Foreign Animation Thread (Past / Present / Future)

[celticmoon]

Originally Posted by Lnds500

I am planning on expanding the number of foreign animated films I watch. I grew up watching mostly Disney films but I had some VHS movies made by Toei in partnership with a Soviet animation studio and they were fantastic. I've managed to find them online and I keep watching them every once in a while. Makes you wonder how they could have ended up if history had been kinder to them. Through them I learned to appreciate foreign studios, even when the animation is "weird" or not on par with American productions.

I have Ernest and Celestine and all the rest you mentioned on my watchlist as well . Another one I'm interested in is the Russian The Snow Queen. I plan on watching that one before Disney's Frozen.

Yeah, I've been trying to catch as many foreign animated films as I can for the last few years, but they're pretty hard to come across, so its great that GKIDS seems to be picking up more and more releases in the last couple of years. Hopefully they backtrack a bit and help bring some older ones to BD.

Also, many films that got DVD releases in the US and have received BD releases in other territories seem to be failing to get BD treatment, and I'm starting to wonder if they're ever going to happen... Triplets of Belleville, Kirikou and the Sorceress, and such are fairly big films that warrant BD releases.

As for foreign animation being "weird" at times, I can appreciate different styles, so I like it. In terms of them not being on par with American productions, I don't really see it at all with hand-drawn animated films, but it definitely is the case for CG animated films, which makes me less inclined to be interested in them. For example, that Snow Queen movie that you posted about.... I have only seen some promotional material and screens, but somehow it doesn't interest me much. I should probably at least check out a trailer though. On the other hand, the 2011 French CGI film, A Monster in Paris looks quite good. It's coming to BD next month, so I'll probably check it out once it hits $15 or so.

Originally Posted by Monterey Jack

Austrailia's Mary & Max (2009) is a truly wonderful, moving film about long-distance friendship.

I've been meaning to see this... It's been on my wishlist for a while. I have only heard good things about it. Gotta check it out soon!

[Dubstar]

Originally Posted by celticmoon

Yeah, I've been trying to catch as many foreign animated films as I can for the last few years, but they're pretty hard to come across, so its great that GKIDS seems to be picking up more and more releases in the last couple of years. Hopefully they backtrack a bit and help bring some older ones to BD.

Also, many films that got DVD releases in the US and have received BD releases in other territories seem to be failing to get BD treatment, and I'm starting to wonder if they're ever going to happen... Triplets of Belleville, Kirikou and the Sorceress, and such are fairly big films that warrant BD releases.

As for foreign animation being "weird" at times, I can appreciate different styles, so I like it. In terms of them not being on par with American productions, I don't really see it at all with hand-drawn animated films, but it definitely is the case for CG animated films, which makes me less inclined to be interested in them. For example, that Snow Queen movie that you posted about.... I have only seen some promotional material and screens, but somehow it doesn't interest me much. I should probably at least check out a trailer though. On the other hand, the 2011 French CGI film, A Monster in Paris looks quite good. It's coming to BD next month, so I'll probably check it out once it hits $15 or so.



I've been meaning to see this... It's been on my wishlist for a while. I have only heard good things about it. Gotta check it out soon!

I was really really surprised by A Monster in Paris - highly entertaining.

Tales of the Night was shown theatrically in 3D, - why? the whole point and visual structure is that's supposed to look flat and two dimensional.

[Thomas Guycott]

While not on Blu-ray or Region 1 DVD, the 1981 Hungarian film Fehérlófia (Son of the White Mare) by Marcell Jankovics is like nothing else, especially the first 15 minutes.

Feherlofia (Son of the White Mare) - YouTube

(Turn on CC for English subs)

Movies like this make me wish Criterion would start picking up animated films, or create an animation-friendly label.

[celticmoon]

Originally Posted by Thomas Guycott

Movies like this make me wish Criterion would start picking up animated films, or create an animation-friendly label.

Never heard of the film, but wow, it looks amazing. I'll have to take the time to watch it soon.

And I agree with the Criterion comment. That would be great if there was an animation-friendly label, or even just a line from an entirely different company that would treat the films with the same respect and care as Criterion does theirs. There are so many animated films that I would like to see on BD that I'm not too hopeful about, and I'm sure there are many more worth seeing that I've never even heard about.