'Minions' studio Illumination gets honorary award from Pharrell / Photo: © AFP
-
8.3 mn refugees at risk due to 'severe' funding cuts: UN
-
Race against time as Asian Games cricket quarter-finals washed out
-
Stocks drop and oil rises as Hormuz hopes fade
-
India turns to corals and seagrass to shield against rising seas
-
OpenAI cancels release of newest model due to safety concerns
-
Manchester City's Premier League charges: What comes next?
-
AI bosses head to White House as safety pressure builds
-
Brazil's cellphone crime: a security nightmare in every pocket
-
Batista sacked as Costa Rica coach after six months
-
Russia pummels Kyiv in latest deadly attack
-
Flooding, power cuts and evacuations as Hurricane Polo slams Mexico
-
NFL Giants obtain QB McCarthy from Vikings
-
Dodgers eye three-peat, Red Sox face Yankees as MLB playoffs begin
-
Deal for evicted Spanish pensioner as PM seeks new housing law
-
Certification of Boeing 737 MAX delayed by software bug
-
Clippers apologize, warn fans of 'challenges' after Leonard scandal
-
Celine Dion wows Paris Fashion Week with surprise gig
-
Turkish comedian convicted for Erdogan 'insult' freed pending appeal
-
AMD buys firm founded by AI 'godmother' Fei-Fei Li
-
Trump announces 'biggest' US steel plant in battleground Iowa
-
Italy rebound in Turkey as France win late in Belgium
-
Olise wonder strike gives Zidane's France win in Belgium
-
Pope says concerns about AI 'should be taken seriously'
-
US stocks fall, bond yields rise as Middle East war drags on
-
Hurricanes to hoist title banner as NHL season begins
-
Trump denies offering to sell arms to China's Xi
-
Justice Alito steps aside from major US climate case
-
Wemby ready for NBA Spurs to move rivals in climb to top
-
Willis happy with England exile after retains Top 14 player award
-
Ukraine to postpone some spending amid delays in aid: PM
-
Spain housing protests keep heat on government as PM seeks new law
-
Tuchel says Czech Republic game 'not yet a must-win'
-
Wissa spoils Zimbabwe homecoming as DR Congo win AFCON qualifier
-
MaXhosa puts South Africa on the Paris fashion map
-
UK police release on bail five men held over airbase incident
-
Rose, Scott among 2027 World Golf Hall of Fame finalists
-
Ex-All Black Plummer 'sure' New Zealand will find Super Rugby solution
-
Brunson says NBA champion Knicks can't get satisfaction
-
Shein sees 1% revenue growth in first half of 2026
-
France puts out largest wildfire since 1949
-
Netherlands regrets Israel retaliation in settlements row
-
Real Madrid's Perez summoned over Barcelona referee payments comments
-
Moscow seizes Russian assets of German food retailer Metro
-
Oil takes off again, Wall Street dips after Trump rejects Iran truce offer
-
Bulgarian spirits inflamed by new rakia rules
-
AlgoQuant Asset Management Selects Liquid Mercury to Enhance Digital Asset Trading Infrastructure
-
Documentary turns camera on architect Peter Zumthor
-
UK to reopen refugee resettlement scheme to push 'safe' migration
-
UK police say releasing on bail five men held over airbase incident
-
Pope urges Europe to help combat 'lies and deceit' in world affairs
'Minions' studio Illumination gets honorary award from Pharrell
Animation studio Illumination, creators of "Minions" and "Super Mario Bros", was presented with a rare honorary award by Pharrell Williams at one of the world's top animation festivals in France on Wednesday.
Williams, who contributed megahit "Happy" to the soundtrack of "Despicable Me 2", presented the Annecy festival's "Golden Ticket" to Illumination founder Chris Meledandri.
The multi-faceted musician and producer was in France ahead of his debut as Louis Vuitton's new head designer at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday.
Since its creation in 2007, Illumination has had an astonishing run of success thanks to its "Despicable Me" franchise, and the spin-offs based on the antics of its little yellow Minions.
"The Secret Life of Pets" and "Sing" films have also been hugely successful, though all have been eclipsed by the shock triumph of "Super Mario Bros" which has grossed more than $1.3 billion since its release in April.
It is only the second time the festival has given the award. The previous recipient was DreamWorks ("Shrek", "Kung Fu Panda") in 2016.
"The collaboration between Illumination and Annecy has been crucial in the recent evolution of the festival," its artistic director Marcel Jean said in a statement.
S.Keller--BTB
