Léo Brunel Brings Absurdist Animated Comedy to Hornet
Leading creative studio Hornet has signed French animation director Léo Brunel to its director roster for US representation.
Léo Brunel’s magic lies in taking the everyday and making it extraordinarily funny. His animated stories are united by a sharp sense of comic timing, blending reality with the absurd, and grounding every situation before letting it tip, with precision, into chaos.
Inspired by slapstick and physical comedy from the past century, Léo finds his stride in off-kilter humor that doesn’t rely on dialogue to get its point across. He deftly controls the narrative through his signature aesthetic minimalism and intentional sound design, and the simplicity of his comedy makes the punchlines accessible to all– crossing generations and oceans. Léo gets to the heart of a humorous moment and then constructs a world around that seed.
“He makes me laugh,” says Kristin Labriola, Head of Creative Development. “Beyond his beautiful craft and cinematic eye, what drew me to his work is his ability to transcend culture and language through humor. He harkens back to the era of great physical comedy and can say more with a raised eyebrow than most can with a page of dialogue.”
A veteran of the awards circuit, his 2018 short film Hors-Piste won over 46 international awards, including the BAFTA Student Award for Best Animated Short, an Annie Award nomination and an Oscar shortlist. Léo’s latest short film, Duet, was announced in March and is racking up film festival nominations across the globe. The film is a tightly timed comedy that revolves around two movers, one grand piano, and a very uncooperative staircase.
Léo Brunel was a member of the collective Mega Computer before going on to work with Illumination London, contributing to the Minions franchise and the feature film Migration. He is currently represented in France by longtime friends of Hornet, Eddy.
Whether in short films, advertising, or longer formats, Léo crafts controlled worlds where the smallest detail can become the spark that sets everything beautifully off balance. Hornet is excited to bring his unique humor to ambitious pitches in the US market.
