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More movies that every animation fan should know.
Hollywood has become a cultural vampire, stealing story ideas and elements from all around the world, and passing them off as theirs. These entries are influential films that don't get the credit they deserve. This list is in no particular order, and all comments are in my far-from-humble opinion. 6) Akira (1988 dir: Katsuhiro Otomo): Japanimation fans will argue that there are better choices (Ninja Scroll and Ghost in the Shell, to name but two). However, Akira is important because it was the first anime film to cross over to North American audiences, and its influence on stylish action films, like The Matrix, is incalculable. For many, this is Ground Zero for anime. The plot: in dystopian Neo-Tokyo, a secret military project turns hapless teenager Tetsuo into a psionic psychopath. Ethnocentrists will carp over the plot (especially the conclusion), but more cosmopolitan types will find this film well worth the watching. Conclusively proving that animation isn't solely for kids, Akira is dark, graphic, and relentlessly brutal. It received an R-rating in 1988, for graphic violence and brief nudity. However, like South Park, there is some serious societal critique under the shocking imagery. Fun Fact: This film didn't make nearly the same splash in Japan that it did in North America. Like the British with Monty Python, Akira's international impact mystifies the Japanese. 5) Flåklypa Grand Prix (1975, dir: Ivo Caprino): I'm sticking out my neck right now, because I haven't yet seen this stop-motion movie. Copies are very hard to find in North America. However, I include it here because of the near-unanimous praise it draws from animation fans; both for its sharply written script and the first-rate animation work. Story: genial bicycle repairman Reodor Felgen enters his homemade automobile into the titular race, after the villainous Gore Slimy steals his plans for a racing car. Flåklypa Grand Prix has achieved cult status in its native Norway, much like Rocky Horror Picture Show in North America or The Blues Brothers in Germany. Fun fact: Rumour has it that the pod-racing sequence in Star Wars Episode I: the Phantom Menace bears more than a slight resemblance to the final race in Flåklypa Grand Prix. Knowing George Lucas' reputation for "borrowing" story elements from other sources, I wouldn't be surprised if this was true. Stay tuned for 5 and 4.
The copyright of the article Ten Essential Movies (3 of 5) in Animated Films is owned by Dominic von Riedemann. Permission to republish Ten Essential Movies (3 of 5) in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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