Hand-held animation was the traditional form of motion graphics. Before the practice of computer-generated graphics became commonplace, hand-drawn animation was the dominant technique. Drawing each frame by hand gave the artist more control over the scene. Having to follow each movement naturally also allowed the artist to get closer to the story as it unfolded. Knowing there was a human touch involved shows the effort and care that went into the photos. Animation is a remarkable art that draws attention the finest details to the last stroke.
10 The Belleville Triplets (2003)
Belleville triplets is a European animation film about a singing group of sisters named Rose, Violette and Blanche. An orphaned grandson who lives with his grandmother watches them perform. The grandson is not inspired by their songs, so the grandmother buys him a bicycle. He becomes a cyclist in the Tour de France, where he is kidnapped by French gangsters. His grandmother rescues him with the help of the music hall singers, leaving the adult grandson grateful for the time he shared with her.
9 The Secret of Kells (2009)
Kelly’s secret is another European animated film that shares the making of the 9th-century illuminated manuscript, the Book of Kells. An Irish boy becomes curious about the book and helps the monastery’s monk to make it. He is met by supernatural creatures during his attempts to find the necessary decorations. A Viking attack threatens the completion of the Book of Kells, but the brave boy survives and saves the pages.
8 Your Name (2016)
your name follows two Japanese high school students, a boy from the city and a girl from the country, who inexplicably switch bodies. They each experience their own life with the ability to communicate from afar through paper, phone messages and writing on their arms. They get each other to change their respective lives in exciting ways; the girl helps the boy get a date and the boy helps the girl become popular at school. Time and space keep them apart until they learn each other’s names.
7 Persepolis (2007)
France 3 Cinema
Persepolis is based on the autobiographical graphic novel of the same name by Marjane Satrapi. It tells the story of a girl coming of age in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. She witnesses the clash of political and religious beliefs leading to deaths in the family. As social freedoms are taken away, she rebels and becomes isolated from her peers and adult figures. When she leaves her grooved homeland, she is left adrift, knowing her identity is free.
6 The Prince of Egypt (1998)
The Prince of Egypt is an animated musical drama from DreamWorks about the life of the prophet Moses. Before Pharaoh Seti could kill him as a newborn, Moses’ mother placed him in a basket by the Nile River, where Queen Tuya discovered and adopted him. Moses grew up in Egyptian royalty and learns of the infanticide of the enslaved Hebrews. God then chooses Moses to lead His people out of Egypt to the Promised Land.
5 Akira (1988)
Akira takes place in 2019 dystopian Japan. A world war has divided Tokyo into corrupt politicians, anti-government protesters and rival street gangs. The cause of the war lies in Akira’s psychic abilities, who is being held captive by research scientists. A resistance group decides to release Akira and other ESP prisoners to start another revolution. Akira’s mind opens up a dimension that destroys the current universe and creates a new one where human existence has no boundaries.
4 Fantastic Planet (1973)
Fantastic planet is based on the 1957 novel Oms in series by the French writer Stefan Wul. In the science fiction story, a race of giant humanoid aliens called Traags treat humans or Oms like animals in their world of Ygam. One Om becomes a pet until he grows up when he discovers a loophole in Traag’s technology. He learns how to interpret their telepathic knowledge and passes on the Traag language to other wild humans. The Oms fight for their freedom and negotiate a peace treaty to live as equals among the Traags.
3 The Iron Giant (1999)
Boy meets robot indoors The iron giant when the alien robot crash lands in Maine. The object alarms the US government and sparks more Cold War tensions. Hogarth keeps his friendship with the self-healing robot a secret and hidden from the military until he discovers the robot’s defensive weapons. After only briefly learning morals from the boy, the robot attacks the armed forces to protect an unconscious Hogarth. When he wakes up to stop the robot, the military launches a nuclear missile at the city, forcing the robot to sacrifice itself.
2 Pinocchio (1940)
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Pinocchio is a Walt Disney Animation Studios film based on the Italian children’s novel, The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. A woodcarver and toymaker named Geppetto creates a marionette doll and wishes it were a real boy. A blue fairy grants his wish, but Pinocchio is still made of wood. To become a real boy, Pinocchio must prove that he can be brave, truthful and selfless. The moral story sees Pinocchio become a responsible young man despite the vices that surround him.
1 Spiritually Gone (2001)
Toho/Walt Disney graphics
Spiritually gone is a Japanese film created by Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. After the capitalist and environmental consequences of post-war Japan, ten-year-old Chihiro Ogino and her parents move into their new home. They take a shortcut that leads to an abandoned tunnel. On the other side is an amusement park that serves food that the parents participate in. However, Chihiro has discovered that her father and mother have turned into pigs and crossed over to the Kami spirit world. To lift their curse and return to the human world, she must work in the bathhouse of the witch Yubaba while remembering her name.