Just like some people refuse to watch black-and-white or foreign movies (yes, they are out there), others write off animated movies without watching a frame. It’s their loss since animation has been home to some of the most stunning, urgent filmmaking throughout the history of cinema.
Animation can offer you an escape from reality, often through breathtaking works of kinetic art. You can experience visual poetry in Walt Disney’s “Fantasia,” an ode to the marriage of sight and sound. You can visit Rene Laloux’s “Fantastic Planet” for an allegory of oppression that takes you to a psychedelic alien world. Or press pause on any frame of the Spiderverse movies to soak in a densely packed work of pop art.
But filmmakers can also use animation to process reality, finding innovative ways to illustrate the emotional fallout of traumatic events. Marjane Satrapi depicts her coming of age during the Iranian Revolution in “Persepolis.” Ari Folman explored his PTSD following his involvement in the Sabra and Shatila massacre in “Waltz with Bashir.” We have even seen animated documentaries in recent years, like Keith Maitland’s “Tower” or Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee.”
One of the best films to encapsulate both ends of this spectrum is Sylvain Chomet’s “The Triplets of Belleville,” which plays for free at the Triplex this Saturday morning. An expressive and surreal celebration of the music, art, and architecture of the 1930s and ’40s (with nods to Jaques Tati in particular), Chomet also fills his cels with grime, crime, and shadows.
The result is a story of perseverance that is deeply recognizable. Chomet’s animation melds dizzying joy with disappointment and fear in the story of a grandmother who refuses to give up on her grandson after he is abducted by a gang of criminals. It is a potent reminder that while, yes, animated movies are an excellent way to distract small children, they are also one of the best ways to depict the highs and lows of life within a single frame.
Now Playing
“Origin”
A moving look at the things that divide and unite us.
From director Ava DuVernay (“Selma”) comes a powerful story of a woman investigating the root of society’s ills while dealing with tremendous personal loss. Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (“King Richard”) stars as author Isabel Wilkerson who dives into the history of what divides us while writing her book, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent.”
“Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire”
Let. Them. Fight.
The next chapter in Legendary’s modern take on the kaiju genre comes to the Triplex. Grab some popcorn and sit back as Godzilla and Kong team up to take on a dangerous new enemy (and smash a few buildings along the way).
“Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”
Final week!
Director Jason Reitman continues the story his father Ivan started 40 years ago in the original “Ghostbusters” in “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.” Moving the action back to where it all started, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” finds the original Ghostbusters teaming up with a new generation of paranormal adventurers to ward off a chilling attack on New York City.
Coming Soon
“Wicked Little Letters”
A satirical farce about the biases lurking under the surface of a small town, “Wicked Little Letters” reunites Olivia Coleman and Jessie Buckley from “The Lost Daughter” in a hilarious period piece. When an anonymous writer begins sending profane letters to residents of a small town, all eyes turn to Irish immigrant Rose (Buckley), until the women in town suspect it is not that simple.
“Problemista”
From producer Emma Stone, “Problemista” is a surrealist satire of art and the American dream written and directed by Julio Torres (“SNL,” “Los Espookys”). The story of Alejandro (Torres), an El Salvadoran trying to keep his visa current by working for a ferocious art critic (Tilda Swinton), “Problemista” uses Torres’ trademark outré style to depict what it takes to make it in America today.
