Abstract: The article presents an analysis and interpretation of the features of two animated works of French animation created at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries. "Kirikou and the Sorceress", a cartoon released in 1998, is one of the most interesting works of the famous French animated film director Michel Oselo. The "Trio from Belleville", a work that appeared on screens in 2003, gained popularity not only in France, but also glorified the name of its creator Sylvain Chaume in the world of animation. The aim of the study is to develop theoretical knowledge about the world's oldest animation school by analyzing these works as the most representative in French animated cinema at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries. The methodology of the research is based primarily on the use of formal stylistic, iconological and cultural-historical methods, which makes it possible to describe and analyze the artistic forms of works of artistic animation in France, to determine the meanings contained in them in the context of the culture that gave rise to them. The novelty of the research is primarily connected with the introduction into the circulation of Russian science of previously unexplored works of modern French animation and their interpretation in the context of the development of French animated cinema. The author analyzes the plot features, character systems, reveals the metaphors and meanings that fill the cartoons in question, as well as the means of artistic expression used by French directors. The analysis of these works shows that the animated works of the turn of the XX-XXI centuries reflect a significant stage in the development of modern French animated cinema. This development takes place not by referring to foreign experience, but by forming national specifics in the creation of animated works. French directors manage to successfully improve their own original handwriting, while transferring the meanings and values of national culture to the screen.