Trailer: The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol

Animation Magazine has shared the first trailer for Sylvain Chomet's The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol, which ranks amongst my most anticipated movies of next year. It's Chomet's first animated feature since The Illusionist, which came out when I was in college....so it's been a while. I can't wait.

The synopsis:

 In 1955, 60-year-old Marcel Pagnol is a well-known and acclaimed playwright and filmmaker. When the editor-in-chief of ELLE Magazine commissions a weekly column about Pagnol’s childhood, he sees this as a great opportunity to go back to his artistic roots: writing.

Realizing his memory is failing him and deeply affected by the disappointing results of his last two plays, Pagnol starts doubting his ability to pursue his work. That is until Little Marcel — the young boy he used to be — appears to him as if by magic. Together, they will explore Marcel Pagnol’s incredible life, his successes and failures, his joys and sorrows.

The journey of an artist, from a young teacher in Provence to a true pioneer of talking movies. An exceptional inventor who built his own film studios and held out through WWII. A self made man who never betrayed his free spirit or independence, even less his values and origins. A simple man and a bon vivant above all!

The film hits French theaters in October 2025, and will likely launch in the US (via Sony Pictures Classics) shortly after.