I got an idea for this post through winst0lfportal and his animation tag post. Borrowing some questions from it, I created my own tag. I love animations, and am a supporter and promoter of international animations (see my previous posts on Russian, French, Chinese and Japanese animations).
1. Favourite Disney animation?
“Beauty and the Beast” (1991).
2. Favourite non-Disney animation?
It is tempting to say “Spirited Away” (2001), but I have a soft spot for “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2004) and would like to make one day an in-depth comparison between it and “Beauty and the Beast” (1991) (a fun one since both are based on other source materials). I also love the works of Satoshi Kon and Makoto Shinkai.
3. Criminally-underseen animation you recommend to everyone?
“The Illusionist” (2010) is a lovely, heart-warming animation from Sylvain Chomet (“Les triplettes de Belleville” (2003)). In “The Illusionist”, a French illusionist finds himself unemployed and travels to Scotland. There, he meets a young girl and their destinies collide.
4. Visually great animation, but narratively disappointing?
“Children of the Sea” (2019) is probably one of the most visually breath-taking animations I have ever seen, but, unfortunately, it also has a rather messy story-line. The animation is about about a girl Ruka who meets two brothers Umi and Sora, who, in turn, were raised in the sea. She is soon drawn into one mystery, which also involves a meteor and strange sea happenings. It is a real shame that the story, which is often very exasperating with nonsensical sequences, does not live up to all the magnificent background visuals. Incidentally, this is a Studio 4°C production, which also created animation “Tekkonkinkreet” (“Treasure Town”) (2006).
5. Narratively great animation, but visually disappointing?
I haven’t watched many of these, but maybe now Soviet animation The Mystery of the Third Planet (1981) will be considered as such?
6. Favourite piece of music from animation?
“Mulan” (1998) has songs which I love, including “I’ll Make A Man Out of You” and “A Girl Worth Fighting For”.
7. First memorable animations from your childhood?
“The Bremen Town Musicians” (1969), which was a cult hit in the Soviet Union, “The Flight of Dragons” (1982), “My Brave Litter Toaster” (1987), “FernGully: The Last Rainforest” (1992), and “The Adventures of Pinocchio” (1989), based on the Seitaro Hara series.
8. Animation that always makes you laugh?
“Ratatouille” (2007).
9. Already released animation you would like to see?
I want to see more short animations since I used to watch them often in the past and previously on my blog made posts on Louise Bagnall’s “Late Afternoon“, Patrick Osborne’s “Pearl“, Alan Smith & Adam Foulkes’s “This Way Up” and John Kahrs‘s “Paperman“. In particular, I would like to see Aleksandr Petrov‘s “The Old Man and the Sea” and Michaël Dudok de Wit’s “Father and Daughter”. Both won Academy Awards. I also would like to see Hayao Miyazaki’s “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” (1984).
10. New animation release you are anticipating?
“Luca” (2021) is a Pixar/Disney collaboration that tells of “a boy named Luca as he experiences an unforgettable summer in a seaside town on the Italian Riviera.” During his summer holiday, Luca meets his new best friend, without realising that his new best friend is “a sea monster from another world below the water’s surface” (source). The animation release date (subject to change) is 18 June 2021. Why am I excited for it? I love that the animation is set in countryside Italy. It will probably have magnificent scenery. I also love the fact that it will be about childhood friendship. Director Enrico Casarosa says that it will be a very personal animation for him.
I am not tagging anyone for this post and if you are reading this and are interested in animation, I would love to see your answers!
Thanks so much for this Diana this is a treasure trove of recommendations. I think Howl’s Moving Castle is amazing as well…pretty much all of Ghibli I agree 👍 The Land Before Time was an amazing vintage animation. I actually haven’t got around to seeing Mulan so I will now with your recommendation. Thanks for bringing Luca to my attention, this is now on my radar. Hope you have a great weekend 🙂
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I remember The Land Before Time very fondly! Mulan is a great animation, and I hope you have a great weekend too!
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Nice to see some love for The Illusionist. 🙂
Have you seen Ernest & Celestine? Another cute French animation.
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Yes, I have, it is lovely!
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I don’t watch a lot of animated films, so my answer to most of these would probably be Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse. Haha! On a more serious note, I’ve been meaning to check out more films in the genre, and this list is great to start with. So thank you! 🙂
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Thank you for reading! I think there are many animated films that are quite underrated and are so worth-watching! I hope you enjoy the ones you are meaning to see!
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Great answers! I definitely look forward to seeing what they’ll achieve with Luca! It seems so promising based solely on the blurb.
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Thank you and exactly! It sounds so good and I also can’t wait! 🙂
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Really well argued for each one. I have such a soft spot for My Neighbour Totoro. What’s your second favourite Disney animation btw? Least favourite?
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My Neighbour Totoro is wonderful! I have nostalgia for old Disney and hand-drawn animations so Lady & The Tramp is my second favourite (I watched it million of times as a child). I have not watched some of Disney’s weakest ones and cannot remember well others, so my least favourite will be Frozen – good visuals, some songs and a message, but almost plotless, character actions do not make a lot of sense, too manipulative in terms of us associating with Anna (girls), few original ideas and, generally, an “update” on “The Snow Queen” no one really needs.
Well, I do have unpopular opinions. And, what is your favourite, second favourite and least favourite of Disney? 🙂
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I did like Frozen, but I also liked Tangled. I just felt it needed stronger songs and a more memorable side character, things that they fixed for Frozen. As a kid I did like The Lion King a lot and Aladdin. The Fox and Hound is adorable but it does lack a lot plot wise.
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Great post! Love animated films. Looks like I should watch The Illusionist… 🙂
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The Illusionist is real treat! I hope you enjoy it if you like traditional animation.
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