Animation has long been one of film's secret weapons. Whereas live-action movies can give us a window into the intimacies of a character's lives and realities, animation allows us a glimpse into unbridled imagination. Hollywood animation has long been dominated in the mainstream by powerhouses like Disney, and later Dreamworks, leading to a specific style and feel of domestically animated features.
With the enormous following that continues to grow for anime filmmakers like Miyazaki and Makoto Shinkai, Japanese animated films have taken on a popularity of their own in the Western world. However, there have been numerous movies hailing from other sectors of the world that deserve just as much praise and attention.
10 $9.99 (Australia/2008) - 73%
Israeli-born director Tatia Rosenthal's only feature-length film to date is this distinctly Australian flick made for adults only. Taking a much more realistic and philosophical approach to the format, $9.99 is a collage of stories centered around the tenants of an apartment building in Sydney.
Australian legends Geoffrey Rush and Anthony LaPaglia lead the voice cast, comprised entirely of Australian talent. The film's bold riffing on the meaning of life and other existential worries make it a standout in the worlds of adult animation and stop-motion.
9 Tales Of The Night (France/2011) - 80%
French animation legend Michel Ocelot has been in the business for decades by the time he released this compilation of animated shorts in 2011. The movie compiles five previously released shorts and one new short into a packaged film centered around geographically defined vignettes of fairy tale inspired adventure.
The unique silhouette styled animation is what truly elevates the movie to a piece of moving art, the deceiving simplicity of the stories themselves make for a brilliant partner to the visuals. One of Ocelot's late-career highlights.
8 A Cat In Paris (France/2010) - 83%
France's love of animation is no secret. The country has always churned out a steady diet of their own brand of the genre, a more subtle variance on the template. One of the best feline centered films ever came with 2010's A Cat in Paris is no exception.
A genius blend of crime noir and family film, the 65-minute feature tells the story of a pet cat who moonlights as a professional thief in Paris. The suspenseful and artful narrative combined with the stunning images of Paris at night, along with some clever heist sequences, make the movie a gem for all audiences who want something different than typical animated fare.
7 Chico and Rita (Spain/2010) - 87%
Before La La Land, there was Chico and Rita. A jazz-influenced romance, the unusually nuanced and sensual movie marks the collaboration between Spanish artist Javier Mariscal and acclaimed filmmaker Fernando Trueba. The film tells the decades-spanning love story between a Cuban pianist and a gorgeous jazz singer.
The film's animation is distinct and aids in the city-hopping narrative, bringing the musical sequences to life. A moving portrait of love in its purest form, accompanied by a brilliant jazz soundtrack, Chico and Rita is proof animated movies can achieve a singular epic intimacy.
6 The Secret of Kells (Ireland/2009) - 90%
This three-way collaboration between France, Belgium, and Ireland was the co-directing debut for Irish animation maverick Tomm Moore, who would go on to helm other acclaimed fares like The Song of the Sea and this year's Wolfwalkers. His first film is a delightful and distinctly Celtic fantasy set in the 9th century.
The movie is free of the bombast and noise of the bigger Hollywood releases, relying more on the mythology and intelligent writing to carry the film's uniquely beautiful visuals. A refreshingly laid-back minor masterpiece.
5 Fantastic Planet (France/1973) - 91%
Quite possibly one of the most visually bizarre animated movies ever released, cult hero René Laloux's first feature film has achieved a reputation all its own among the underground film community. Thanks in part to restoration and release by The Criterion Collection, this psychedelic sci-fi animated film remains of French animation's biggest oddities.
The highly allegorical movie follows the fight for freedom undertaken by a group of oppressed humanoids against their enormous blue captors. It is heady and endlessly strange, a one-of-a-kind journey to the far side.
4 The Triplets of Belleville (France/2003) - 94%
Though far from a Disney tentpole success, French import The Triplets of Belleville managed to be something of an arthouse crossover when it was released in 2003. The movie has since garnered a loyal cult following and continues to receive critical acclaim for good reason.
The debut movie from animator Sylvain Chomet is a surreal and frequently hilarious romp that follows a grandmother who enlists the help of the titular siblings, a faded Vaudeville-style act, in her quest to find her grandson. One of the best-animated movies of the decade in terms of visual imagination, the piece is a delight from start to finish.
3 The Breadwinner (Ireland/2017) - 95%
The Secret of Kells co-director Nora Twomey helmed this 2017 movie, which garnered an immense amount of critical attention and found an audience alongside fans of Kells and Song of the Sea. Twomey's film moves the narrative from Irish tradition to focus on the much bleaker story of a young girl in Afghanistan who must take on the titular duties of providing for her family.
Though the movie is warm and richly textured, it is a darker outing for the director who is able to weave in genuine social commentary with the primary plot, creating a mature and satisfying film.
2 Waltz With Bashir (Israel/2008) - 96%
Surely one of the most emotionally complex and exhausting movies ever animated, Waltz With Bashir takes its plot and power from director Ari Folman's real-life experience fighting in the 1982 Lebanon war.
Framed around Folman's attempt to reclaim his repressed memories of the trauma he experienced as a 19-year old soldier fighting on the shores of Beirut, the movie weaves in musings on memory's malleability and the nature of civic duty and patriotism. A brilliant and sobering look at the effects of war, the film stands as a testament to the therapeutic applications of filmmaking.
1 Persepolis (France & Iran/2007) - 96%
Based on the universally praised comic of the same name, Persepolis is the adult-oriented story of a girl coming-of-age smack dab in the middle of the Islamic-Iranian Revolution that occurred between 1978 and 1979.
The film's visual palette mirrors the source material's beautiful and ingenious black and white style that compliments the gritty and nostalgic tone of the movie's narrative. Persepolis is nothing short of a triumph and an important look at an often overlooked piece of world history. The film was nominated for an Academy Award but unfortunately lost to Pixar's Ratatouille.
from ScreenRant - Feed https://ift.tt/2UE5y6f
0 Comments