Julián
A grandmother and grandson discover each other—and themselves—in this 2026 animated feature
Julián is Louise Bagnall's feature directorial debut, arriving at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival later this year. The film follows a boy who spends the summer in Brooklyn with his Abuela—a woman he barely knows—and finds that what starts as an awkward reunion becomes something much larger. It's a story about gender identity, self-discovery, and the unexpected ways grandmothers can change everything. It's also gorgeously animated. Running 85 minutes and set across Brooklyn streets and the interior world of Abuela's home, the film adapts Jessica Love's beloved picture book Julián Is a Mermaid, which nobody forgot.
The thing nobody mentions enough: Love's original barely has text on some pages. It trusts silence the way most books don't. Translating that restraint into a feature-length narrative is the real creative challenge here—and Bagnall, coming from Cartoon Saloon (the studio behind Wolfwalkers and The Breadwinner), seems like exactly the right person to attempt it.
What makes Julián different from other animated family films
Here's what's striking about the premise: the film doesn't hedge. Julián's exploration of gender expression isn't a subplot or a carefully managed "moment." It's the spine of the entire story, filtered through warmth and genuine curiosity rather than instruction. The grandmother-grandson dynamic carries all the weight—Abuela isn't a wise oracle who fixes everything. She's someone with her own history, her own stories, her own relationship to identity and Caribbean diaspora.
The Cartoon Saloon visual language—lush, hand-drawn, unapologetically painterly—is exactly the right register for a story that moves between block parties and the depths of the ocean. If you liked Wolfwalkers, you'll recognize that tonal range: domestic intimacy bleeding into full-blown fantasy. The studio earned the right to attempt it.
What's also unusual: the thematic keywords—friendship, self-expression, inclusion—don't feel like a checklist. They grew from the same root. That's the difference between a mandate and an instinct.
The international production behind Julián
This is genuinely ambitious. The film brings together Sun Creature (Denmark), Aircraft Pictures (Canada), Folivari and Melusine Productions (Luxembourg and France), plus Cinestar Pictures, Wychwood Media, Crave, Guru Studio, and Viva Films. That's a coalition spanning Ireland, the UK, Canada, Denmark, and Luxembourg—the kind of multi-territory co-production that signals real funding and real commitment, not filler content.
Bagnall's a Cartoon Saloon alumna (the studio doesn't make product; they make films that feel necessary). That lineage matters. So does the fact that Crave, the Canadian streaming platform, is already a production partner—which tells you something about where the film's distribution is already locked in.
The world premiere happens in Annecy's Annecy Presents section—the non-competitive strand of the festival's official selection. Annecy is the most prestigious animation festival on the planet. Landing there, even outside competition, isn't nothing. Hard to say if festival awards will follow, but the studio's track record and the source material put it squarely in the conversation.
Where and when you can watch Julián
As of now, Julián hasn't completed its theatrical and festival run yet, so streaming availability is still taking shape. That said—Crave is listed among the production partners, which suggests Canadian streaming rights are baked into the project's DNA from the start.
For region-specific streaming options and real-time updates as new platform deals are announced, Movie OTT's where-to-watch tracker is your most reliable source. Availability can shift quickly after a festival premiere, and the widget tracks those listings as they change. Worth bookmarking if you're waiting for a specific service to carry it.
The film premiered at Annecy in 2026—a wider release timeline hasn't been publicly confirmed yet, but Cartoon Saloon films tend to get proper theatrical runs before hitting streaming, so patience is probably wise here.
Who should actually watch this film
Julián is for families who aren't afraid of a film that asks real questions. It's for kids who've ever felt like they didn't quite fit the shape the world expected. And it's for grandparents—the ones who've had to figure out, on the fly, how to love someone they're still getting to know.
If you've got a child navigating identity questions, or you remember what that felt like, this one's worth your attention. The intergenerational stuff—that's where the heart lives.
Keep checking Movie OTT for updates as Julián moves through its festival run and into wider release. Cartoon Saloon doesn't miss often. This one feels like it's going to matter.
