The animated segments of The French Dispatch were directed by Gwenn Germain, who previously worked on Anderson's Isle of Dogs. As a nod to Angoulême's comic heritage, the sequences were done entirely by local illustrators. The team comprised a maximum of 15 people, using The Adventures of Tintin and Blake and Mortimer as their main inspirations. The process took about seven months to complete.
During the ending credits some covers of The French Dispatch through its history are shown. They were created by Spanish illustrator Javi Aznarez and were loosely inspired by The New Yorker's covers.
In casting Timothée Chalamet as Zeffirelli, Wes Anderson told GQ, "I never had the inconvenience of ever thinking of anybody else for this role even for a second." The role was written specifically for him.
Atypical for a movie poster, the ensemble cast is grouped by storylines rather than billing.
During the end credits, several covers of The French Dispatch are shown. One depicts a set table with a wine glass, plate, fork, and a revolver with a knife attached to the bottom of the barrel. A similar revolver/knife contraption was also briefly featured in a 2004 American Express: My Life. My Card. (2006) commercial starring Wes Anderson. In the commercial, Anderson asks his production armorer to make a ".357 with a bayonet." The armorer returns shortly with a sketch of a revolver with a bayonet attached to the bottom of the barrel, which Anderson approves.