Williams, who contributed megahit “Happy” to the soundtrack of “Despicable Me 2”, presented the Annecy festival’s “Golden Ticket” to Illumination founder Chris Meledandri.

The musician and producer was in France ahead of his debut as Louis Vuitton’s new head designer at Paris Fashion Week on Tuesday.

Since its creation in 2007, Illumination has had an astonishing run of success thanks to its “Despicable Me” franchise, and the spin-offs based on the antics of its little yellow Minions.

“The Secret Life of Pets” and “Sing” films have also been hugely successful, although all have been eclipsed by the shock triumph of “Super Mario Bros”, which has grossed more than US$1.3 billion (US$6 billion) since its release in April.

It is only the second time the festival has given the award. The previous recipient was DreamWorks (“Shrek”, “Kung Fu Panda”) in 2016.

“The collaboration between Illumination and Annecy has been crucial in the recent evolution of the festival,” its artistic director, Marcel Jean, said in a statement.