Animation First ’26: The Songbirds’ Secret

Lucie Feart’s mother Caro is an archaeologist, but she is no Indiana Jones. Lucie is definitely the adventurous one. It is a close call, but Lucie is probably also the more responsible one. Obviously, that is not exactly ideal, but it makes it easy for viewers to identify with her when Antoine Lanciaux’s The Songbirds’ Secret screens at the 2026 Animation First festival.

During WWII, the National Socialists murdered Bectoile’s local lord and his family, because of his resistance sympathies. They burned the chateau to the ground, but there was never a clear body count. In the present day, Lucie must spend the summer in Bectoile while Caro and her colleague excavate the chateau, hoping to find the secret crypt (and the treasure legend says lies within).

Although she misses her father (with whom Caro appears to be ambiguously separated), Lucie is relatively okay with the arrangement. It helps having her loyal dog Madrin. She also befriends Yann, the grandson of their farmer-landlords. He clearly has a bit of thing for her, so he agrees to help when she starts investigating the town’s mysteries. Sadly, Bectoile had its share of tragedies. Notably, the local mill also burned down several decades after the chateau was razed. Frankly, it affected her family far more than Lucie initially understood.

Songbirds’ Secret is a gentle but lively film, but the title is a bit misleading. A pair of songbirds periodically point Lucie towards the truth, but big, shaggy Madrin and an injured baby badger play much larger roles—with good reason. Lovable Madrin and the badger cub are way cuter than a pair of Eurasian Blue somethings (can you really use their full species names in a family film? Apparently, you can in France).

Regardless, Lanciaux keeps things buoyant and peppy, while staging a masterful exhibition of his animation artistry. The entire film consists of paper sets and “puppets,” animated through stop-motion techniques. Technically, it is related to the cut-out animation of Prince Achmed, but Lanciaux’s characters are fully expressive, frequently charming, and altogether endearing. The craft is remarkable, but viewers might lose sight of it, as they find themselves caught up in plucky Lucie’s adventures (or misadventures). Yet, that just shows how successful Lanciaux was rendering her story.

Indeed, Lucie’s summer vacation mystery holds enormous nostalgic appeal, but it will never feel dated to younger viewers. The wartime backstory also gives the film even greater resonance for mature viewers with an understanding of history. Very highly recommended, The Songbirds’ Secret screens this Sunday (2/8), as part of this year’s Animation First.