Experts discuss revolutionising audience engagement with animation

Sharjah 24

05-05-2025

The discussion took place during a panel titled 'The New Era of Animation: Integrating Storytelling with Games', which featured Olivier Lillardo, French director and CEO of Blue Spirit Studio, and Nicolas Montero, Creative Producer at Blue Spirit Studio and Brain Comet Studio. The session was moderated by Valentina Martelli, a renowned media personality.
The panel explored how interactive storytelling is reshaping animation and also discussed the profound influence of gaming platforms on this dynamic medium. The talk also addressed current trends in the entertainment industry, offering practical insights on combining games and animation to create truly interactive experiences for audiences.
Throughout the session, the speakers presented clips from popular animated series, including The Samurai with Blue Eyes and My Manga Animated Life, and engaged with participants in a lively Q&A session.
Olivier Lillardo shared his perspective on the evolution of animation: 'Over time, there has been a generational shift, alongside a broad movement in the development of animation. This has expanded the target audience to include adults, not just children and teenagers. Around a decade ago, production companies attempted to turn conventional films into animated works, marking the beginning of a new era where storytelling and gaming are integrated. In the past, animation was largely aimed at children, but today, we see content that caters to every member of the family—children, teens, and adults—including video games. This new era of animation belongs to content creators, not just studios, as it was in the past.'
Nicolas Montero emphasised that animation has become a universal visual language, with broad appeal across all age groups and cultural backgrounds. 'Japanese manga stands at the forefront of global animation production,' he said. 'But we are also seeing influences from Chinese, Indian, European, African, and other cultural styles, allowing animation to address the varied needs of audiences worldwide. The new era of animation embraces all demographics—across ages, nationalities, and cultures—and strives to meet diverse interests and aspirations.'
From May 1 - 4, the 3rd annual edition of the Sharjah Animation Conference featured more than 35 workshops, 4 musical performances, and 16 panel discussions, led by over 74 industry experts from 18 countries.