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?

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“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!