Jean-François Laguionie honed his animation skills alongside Paul Grimault, the director of The King and the Bird, which is still setting the tone of French animation today. He created his first short films, which were awarded many prizes, in the legendary Les Gémeaux studio. He has made seven in all and five features, from Gwen, the Book of Sand in 1985 to his latest, Louise by the Shore. He is a faithful follower of the dreamlike animation initiated by Paul Grimault, where noble and often solitary characters live out their adventures in worlds full of beauty and poetry.