WIA [Women in Animation] has announced the lineup for its 2025 World Summit at Annecy.
As revealed exclusively to Variety, the ninth edition of the event, taking place on June 9, will be themed The Future is Animated and will focus, among other things, on adult animation.
“It’s a subject very close to my heart, as I produce ‘Invincible’ and run the studio over at Skybound Entertainment. Our whole focus is adult animation,” admitted WIA president Marge Dean.
“We want to address issues and challenges that the industry is facing from all aspects, and particularly around gender justice, but we always try to take a positive approach. Everyone knows the industry is struggling right now. There’s a lot of unemployment and a lot less work being done. But adult animation is definitely a growing area in the industry.”
Marci Proietto, executive vice president of animation for 20th Century Fox; Marshell Becton, producer of “Invincible”; Sydney Bright, head of global animation at WebToon; and Ollie Green, executive producer with Tree People International, Inc. will lead the panel The Future of Adult Animation.
According to WIA VP Jinko Gotoh, “If you look at the audience today, one that grew up watching anime, we can see that anime is going to have an influence also on adult animation. We want to spotlight and highlight opportunities for the next generation.”
According to Dean, “anime is the biggest influence in animation right now.”
“In addition to that, there is a whole generation now of people who have grown up having access to animation 24/7 via Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network. The broadcasters and the people who are making the content have realized there is an appetite. People don’t stop watching animation when they hit 10 or 15. They keep going, and they are demanding it, and you can see it in the success of shows like ‘Invincible,’ ‘Blue-Eye Samurai’ and ‘Arcane.’ They are the leading shows now.”
Another session, The Audience-Driven Future, will spotlight creators who reshape traditional production and distribution models. Moderated by Dean, it will feature OTSU Labs CEO Dang Khoa Trinh, Maya Penn of Upenndo! Productions and Hayley Lam from Studio Munbou.
“We are looking at people who have taken on going directly to fans and building a community around their vision, around their IP, around the stories they want to tell. They have developed their own content, put it out on YouTube, and through the use and support of social media have been able to build a community or an audience around their IP,” explained Dean.
“They are making content and getting their stories out in a different way than it’s been done traditionally, which would be to develop it and sell it to somebody who then puts it on a network, or a streamer. They are going at it themselves and managing their own way directly to the audience. We talked about it last year, and now we are bringing another group in because this movement is only growing. There are not a lot of other opportunities for people who are original content creators.”
Like Sophie Saget of Andarta Studios, who “really impressed” her.
“She’s just so clever in how she put it together and figured out how to self-finance. She’s very strategic in every decision that she’s made. Part of my job is to go to studios, and you can tell right away if it’s a happy, healthy place. This was one of the healthiest studios I’ve been in in a long time. There are many smaller studios in France, and in other parts of the world, for whom she is a great role model.”
Gotoh noted: “Knowing that the industry is shifting, the new generation is looking for opportunities which will allow them to truly shine on their own.”
During What’s Next: Showcasing the Future, Linda Simensky, head of character development and scripted content at Duolingo, and “Steven Universe” creator Rebecca Sugar will discuss nurturing emerging talent. Later, Simensky will present Megan Dong (Warner Bros. Pictures Animation), Sylvia Prietov (Lucy Animation Studio) and Mailys Vallade (Maybe Movies), who will share a look at the work they are doing “to expand what animation is, who it speaks to, and how it gets made.”
“We can give [the participants] what we’ve always given them, which is a community,” said Dean. “We’re always trying to bring people together to talk about opportunities. Things are hard, sure, but what are the success stories? Being interconnected and supporting each other, all of that is going to generate a lot of positivity and fun.”
Discovering talent from all around the globe is also one of the priorities, added Gotoh.
“Animation isn’t just about the U.S., but it is a very global industry, and we’re seeing emerging talent coming from everywhere, Europe, Asia or Africa. They’re bringing a very different perspective on storytelling. It’s important because animation is a medium and a lot of times it gets treated as a genre, especially in the U.S.”
This year’s edition will also commemorate publicity executive Fumi Kitahara, who passed away earlier this year.
“Fumi was instrumental in the success of WIA ever since the very beginning. She was our Annecy ambassador, connecting filmmakers from around the world with WIA,” said Gotoh. “Her love for animation was infectious. She devoted herself to supporting filmmakers regardless of gender, color, race, or socioeconomic status.”
