Masaaki Yuasa picks 21 films for winter showcase at TIFF Lightbox
Anime director Masaaki Yuasa has chosen 21 films for a winter showcase at Toronto's TIFF Lightbox.
The Toronto Film Festival will present 'Drawn Universes: Visions in Animation,' with 17 features and four shorts selected by Yuasa, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The programme will run Nov. 19 to Dec. 29 at TIFF Lightbox in downtown Toronto.
It will open with Paul Grimault's 'The King and the Mockingbird' on Nov. 19. The lineup also includes 'Pinocchio,' 'Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro,' 'AKIRA,' 'Fantastic Planet,' 'Toy Story 3,' 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' and 'Liz and the Blue Bird.'
Yuasa will appear in person for conversations and introduce screenings of two titles. They are Richard Williams' 'The Thief and the Cobbler: A Moment in Time' and Isao Takahata's 'Anne of Green Gables: Road to Green Gables.'
Yuasa is known for free-flowing, expressive animation. He co-founded the studio Science SARU with Eunyoung Choi in 2013, left in 2020, and set up ame pippin Inc. in 2025. His directing credits include 'Inu-Oh' and 'Lu Over the Wall,' as noted by Animation Magazine.
The wider selection spans Japanese animation, meaning hand-drawn and digital work from Japan, alongside French and American animation. It features films by Katsuhiro Otomo, Hayao Miyazaki, Sylvain Chomet and Rene Laloux. TIFF describes the series as drawing on the very best of anime, from beloved classics to cult hits to hidden gems, according to TIFF.
What makes this stand out is the range. A family favourite sits beside a late-night cult title. For fans, this means a chance to see big-screen prints chosen by one of animation's most adventurous directors, with Yuasa himself on hand to explain his picks.
