Very soon I will be settling into a seat at my nearest theatre to see Aardman Animations' latest film Early Man. No matter how old I get, I believe I will always be drawn to animated movies. Like most of us, I am sure this can be chalked up to Disney's extensive, well made and popular body of work. No one can really deny that they set a standard in storytelling and design that is unmistakable. Also their work in Pixar has certainly bumped them up to another level.
However if you look past the dominating filmographies of Disney and Dreamworks (who are next in line), you can find some very precious gems. I could never make an exhaustive list of other animated companies and films out there, but when I think about some of the great animated movies out there, several enthralling options come immediately to mind.
For me there's the eerie and riveting The Secret of NIMH by Sullivan Bluth Studios which has given so many children nightmares. I think anyone who has seen that movie remembers some scene with a mixture of awe and unease. The same goes for evocative and wistful Watership Down film. One of the most riveting story of rabbits you will ever find.
There's also the ambitious and haunting works of Rankin/Bass. Their animated Lord of the Rings is not perfect and it's understandably eclipsed by the more recent live action
version, but there are still scenes that spring to my mind years later and haunting songs that ring in my memory. Their The Last Unicorn is magical and strikes deep at your heart, a worthy adaptation of the book. Surely no one who's seen it can forget seeing the Red Bull running in the wake of all the unicorns
in the world.
Aardman Animations rivals Disney in their creativity and consistent quality. Their stop motion claymation work is already hilarious to look at (just think of those
signature prominent teeth in everyone from people to chickens!), but they don't even consider getting by on those skills alone. They're committed to producing original stories full of wit, physical comedy and charm. Their first feature film Chicken Run is perfect in my mind, rivaling many live action adventure movies in heart, cleverness and suspense. Of course, I've already chattered at length about how much I like their Shaun the Sheep Movie.
There are also the spectacular movies of Laika studio. Every one of their feature films have been nominated for Academy awards, and I think they are well deserved. There's the chilling adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Coraline and the mixture of supernatural horror and childhood pain of Paranorman. There's the mischievous and charming fun of The Boxtrolls as well as the beautiful breathtaking adventure of Kubo and the Two Strings. (I waxed poetic on the latter on The Silver Petticoat Review in "Follow the Breathtaking Journey of Kubo and the Two Strings")
There are of course so many other options out there. My limited knowledge of the unlimited world of animated movies is not sufficient to cover the wonders available, but I find that taking a step or two away from the mainstream can yield so many treasures. I haven't touched on anime for instance or many of the foreign film options which fly under my radar. There are many creative people out there experimenting and pushing the limits of what's been done before. People who are delightfully heedless of the idea that animation is "just for kids".
I hope to always keep an open mind about animation when I can, and I'm ready and available for the discovery of new wonders.
What's your favourite animated film that you think deserves to be more well known? Let me know so I can add them to my never ending "To Watch" list.
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