Thursday Movie Picks: Animated Movies

Girls and boys, when I found out the topic for this week's Thursday Movie Picks, the weekly meme hosted by Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves, I thought I was in trouble. You see, ever since the beginning of this meme last year, I've peppered in animated movies from time to time. Now, we're actually supposed to pick animated movies and I think I've run through the ones I would want to pick. I mean, there's no rule against picking a movie more than once, except for my self-imposed restrictions. So, here I am, in a quandary of my own making. Of course, there are tons of other cartoons out there for me to pick, but you've seen those. With a little digging, I came up with some that flew a bit under the radar...at least, I think so. Then again, you're a movie buff. You've probably seen these, too. Here they are...

The Animatrix

(2003)

Chances are you've seen The Matrix, and quite possibly, the entire trilogy. If not, you're at least somewhat familiar with the story. This plays as a prequel to the first film. There are nine vignettes that work to give us a history of the events that led to the creation of the matrix as well as some stories of smaller scope. A number of different styles of animation are put to use, basically a different one for each story. Most of them are traditionally drawn. The final story, pictured above, is computer generated to resemble the movie and indeed plays like a scene from it. Like the animation, these stories can be all over the place, but come together for an interesting ride.

Waltz with Bashir

(2009)

At its core, it's a pretty straight-forward documentary. An Isreali filmmaker interviews his fellow veterans as he tries to remember what happened during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon. It’s labeled a documentary but hardly plays like one. For starters, it's completely animated. Yup, an animated documentary. This allows the movie freedom to visualize what these men are saying in a quite literal sense instead of doing awkward reenactments, or having it be just a succession of talking heads. It is daring, shocking, and its story is expertly told. No, its not for kids, at all.

Mary and Max

(2009)

This Australian offering starts with a little girl named Mary back in the 1970s from a really dysfunctional family. She decides she wants a pen pal and happens to get her hands on a New York City phone book. By chance, she chooses Max, a single man in his forties who has a mental disability. What ensues is one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. From the very moment my first viewing of this movie ended, it became one of my all time favorites. Watch it now. (My full review)

Because I couldn't let the opportunity pass to talk about my boy.

Batman: Gotham Knight

(2008)

Here is the most experimental Batman movie of all. To be honest, that’s probably the reason I like it so much. It’s a unique approach to the character that doesn’t undermine what we know of him, but expands our understanding. To achieve this we don’t follow a single narrative. Instead, there are six vignettes telling different stories involving our hero. They’re not officially part of the Nolan series, but they seem to fit snugly in the space between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, referencing events in the former quite often. This also looks different than anything else in the canon. Most of the flicks either try to look like the comics or one of the animated series. Gotham Knight does neither. It plays with different styles and color palettes. In a bold move, even Batman himself is rendered in a number of different ways. Understandably, this may be a bit too eclectic for a some folks but to me it’s a magnificent effort.

Batman: Under the Red Hood

(2010)

Someone using the name Red Hood, one of the Joker’s old aliases, has taken over the Gotham drug trade. However, the Joker is locked away in Arkham Asylum, having killed Robin, the Jason Todd version, five years earlier. There is also a whole host of other things going on involving Ra’s al Ghul, Black Mask and the Riddler. Luckily, former Robin Dick Grayson, now called Nightwing is around to help out his old pal. He also gets under Batsy’s skin noting that if he had the same issues then the Joker would be dead by now. In all, it’s a marvelous mystery and character study that rises above its medium. Best of all, it delves into The Bat’s psyche without recounting his origin story (yet again). It all adds up to an amazing Batman tale. In short, I think this is the best of all the Caped Crusader’s animated features.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

(2012)

It has been ten years since Bruce Wayne has dressed up as a bat and went crime-fighting. To fill the void, he partakes in other ways of trying to kill himself...er...get the adrenaline pumping. He's also become quite the prolific drinker. He says it helps him stay on the sidelines. He's really using it to cope with the tragedy that eventually led to him becoming Batman, the murder of his parents. In any event, it's getting harder to stay out of the game now that Gotham has a new menace, an out-of-control street gang calling themselves the Mutants. What makes these guys particularly dangerous is they like to commit random acts of violence, making them unpredictable. They also like to take over Gotham TV and threaten city officials by name. This includes Commissioner Gordon who has just announced he is retiring shortly. He vows to get the Mutants off the streets before punching out for the last time. After a couple of these punks have a run-in with Bruce, our hero decides it's time to don the cape and cowl once more. This is merely the set up of a sprawling epic that so happens to contain a preview of a certain fight from the upcoming Dawn of Justice movie. You can watch it in two parts, roughly 75 minutes each, or in one two and a half hour shot.


I know these are all Batman flicks, but I highly recommend screening them before you decide to let the kiddies watch them.

Click below for more Thursday Movie Picks

Kid Movies Adults Would Enjoy

Movies Based on a Graphic Novel or Comic (Non-Superhero)

Superhero Movies

Live-Action Fairy Tale Adaptations

Movies About Young Love