Les Bêtes – Michael Granberry’s Dark Stop-Motion Odyssey Wins Big at Annecy 2025
Michael Granberry’s Les Bêtes has quickly become one of the most talked-about independent stop-motion films of the past year, culminating in its major wins at the 2025 Annecy International Animated Film Festival, where it took home both the Jury Award for Short Film and the Vimeo Staff Pick Award. For a project created with a stated budget of $0, assembled from decades-old puppets, and shot almost entirely by one filmmaker, the film’s rise across the festival circuit is nothing short of remarkable.
A Haunting Stop-Motion Fantasy Built from Forgotten Creatures
Les Bêtes (French for “The Beasts”) is a stylized black-and-white stop-motion fantasy rooted in the tradition of Ladislas Starevich. The short follows a mysterious rabbit with a set of magical keys who summons an assortment of odd creatures to entertain a wicked king and his indulgent court. The film unfolds with no dialogue, relying entirely on visual storytelling, intricate puppet performances, and a striking handcrafted aesthetic.
Granberry began the film in January 2020, at the start of the pandemic lockdowns. After spending two decades building puppets that never found a home in finished films, he saw Les Bêtes as an opportunity to give these forgotten characters a second life. The mismatched colors and materials of the puppets influenced the creative decision to film entirely in black and white, giving the short a timeless and slightly unsettling vintage feel reminiscent of early 20th-century animation.
A Four-Year Labor of Love
What makes Les Bêtes especially notable is Granberry’s highly intuitive, almost improvisational approach. Instead of traditional storyboards or a locked script, the film was developed shot by shot over four years, guided by the puppets themselves and the surreal energy of the unfolding scenes. The result is a dreamlike flow of imagery and creature performances that feel both spontaneous and meticulously crafted.
Composer Lito Velasco provides an evocative score that reinforces the film’s gothic atmosphere, while compositor Cam Leeburg adds depth and atmosphere that enhance the handmade tactility of the puppets and sets.
Festival Success and Industry Recognition
Although completed in 2024, Les Bêtes spent the following year dominating festivals around the world. Early screenings brought wins at events such as:
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Festival Animation Studio (Paris, France) – Best Stop Motion Film
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Jersey Devil Film Festival – Best of the Festival
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Paracinema Cult Film Festival (UK) – Best Short Film
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Caligari Festival Internacional de Cine de Terror (Spain) – Best Animated Short Film
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FantaSci Short Film Festival – Best Stop Motion Film, William Shatner Indie Auteur Award, Judy Lawrence Memorial Award
This enthusiastic festival run ultimately led to its standout moments at Annecy 2025, where the film secured two of the event’s most prominent short-film awards. Granberry has described the Annecy wins as both surreal and deeply affirming for a film rooted in pure DIY creativity.
A Testament to Handmade Storytelling
Les Bêtes exemplifies the resilience of stop-motion artists who rely not on major studio pipelines but on personal vision, ingenuity, and the enduring magic of physical puppets. By transforming forgotten materials and old puppets into a polished, award-winning short, Granberry demonstrates how powerful independent animation can be when it leans into texture, imperfection, and the unexpected.
For stop-motion fans and filmmakers alike, Les Bêtes is a celebration of the craft—an eerie, imaginative, meticulously animated world built from the scraps of abandoned ideas and resurrected through passion and persistence.
Sources & Hyperlinks
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FilmFreeway – Les Bêtes: https://filmfreeway.com/LesBetes
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Annecy International Animated Film Festival – Official Selection Listing: https://www.annecyfestival.com
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Michael Granberry – Official Website: https://mgranberry.com
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FirstShowing – Feature on the film’s release: https://www.firstshowing.net
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Cartoon Contender – Interview with Michael Granberry: https://cartooncontender.com
