Giggling elementary schoolers, smiling families and mermaids took over the Violet Crown Cinema Saturday morning for the 39th annual Virginia Film Festival\u2019s screening of \u201cJuli\u00e1n.\u201d The 85-minute 2D animated film was the 2026 VAFF Family Centerpiece Film, and one of six animated films being shown at the festival. It follows a young boy who discovers he is a mermaid while spending the summer with his grandmother near the lively and colorful Brooklyn shore.<\/p>\n
\u201cJuli\u00e1n\u201d is an international co-production between the Ireland-based Cartoon Saloon \u2014, the award-winning studio known for \u201cThe Breadwinner<\/a>\u201d and \u201cWolfwalkers<\/a>\u201d \u2014 and several other companies, including Melusine Productions, Aircraft Pictures and Sun Creature Studio. Based on the 2018 picture book \u201cJuli\u00e1n is a Mermaid<\/a>\u201d by Jessica Love, \u201cJuli\u00e1n\u201d is the feature-length directorial debut of Louise Bagnall, Cartoon Saloon filmmaker and animator. The film premiered June 23 at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival as part of the Annecy Presents category and has since been viewable at various festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival<\/a> and the British Film Institute London Film Festival.<\/a><\/p>\n Jes\u00fas J\u00e1tiva Fern\u00e1ndez, the 2026 guest programmer of the VAFF Animation series, introduced \u201cJuli\u00e1n\u201d to an audience full of children and families, underscoring VAFF\u2019s efforts to bring more animated and family-centered movies to the festival this year. The near hour-and-a-half film that followed was a swirling menagerie of crayon and colored pencil, steeped in Dominican American culture and the importance of family.<\/p>\n The film opens with Juli\u00e1n, a wide-eyed and curly-haired seven-year-old boy, as he draws two sunfish \u2014 one for him and one for his grandmother. His bright imagination transforms Brooklyn into an underwater paradise, one he intends to share with his grandmother over his summer stay. An eclectic woman with a bright pink front door, she insists Juli\u00e1n call her \u201cAbuela\u201d instead of \u201cGrandma.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, Juli\u00e1n and Abuela struggle to see eye-to-eye early on. Abuela, although a spirited and loving woman, has trouble understanding Juli\u00e1n\u2019s wild imagination and love for mermaids. Juli\u00e1n feels out of place as he adjusts to the lifestyle of a new city until he meets a playful water spirit named Luna, the mermaid goddess Yemay\u00e1 and a group of three girls with sparkly scarves and flashy chalk drawings. The four of them bond over a shared love of mermaids, leading to Juli\u00e1n\u2019s discovery of the alluring Coney Island Mermaid Parade \u2014 a magical event where everybody dresses up and plays in the ocean.<\/p>\n \u201cJuli\u00e1n\u201d continues with similar misunderstandings, reconciliations and mermaids, painting an elegant picture of love and family in a community that may not always want to see one for who they are. The stunning visuals, music and story make for an emotional journey that audience members from all walks of life could enjoy. Aviva Pressley, audience member and second-year College student, described how the film\u2019s emotional beats hit home despite her not being the target demographic.<\/p>\n \u201cSomething about this movie really got to me. It starts off with some cute little bits made for children \u2026 and then the movie subtly hits you with these really deep emotional themes about identity and belonging, and feeling out of place and being taken away from your home. I found it really beautiful,\u201d Pressley said.<\/p>\n