Beverly Hills-based Cinema Management Group has closed a first round of distribution deals for the animated kids and family feature “Buffalo Kids,” screening in this year’s Annecy Presents section at the prestigious French festival.

Adapted from the short film “Cuerdas” (“Strings”), “Buffalo Kids” is a frontier tale about two recently orphaned Irish siblings. The duo emigrate to America, landing in the urban wilderness of New York City, where their uncle Niall was meant to pick them up. When Niall, who normally resides in California, is a no-show, the kids set out to try and find their distant kin. What follows is a trans-continental odyssey across North America, including wild action sequences, new friends, and picturesque landscapes.

Producer and co-writer Jordi Gasull said of the film: “The idea of adapting ‘Strings’ into a full-length feature has been in my heart for years, and to see it come to life is...