In a scene befitting one of his imaginative works, Terry Gilliam took the stage at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival armed with crashed paper planes to receive an honorary award, deliver a characteristically insightful masterclass, and make a surprise announcement. The iconic director revealed he is currently scouting animation talent at the prestigious festival to collaborate on his next ambitious feature – a biblical comedy titled “The Carnival at the End of Days.”
“I’m trying to do something that is not my style of animation…some of it’s stop motion, some is going to be digital,” Gilliam shared during the masterclass. “Annecy’s got some of the greatest animators on the planet, so I’m just here to meet people.”
The project, which Gilliam aims to begin shooting in January 2024, boasts an impressive cast led by longtime collaborator Johnny Depp as Satan, with Jeff Bridges portraying God. According to the director, the film will offer a reversal of typical biblical narratives, with Depp’s Satan attempting to save humanity from the wrath of Bridges’ punitive deity. Adam Driver and Jason Momoa are also attached to the star-studded ensemble.
While Gilliam has never helmed a full-length animated feature, his pioneering work on the iconic cut-out animations for Monty Python’s Flying Circus, as well as films like Monty Python and the Holy Grail, has cemented his place as an influential force in the medium. The 82-year-old filmmaker reminisced about his early days as a struggling artist in New York, working alongside legends like Harvey Kurtzman and befriending counterculture icons like R. Crumb.
It was a chance commission in the UK that kickstarted Gilliam’s animation career and led to his fortuitous meeting with the Monty Python troupe. As he recounted, “I said, ‘Let me make an animated film,’ and they assumed I knew what I was talking about…And literally overnight, I became a famous animator.”
Throughout the masterclass, Gilliam’s trademark irreverence and self-deprecating humor were on full display, as he poked fun at the industry’s “neurotic” executives and even delivered a shocking punchline about domestic violence – a reminder of his boundary-pushing comedic sensibilities.
Now, with “The Carnival at the End of Days” on the horizon, the visionary filmmaker is once again embracing the imperfect, absurd, and unconventional, tapping into the vast talent pool at Annecy to bring his unique blend of live-action and animation to life. As Gilliam continues to march to the beat of his own drum, audiences can expect another delightfully provocative and idiosyncratic entry in his celebrated body of work.
