Manchester Animation Festival 2022

Manchester Animation Festival at HOME Manchester, Manchester and online, 13–18 November 2022, from £6 - Book now

Featuring work from the likes of Aardman Animation, Netflix and a special dedication to local legends Mackinnon and Sauders, Manchester Animation Festival is back with a bang this November. The event takes place online and across multiple venues, including HOME and Manchester’s Odeon, with another sprawling line-up designed to broadly appeal to aspiring and working animation professionals, delight fans of the medium, and entertain family audiences.

Highlights for 2022 include a gala screening of Academy Award-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro’s brand new stop-motion version of Pinocchio featuring an all-star cast. There’s a chance to meet Aardman Animation’s tiniest new star, as creator/director Matt Walker and co-director Jane Davies show up to demonstrate how they made the brand new CITV series, Lloyd of the Flies. While fans of classic Japanese animation can sit down for a 25th anniversary screening of Satoshi Kon’s famous thriller, Perfect Blue.

There are over 100 feature and short films, alongside masterclasses, workshops and other assorted talks, treats and events scheduled across the festival. Youngsters and their adults should look towards MAF’s Family Day (Sun 13 Nov), where they can enjoy a Hey Duggee Character Workshop, a curated BBC boxset, animated childrens shorts and a special screening of The Amazing Maurice.

Those working in the industry, or simply aspiring to, can book onto Industry Day (Thu 17 Nov) events, or meet fellow insiders from big time studios, recruiters, suppliers and trainers at the Marketplace. The festival features roundtables and workshops based around everything from character design and animation, to scriptwriting, 3D printing and how to pitch. There’s even an Educating Animators Conference (Mon 14 Nov) presented in association with the University of Salford.

Of course, there’s plenty to excite everyday animation fans too. Multiple packages of short films explore all corners of the medium, there are glimpses behind the scenes of work from studios such as Netflix, Cartoon Saloon and Cosgrove Hall, while the Japanese animation experts from the Ghibliotheque podcast present a live show alongside a documentary dedicated to the work of director Satoshi Kon.

With much more on offer than we could hope to do justice to here, head on over to the official Manchester Animation Festival website to explore the entire event and book your tickets and passes.