December meme: 5 Animated Films

[clevermanka]

From msmitti, five animated films.

Spirited Away
My all-time #1 comfort film. Studio Ghibli's aesthetic is always *chef's kiss* but their stories don't always resonate with me. Spirited Away, though... I love the world of the bathhouse and the rules that are so similar to the ones I'm familiar with through fairy lore. It's a very comforting environment for me, and I completely understand Chihiro's motivation to escape but I'd be tempted to stay.

Lilo and Stitch
Somehow I missed grabbing the Blu-ray of this when I moved out and I'm mad about it. By far my favorite modern Disney movie. I appreciate the way the animation doesn't follow the current (boring) Disney style and I'm glad the creators fought so hard to keep their desired aesthetic.

Robin Hood (Disney)
My favorite ~classic Disney. The music is fun, the animation is incredible, and let's be real that fox could get it.

How to Train Your Dragon
The voice acting in this is just so good, and DreamWorks is excellent at developing personality through visual design. The depth of the characterization allows for better emotional engagement, imo, and emotional engagement is my number one requirement for media consumption.

Kubo and the Two Strings
I'm not generally a fan of stop-motion animation but this is one of the most gorgeous animated productions I've ever seen. It's a good story, but the incredible visuals are what I remember from it. I'm so glad I saw it in a theater.

Bonus: Yuri on Ice
A series not a movie, but oh so good and another comfort watch for when a single movie isn't enough. The technical achievement of the animation is remarkable enough (those skating sequences!), but the wonderful story and delightful characters make it into something truly beautiful.

If you'd like to ask me for five somethings (I'm terrible at favorites, but I'll give you five and you can pick your favorite 😂), please leave a comment on this post!

Comments

[goss]

Kubo is so amazing!

And yes, the animation style in Lilo and Stitch is wonderful. I especially appreciate that regular people in this world don't look like barbie dolls - they have broad hips and wide noses and are beautiful.

I still haven't seen Spirited Away though. Man, I really should put it on my to-watch list!

[clevermanka]

Nani's thick ankles and belly pudge!

I hope you enjoy Spirited Away when you get a chance to see it. I have one (1!) fic rec if you want it after you watch.

[marycrawford]

the painted watercolor backgrounds in L&S are spectacular and I love that movie's big bones. My fave 'classic' Disney is Jungle Book, but LOL at 'that fox could get it' because yes.

Spirited Away is on a whole other level from anything Disney - I love all the Ghibli movies so much that it's hard to pick a favorite, but it's definitely one of them.

[clevermanka]

I really need to get my own copy of Lilo and Stitch again, if nothing else to have the making of special features.

[nnozomi]

Spirited Away is SO GOOD. (My other favorite Ghibli one is "Whisper of the Heart" which is just modern-day suburban junior high school slice of life and oddly enough hits some of the same spots for me.)

[clevermanka]

I've never even heard of Whisper of the Heart, thank you!

[wrote_and_writ]

Have you seen The Secret of Kells or Song of the Sea? They are really beautiful animated films by Tomm Moore -- I loved them. I also saw something on Twitter today, some AI Jackass wanting to program the monster to do art in Tomm Moore's style, and TM chimed in to tell the guy to learn to draw.

And YES on Spirited Away. It's also a comfort movie for me. I'm hoping to get out to Jiufen Village because it's got Bathhouse of the Spirits vibes. It's easy enough to get to the town by train but then getting around to see the sights is a bit harder. But I'm gonna make a go of it. I'll be sure to take lots of pics.

[clevermanka]

Yes, both of those movies were gorgeous!

I look forward to your Jiufen Village photos.