Favorite non-Disney, non-Pixar animated feature?

[mac56]

Poll question: Favorite non-Disney, non-Pixar animated feature?

What say you?

[Paul Hood]

1. Grave of the Fireflies. n/t

[Az]

3. The old standbye for those that think animation is for kids

Pull out Grave of the Fireflies and get a box of tissues ready for them. Good grief that movie will rip your heart out.

[Paul Hood]

4. Can you believe

when it came out in Japan it was shown as a double feature with My Neighbor Totoro?

[auburngrad82]

5. I just watched My Neighbor Totoro last night

Those two movies on a double-bill are like night and day. They're both beautiful and very good but one's a kid's movie and the other is very adult-oriented.

BTW, I love the "creatures" in Myazaki's movies. They kind of make you wish they really existed. My Neighbor Totoro is also somewhat autobiographical. Myazaki's mom was in a sanatorium being treated for Tuberculosus and his dad did move his family to be closer to her. And Myazaki has always been fascinated by flying things. That's why you see the little boy with the model plane in one scene of Totoro.

[Paul Hood]

6. Here's the reason for the double -bill

Q: I heard that it was double-featured with "Totoro" in Japan. Is that true?

Yes. At that time, no one thought that people would want to see "a movie about a two little kids and a Monster in rural Japan", and "Totoro" was considered a big investment risk. Still, Miyazaki and the editors of "Animage" wanted to make this movie, which was Miyazaki's pet project for a long time. So they thought up the idea of risk-sharing. "Grave" was a well-known book, and because of its "educational" value, a certain level of audience could be expected. (Indeed, "Grave" was chosen by many school boards as a movie to show their students - and "Totoro" along with it, since it was in the package.)

Toshio Suzuki, then the chief editor of "Animage" (now a producer at Studio Ghibli) went to Shinchosha, the company which published the book. Since Shinchosha was looking for an opportunity to enter the movie business, they agreed to produce the movie "Grave". Both Tokuma and Shinchosha knew they were going to lose money, but they still went ahead with the project (they did lose money from the theatrical release). So, if it were not for "Grave", there would have been no "Totoro".

http://www.nausicaa.net/miyazaki/grave/faq.html

[NuttyFluffers]

8. Never watch Grave of the Fireflies after Heavy Metal 2000

i couldn't get into grave of the fireflies after that. i watched the new rendition of beowolf (with the amazing, backflipping christopher lambert! (tm) now with a mammoth serrated spatula and kung-fu grip! frosts wedding cakes in one swipe!). and then i watched heavy metal 2000 (i think i have not seen a worse piece of animation before or since). and then i watched grave.

i was laughing at their tragedy after all that. my friends and i couldn't get into it at all, we were so emotionally destroyed by the travesty that was beowolf and heavy metal 2000. oh sure, it could've been sad, but after watching that crap i expected sympathy from the movie instead than have it ask sympathy from me.

i've yet to stomach watching grave again after that, brings back horrible memories and i can't help laughing at the drama. people tend to end up thinking i'm callous after, so i find it's best not to watch it anymore.

[starroute]

2. Sprited Away

[Lorien]

7. Kiki's delivery service

and My Neighbor Totoro, too!

Iron Giant was so badly marketed. Too bad more people didn't see it; Brad Bird is a genius

[BlueHandDuo]

9. I voted for "Triplets" but...

...I haven't seen The Iron Giant yet. It's on my Netflix list because so many people have told me how great it is, so I reserve the right to change my mind.