Blab Entertainment
Cartoon Saloons Louise Bagnall Debuts Feature Julian at Annecy, Expanding Jessica Loves Picture Book into Animated Exploration of Gender and Heritage
At the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Cartoon Saloon unveiled its first feature‑length film, Julián, turning Jessica Love’s 2018 picture book Julián Is a Mermaid into a luminous study of gender, heritage, and imagination.
The film follows a Brooklyn boy who spends a summer in New York City with his abuela. Through playful adventures and quiet moments, he learns to express his gender identity while the grandmother learns to understand and support him. Bagnall, who has directed several celebrated shorts for the studio, said the story is “a conversation between a child and an adult about who we are and how we choose to show ourselves.”
Production began roughly four to five years ago, with Bagnall confirming that she had been working on the project “sort of seriously” by the end of 2020. The journey from page to screen involved careful decisions about tone, pacing, and visual style, all of which were guided by the original book’s heart.
The narrative centers on the evolving relationship between Julián and his abuela. Initially, the grandmother struggles to grasp his desire to dress as a mermaid, but as the summer unfolds, her perspective shifts. The climax arrives at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, where the abuela creates a mermaid costume for Julián, symbolizing acceptance and celebration.
Bagnall emphasized that Julián invites audiences to reflect on their own beliefs about gender expression. “I think what’s interesting about it is that it actually reflects back on the audience and asks them to kind of re‑examine their own ideas, especially adults,” she said. The film’s purpose, she noted, is to prompt viewers to confront their preconceptions and broaden their empathy.
In translating Love’s illustrations to animation, the team preserved the book’s linework while shifting from watercolor to coloring pencils and markers for backgrounds. “Those are the kinds of creative supplies Julián has in his pencil case,” Bagnall explained. The change gave the film a more cinematic feel while maintaining the original’s warmth.
Art director Emily (surname withheld) guided the film’s color palette to capture the vibrancy of a New York summer. She blended earthy tones with jewel colors inside the abuela’s apartment and deep blues for magical moments, drawing inspiration from Do the Right Thing for its bold use of color and lighting.
Recreating the Coney Island Mermaid Parade posed a technical challenge. The parade’s sheer scale and eclectic crowd required the animation team to avoid a repetitive “copy‑and‑paste” approach. Instead, they designed distinct characters for each shot and filled space with patterned fabrics, banners, and flags. TVPaint was used for hand‑drawn animation, while Moho handled rigged background characters, allowing simple movements such as head swings and side‑to‑side sways.
The film’s narrative also weaves magical elements that mirror Julián’s internal journey. Luna, a manifestation of Julián himself, and Yemaya, a goddess figure, appear to guide him. Yemaya links his gender expression to his Dominican heritage, offering a space where he can explore identity beyond social norms.
Julián will be marketed internationally through New Europe Film Sales, with CAA Media Finance handling U.S. distribution. Its debut at Annecy marks the first public screening of the feature, and the studio expects to showcase it at other festivals and potentially release it on streaming platforms in the coming months.
In short, Cartoon Saloon’s Julián expands a beloved picture book into a culturally specific narrative with universal themes. The film combines a distinct visual style, thoughtful production techniques, and an engaging story that invites audiences to explore gender, heritage, and imagination. Its premiere at Annecy positions it for wider distribution and deeper audience engagement.
The film follows a Brooklyn boy who spends a summer in New York City with his abuela. Through playful adventures and quiet moments, he learns to express his gender identity while the grandmother learns to understand and support him. Bagnall, who has directed several celebrated shorts for the studio, said the story is “a conversation between a child and an adult about who we are and how we choose to show ourselves.”
Production began roughly four to five years ago, with Bagnall confirming that she had been working on the project “sort of seriously” by the end of 2020. The journey from page to screen involved careful decisions about tone, pacing, and visual style, all of which were guided by the original book’s heart.
The narrative centers on the evolving relationship between Julián and his abuela. Initially, the grandmother struggles to grasp his desire to dress as a mermaid, but as the summer unfolds, her perspective shifts. The climax arrives at the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, where the abuela creates a mermaid costume for Julián, symbolizing acceptance and celebration.
Bagnall emphasized that Julián invites audiences to reflect on their own beliefs about gender expression. “I think what’s interesting about it is that it actually reflects back on the audience and asks them to kind of re‑examine their own ideas, especially adults,” she said. The film’s purpose, she noted, is to prompt viewers to confront their preconceptions and broaden their empathy.
In translating Love’s illustrations to animation, the team preserved the book’s linework while shifting from watercolor to coloring pencils and markers for backgrounds. “Those are the kinds of creative supplies Julián has in his pencil case,” Bagnall explained. The change gave the film a more cinematic feel while maintaining the original’s warmth.
Art director Emily (surname withheld) guided the film’s color palette to capture the vibrancy of a New York summer. She blended earthy tones with jewel colors inside the abuela’s apartment and deep blues for magical moments, drawing inspiration from Do the Right Thing for its bold use of color and lighting.
Recreating the Coney Island Mermaid Parade posed a technical challenge. The parade’s sheer scale and eclectic crowd required the animation team to avoid a repetitive “copy‑and‑paste” approach. Instead, they designed distinct characters for each shot and filled space with patterned fabrics, banners, and flags. TVPaint was used for hand‑drawn animation, while Moho handled rigged background characters, allowing simple movements such as head swings and side‑to‑side sways.
The film’s narrative also weaves magical elements that mirror Julián’s internal journey. Luna, a manifestation of Julián himself, and Yemaya, a goddess figure, appear to guide him. Yemaya links his gender expression to his Dominican heritage, offering a space where he can explore identity beyond social norms.
Julián will be marketed internationally through New Europe Film Sales, with CAA Media Finance handling U.S. distribution. Its debut at Annecy marks the first public screening of the feature, and the studio expects to showcase it at other festivals and potentially release it on streaming platforms in the coming months.
In short, Cartoon Saloon’s Julián expands a beloved picture book into a culturally specific narrative with universal themes. The film combines a distinct visual style, thoughtful production techniques, and an engaging story that invites audiences to explore gender, heritage, and imagination. Its premiere at Annecy positions it for wider distribution and deeper audience engagement.
