The choice of films can be approached from different positions. For example, review all award winners or open ratings of specialized sites, or maybe ask for recommendations from friends. But none of these methods give a 100% guarantee that you will find a movie to your liking. A recommendation could be the name of an internationally acclaimed director.
Try watching cartoons from big-name directors from different countries - this will ensure the quality of the films and at the same time - their variety.
Fairy tale of fairy tales
Of the representatives of Russia, it is certainly worth paying attention to Yuri Norshtein. Many people know his "Hedgehog in the Fog", but often knowledge about the director's work is limited only to this cartoon. If you like the atmosphere and imagery of "Hedgehog" in spirit, watch the cartoon "A Tale of Fairy Tales". This work by Y. Norshtein is silent, but filled with beautiful music, without a clear plot, but telling the story of several generations, a story that is understandable to everyone who is able to feel fine.
"A Tale of Fairy Tales" was recognized as "the best animated film of all time". This title was awarded according to an international poll conducted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts in conjunction with ASIFA-Hollywood.
The "fairy tale" about childhood, war, nostalgia and immortal love can hardly be called a childish one, but it can be recommended for viewers of any age - children will be able to feel it, and adults - to understand all the semantic layers.
My Neighbor Totoro
An admirer and colleague of Yuri Norstein is Hayao Miyazaki. All cartoons of the recognized master are worth watching. Well, you can start with the exemplary Miyazaki - the cartoon "My Neighbor Totoro". An uncomplicated story about a girl who came to the village has been turned into an exciting adventure in an amazingly lively and voluminous world filled with interesting extraordinary characters who have already managed to charm more than one thousand spectators. Like Norstein, Miyazaki fills his cartoons with a special atmosphere, being in which the viewer seems to return to “his best self” - to the pure and bright, to the child who believes in a fairy tale and a dream.
Mary and Max
After exploring Russian and Japanese animation, move to Australia and watch a film from Oscar winner A. B. Elliot. He received an award in 2004 for a short animated film, and developed all the virtues of this work in the full-length animated film Mary and Max. The cartoon echoes the first two points from the "must see" list in that it also raises questions about eternal values and human relationships. But if the previous cartoons were notable for their highly artistic visual design, then this one is deliberately sloppy and gray, all the characters are roughly cobbled together plasticine figures. Unlike the cartoons of Norstein and Miyazaki, filled with light and hope, this one is unexpectedly vital, without the saving miraculous plot twists that are so characteristic of animation in general.
The cartoon "Mary and Max" was awarded at the Berlin Film Festival in the category "Best Feature Film of the Competition for Young People Generation 14+".
Nevertheless, the cartoon leaves the conviction that love not only survives in this gray and cruel world, but also turns out to be stronger than misunderstanding, alienation and cruelty.
