they'd be doing animated film much of a favor. RLJE, who often distribute to Shudder have branched out more into animation in recent years, picking g up Spine of Night and Mad God.