Animation Between Atomic War and Bike Races
That animated films can tell far more than family-friendly stories about cute, sleuthing rabbits and foxes or little yellow men with goggly eyes is common knowledge – and yet animation for adults still leads a shadowy existence. Unjustly, of course.
At least: that Disney – standing in for the kind of animation explicitly conceived as a children's film – has been repeatedly passed over at the Oscars for years, while more demanding films like «Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio» or «The Boy and the Heron» have prevailed instead, shows that at least a shift in thinking is underway.
Time, then, to roll out the red carpet for adult animation – or «Adult Animation», if you don't shy away from the slightly suggestive ring that anything with the word «Adult» brings with it. In the second edition of the mini-festival YOU DID THIS by THE ONES WE LOVE, seven animated films with substantial content are proposed to you.
As a reminder: at YOU DID THIS, you can crown your favourite film in different categories. In most locations, seven different categories are available. In Zurich, Lucerne and Baden, there are even 14 categories to choose from, including “Food” with seven food-related films or “K-Crime” with seven Korean thrillers. Or, indeed, «Animated» with seven animated films that are anything but «children's films».
The films that prevail in their respective categories will be shown from 2 to 29 July at the Riffraff cinema in Zurich and Bourbaki in Lucerne, from 23 July to 5 August at the Sterk in Baden, from 19 to 25 August at the Pathé cinemas in Geneva and Lausanne, and from 20 to 26 August at the Pathé cinemas in Spreitenbach, Dietlikon, Westside and Mall of Switzerland.
The «Animated» selection stands out for its variety of subjects and narrative forms: here, documentary material meets fantastical fiction and personal experience meets heart-warming philosophy lessons. A recurring element is war and its consequences, today as well as yesterday.
When the Wind Blows1986
The fear of nuclear war and other atomic disasters was omnipresent in 1986 – not least because of the Chernobyl catastrophe. Into this climate, filmmaker Jimmy Murakami adapted Raymond Briggs's graphic novel «When the Wind Blows», in which an elderly couple try to survive through a nuclear strike. Much like the anime «Grave of the Fireflies», released two years later, «When the Wind Blows» is a heart-breaking, traumatising work about the consequences of a nuclear strike.
Flee2021
The potential of animation to make visible things that live-action film cannot is impressively demonstrated by the animated documentary «Flee». The film by Jonas Poher Rasmussen tells the story of the gay Afghan refugee Amin, who came to Denmark as a teenager – and on whom, years after his flight, a heavy secret still weighs. While Amin (whose name is a pseudonym) would incriminate himself in a real-life setting, the anonymity of animation allows him to tell his story freely. «Flee» is an empathetic, moving work that makes visible the dilemma of (queer) people on the run.
Waltz with Bashir2008
Ari Folman’s “Waltz with Bashir” also confronts the ghosts of war. Haunted by his own nightmares, the filmmaker sets out to uncover the origins of his insomnia, a journey that leads him back to his experiences as a young soldier serving in the Israeli army during the First Lebanon War in 1982. In “Waltz with Bashir”, Ari Folman grapples with his own sense of guilt and calls for collective remembrance. In doing so, the filmmaker, an outspoken critic of the Israeli government and its offensive in Gaza, has created a film of striking contemporary relevance.
Persepolis2007
In «Persepolis», Marjane Satrapi recounts her childhood and youth in Iran after the revolution – and how, as a rebellious, punk-listening teenager, she clashed early on with the authorities. As a young woman, Satrapi emigrated first to Vienna and later to France, where she lives today. The honest, playful «Persepolis» can safely be called a door-opener: for similarly personal material that was to follow, like «Flee» or «Waltz with Bashir» – but also for greater visibility of stories from the pens of female directors.
Memoir of a Snail2024
Equally personal is the work of Adam Elliot, who lets us share his very own view of the world. The Australian has made a name for himself with his claymation films. With the bittersweet «Mary & Max», he took the film world by storm in 2009, and in «Memoir of a Snail» he once again mixes his own experiences with plenty of absurdity and wit. The film tells of the shy Grace Pudel, who, accompanied by her beloved snails, works through the various traumatic experiences in her life. «Memoir of a Snail» is a film about the attempt to break out of one's shell – and what it's like to fail at it.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On2022
Anyone after something a touch lighter, but no less philosophical, will likely find joy in «Marcel the Shell with Shoes On» by Dean Fleischer-Camp. The endearing mockumentary tells of a documentary filmmaker who, in an Airbnb, meets the talkative shell Marcel. The film skilfully combines live-action elements with stop-motion – so skilfully, in fact, that the Oscar Academy had it checked whether the film even met the requirements for the animation category. It did, and so «Marcel the Shell with Shoes On» is most likely the most heart-warming, and certainly the most endearing, nominee in the history of this category.
Les Triplettes de Belleville2003
In recent years, a lively animation scene has formed in Europe, particularly in France, which can safely be considered a counter-design to Pixar, Disney and co. One of the first contributions to this canon was created by Sylvain Chomet with the practically wordless «Les Triplettes de Belleville». In it, an old lady must save her cycling grandson from the clutches of the mafia. A pedalo chase, a frog hunt with grenades and three quirky sisters – this affectionate French film does not lack charming absurdities.
What does your heart beat for? You'll find the voting here. And if you want to know which seven animated films for a grown-up audience I would recommend to you, take a look at my list in the «Adult Animation» category and put together your very own selection:
