Free Jimmy, by Christopher Nielsen won the Cristal for Best Feature at Annecy. This is the first animated feature for the Norwegian movie industry and features a satirical script and expressive CGI. © Storm Studio.

It was Free Jimmy, Christopher Nielsen's first feature film that won the Cristal of Annecy festival. The award was well deserved for this out-of-the-ordinary movie with its satirical script and realistic and expressive use of CGI. Presented at the Semaine de la critique during Cannes 2006, Free Jimmy is the first animated feature for the Norwegian movie industry. Co-produced with England, this story about a junkie elephant confronted by lowlifes who lust after him or want to protect him despite his will, was directed by Nielsen, creator of comicbooks and TV shows. He co-wrote the story with Simon Pegg, known as the main actor and the co-writer of the comedy Shaun of the Dead. Pegg lent his voice to the movie, along with Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton and Kyle MacLachlan.

A Special Distinction was given to The Girl Who Leapt Through Time by Mamoru Hosoda (Japan). This choice confirms the popularity of Japanese animation in Europe, but this popularity is more about Festival preference since DVD sales as the distribution of this kind of movie in theaters is still problematic. Without a doubt, an award from Annecy will have positive effects on the potential success of such a movie. The massive attendance of the Asian societies at the MIFA proves that the European market is the object attention from Asia.