It’s that time of the year when everyone’s on leave and looking for movies to stream at home (will be doing an article about streaming services soon!). Animated films are generally shorter than live action films, so if you’ve only got short pockets of time, they’re a less formidable time commitment.
I’ve considered both Western and Asian animated films in this list, so check out what were some of the best animated features this year!
6. April and the Extraordinary World
Talking cats in a steampunk world with a secret race that plans to usurp humanity as the dominant species on the planet? Yes please! “April and the Extraordinary World” was one of the most creative science fiction films in 2016, edging out many live action films in terms of the boldness of the ideas presented. But it never forgot to ground its story in character, with the central tale being about a girl on a quest to find her parents.
I have to admit that when I first heard about “Kubo and the Two Strings”, I assumed it would be some average 3D animated film that plundered Asian mythology for its story. But although it was inspired by Asian culture, it was one of those stories where the protagonist had what they were searching for all along. Despite Kubo’s search for legendary artifacts to increase his power , the greatest power of all was love.
The most memorable scene in “Finding Dory” was when Dory lost all hope, and we saw her confusion and fear through her eyes. I teared then, although my emotionless viewing partner was like “yeah but you know she will succeed in the end what”. What gave “Finding Dory” such a broad appeal was the number of light-hearted jokes and sight gags that hid painful but unsaid emotions, like Dory’s love for her parents and Hank’s missing arm. Yes, I didn’t forget about that. I’m sure they’ll cover that tragic tale in the next instalment.
Admittedly, it was weird to see claymation lovemaking scenes (definitely not my thing), but the medium was perfect for the main character’s strange condition. It’s a cautionary tale about over-idealising the people you love, and reminds us that as different as we all are, we’re all still the same person inside.
First stylised as “<your name.>” before everyone realised that it would be a typographical pain and changed it to “Your Name”, the anime was a wonderfully sweet story of a boy and girl who swap bodies across time and space. They grew to love each other not because of interactions, but because of what they learn abut each other’s characters. The beautiful animation was certainly a boon too.
“Zootopia” was a powerful tale of racism that was told through the friendship between two animals. Like “Finding Dory”, it appealed to all age groups because the script worked on so many different levels, providing drama and pathos and humour depending on how old you were. But even if you weren’t a child, it was a good reminder of how discrimination works. It should be mandatory viewing in all schools.
BONUS: Worst Animated Film of the Year
Ranked at infinity because it’s a piece of crap that should never have been shown in cinemas, “Seoul Station” was ugly and pretentious. Even as an art film, it just doesn’t have a strong enough story to make it worth watching. But thanks to “Train to Busan”, it got a release, showing us that we just don’t know when to stop flogging a Korean horse.
So what were your favourite animated films of 2016?
Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes at marcusgohmarcusgoh.com. The views expressed are his own.
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