Two productions from Wuhan East Lake High-tech Development Zone (Optics Valley of China, or OVC): Ling Cage Season 2 and The Chosen One were included among the 2026 main competition nominees announced by the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival, often referred to as the "Oscars of Animation", on March 23.

Founded in 1960, the Annecy Festival is the world's largest and most esteemed professional international animation festival. Growing out of the animation segment of the Cannes Film Festival, its main competition category is considered a hallmark of excellence in the global animation industry.

The poster of Ling Cage Season 2. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

Ling Cage Season 2 is an original Chinese sci-fi 3D animation produced by OVC-based YHKT Entertainment and co-produced by Bilibili. It tells the story of human survivors living on the floating city of Lighthouse after an ecological disaster. It is the first Chinese sci-fi animation to compete in the main category of an international A-list film festival.

Since its premiere in May last year, Ling Cage Season 2 has set multiple records for domestic animations: over 1.15 billion total views and more than 11.55 million followers on Bilibili, as well as a 9.5 rating on IMDb.

The poster of The Chosen One. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

The Chosen One is a 2D Chinese folk suspense animation produced by 2:10 Animation based in OVC and co-produced by Tencent Video and Kuaikan Comic‌. It follows freshman Gao Ying as he stumbles into the "Qing Dynasty Hotel" in Nanting Village and finds himself caught up in a century-old conflict.

Digital culture is a key industry in OVC, which is home to a diverse ecosystem encompassing comics, films, games, digital publishing, creative design, and e-sports. By 2025, the output of its cultural industry surpassed 130 billion yuan ($18.86 billion), maintaining a leading position in Wuhan.