Hello, world!; or, Blog Introduction

1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs forever changed the world of cinema. Here was the world's first animated film - a story that danced at the border of dream and reality. The characters moved following the rules of gravity; they obeyed the emotional laws of kindness, jealousy, grief, tenderness. And yet, through being drawn, the movie could trade the "real world" realities of acting and filming for a visual style that showed the very essence of the story.

In old legends, fair maidens consorted with birds; kindly dwarfs unearthed fat jewels; evil queens brewed potions and schemed. These were images Snow White showed. The purity of a person was communicated by showing that the person was beloved by gentle forest animals. These images were impossible in live-action, yet essential for fairytales to gain resonance. Animation opened a new avenue for storytelling in this way: it made any setting, character, or idea possible. It is not very surprising that Sergei Eisenstein, director of the classic Battleship Potemkin, called Snow White the greatest movie ever made.

As Disney showed with Snow White, animation is limitless. It can explore any idea from any angle, can parade marvels before our eyes, and can create dazzling and impossible action scenes. Yet, what happened in the eighty years since the movie? The majority of the Western public sees animation exclusively as a children's genre, a genre that cannot be taken seriously. For a genre that can do virtually anything, most animated films are dull, banal. The most well-known and critically-acclaimed ones - winners of the Academy Award - follow well-trodden paths beaten by old Disney himself. Why? Other parts of the forest are dark and deep and untouched.

The Forest, from the stunning The Secret of Kells

The answer is, there are great animated movies out there. Most of them are simply and unfortunately poorly-known (not all - Miyazaki, for example, is a genius rightfully celebrated). My goal here is to seek out the greats of animation (famous or obscure), and review what I unearth in posts both short and long. I'll be looking at various lists (for example, winners and nominees at the Annecy Film Festival) and will look at movies, anime series, and animated shorts. Hopefully, I find some great stuff!