VIDEO. Screening room, gourmet hall… Former Annecy stud farm, the future City of Animation Cinema is revealed

The rehabilitation project at the Haras d’Annecy, in Haute-Savoie, is halfway through, at the end of November. Scheduled for 2026, it will host the future International City of Animated Cinema, with which the city hopes to shine.

The Haras d’Annecy continues its transformation. This jewel of heritage will soon be transformed into a place of plural life: the international city of animated cinema. With this location, Annecy hopes to establish itself as the world capital of this 7th art. The project, which began in 2023, is now halfway complete. The projection room came out of the ground,with a capacity of 332 places.

“Aith this site, and the entire ecosystem that has been developed with the festival (from the animated film) and the film market, we want to develop a permanent, daily footprint for Annecy residents”details Mickaël Marin, director of the Cité de l’image enmoving in Annecy.

“The public will be able to come and see exhibitions and films. This site will be a total experience between culture and nature. The objective is to be the world capital of animated cinema, although Annecy has been for 65 years with the animated film festival.he declares.

The old riding school and stables will house exhibition spaces and a museum, with the aim of preserving the atmosphere of the period. Built in the 1880s, the stud site was intended to improve the breeds and breeding of horses. Listed as a historic monument in 2007, it became property of the city in 2013 after the departure of the national stud. This renovation project, estimated at 50 million euros, aims to revive the site while respecting the heritage.

“Lthe architect wanted to keep the original vision of the Stud with the military ordering of the buildings when we enter through the main entrance. The color of the building was white plaster with red bricks. This original color from 1880 has been found, an orange ocher, and will be used for the renovation. explain Dominique Puthod, president of CITIA, whose organization will recover the building in September 2025.There is a real desire to respect heritage, but also an ecological approach, thinking about what could be reused. For example, the paving stones from the stables will be reused for the park. he emphasizes.

The opening of the stud farm is planned for autumn 2025 with access to the landscaped park but also to the gourmet market. The public will then be able to discover the international city of animated films in spring 2026.