I’ve loved animation for as long as I can remember.  Of course, as a kid, we’re exposed to Disney and Looney Tunes and the wonderful examples of cartoons intended for kids.  But as we get older, there’s a temptation to confuse childlike with childish, and sometimes, even the most seasoned cinephiles can’t escape the unconscious bias of associating animation as content that they have outgrown.

Now make no mistake, there are plenty of wonderful films made by Pixar or Miyazaki that are kid-friendly but still can be appreciated by grown-ups.  But it’s also hard to compete with marketing juggernauts that these films often have, meaning powerful animated features can get lost in the shuffle, because they are more adult but no less artful.

Which is why, for July, I wanted to celebrate hidden gems in the genre that are not as famous, but are still worth knowing.

We start the month off with ALLEGRO NON TROPPO (1976), directed by Oscar nominee Bruno Bozzetto, best known for his work with animated shorts.  But this remarkable feature film is an Italian take on Fantasia, with seminal pieces of classical music (Debussy, Vivaldi, Stravinsky) but with a very continental flavor that accentuates the lyrical, irreverent and even the bawdy.  And of course, the highlight is the magnificent version of Ravel’s “Bolero”, that manages to encapsulate the history of life with grace, beauty, and awe.

Animated films are no strangers to the translation of epic fables to contemporary sensibilities, but often things get lost in translation in order to cater to a younger audience.  But KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS (1998) makes no such concessions, turning a tale rooted in African art, tradition, and culture, and making it accessible to young and old alike in the process.  Co-director Michel Ocelot made a series of films about Kirikou that do a wonderful job of merging magic, music, and the burgeoning maturity of its young hero.  We will be showing the dubbed version of this film so don’t miss it!

With all the horror going on in Iran right now, it seemed to be a good time to revisit PERSEPOLIS (2007), a story about an amazing little girl who has to contend with the Islamic Revolution in the late 70s and the courage she needs to summon to deal with the waves or fear, repression and dangerous fundamentalism in her own country.  Directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi, Satrapi was the first woman to ever be Oscar-nominated for Best Animated Feature for this film, which embraces hope and sadness, all through a child’s perceptive eyes.

And finally, while many people may be familiar with Richard Adams’s “Watership Down” (both the book and the film), far fewer know about THE PLAGUE DOGS, his literary follow-up and the 1982 film version of the same name.  In it, two dogs escape a science lab and embark on an adventure across the English countryside to find a place that they can safely call home.  Directed by Martin Rosen (who also made Watership), this is a very rare screening of a film that deserves to be better known, helped by the compelling voice work of John Hurt and Nigel Hawthorne.

So I hope you can join us on Saturday mornings in July for this treasure trove of animated films that come from Europe but tell stories that span the entire world.  Tell a friend and see you there!

Sterling Hedgpeth

Retrospective Programmer
CAFILM