The Long Drive to Annecy - The Last Waltz

A car on a tree-lined road at night. Bare branches, pink fog, and at the end of the drive a manor with every window lit. Whoever is in that car has been invited. But they have no idea what they're driving into.

That's the opening promise of The Last Waltz. It's also a fair description of my June.

The Last Waltz has been named a Finalist at the Dreamina AI Animation International Summit at the 66th Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

Annecy is the one name in animation you never have to explain. I'll be there on June 23, in person, with a pass to MIFA, the market where the industry decides what gets made next.

This film took the long road. A single image planted the idea in 2024, a party in a ballroom at night, illustrated in shadow and silhouettes. I attempted a first version in December 2025 and stopped. Consistency was a struggle and other priorities took over. When Seedance 2.0 was released, I was free to try again. The proposal going to Annecy is the second attempt, the one where the tools finally caught up to the picture in my head.

When I submitted, I wrote that if it doesn't win, I finish it anyway, but that Annecy would be a hell of a place to show what pink noir looks like in motion. It turns out that's exactly where pink noir is going.