Before my commercial success, I had difficulty doing what I wanted, but my sincere short films always won prizes in festivals. So I was ready for larger successes.

I'm at peace with myself. My film just may please audiences. At any rate, it's already a great prize to be part of just 16 films among all of the world cinema out there. I'm tranquil and satisfied.

One gets used to success very quickly. The surprise was how deep and enduringly I was touching people, in such different places and throughout generations.

All of my films are based on personal experiences and beliefs. Many of my heroes are my spokespeople - and some are not!

France can compete with the Hollywood studios in terms of animation savoir-faire, but not in terms of box-office figures. France is a small country, and the Americans are the masters of the world - for cinema, it's true.

Kids in different countries know my movies by heart because they've seen them so many times. And wonderful returns never stop.

I never seem to be able to sell my films correctly in the U.S. The U.S. defends itself on its own turf.