Hollywood animation movies have seen too much, the routines are reversed, it is better to look at these excellent European animation, feel a completely different style of painting and narrative.
"Ait Bear and Xena Mouse"
Directed By: Stephanie Ober / Vincent Pator / Benjamin René
Country of production: France
Xena the Little Mouse grew up in an orphanage, and she stumbled from the Underground Rat Kingdom to the Bear Kingdom after several twists and turns, and was despised and blinded all the way.
She fell asleep in the trash can due to exhaustion, and woke up to find a large bear about to take her for dinner.
However, after this short period of turmoil, the two became friends instead. Mr. Bear's name is Aite, and the versatile Aite has also worked in many professions and is now a street musician and circus actor.
The enthusiastic Aite took Xena to live at home, and they supported each other, understood, encouraged and helped each other. A seemingly unlikely friendship is challenging the existing order and rules, and is slowly becoming deeper and deeper.
With its warm watercolor hand-painted style and healing content plot, "Ait Bear and Xena Mouse" won the 38th César Award for Best Animation in 2013, and was shortlisted for the 3rd Beijing International Film Festival in 2013 and the "Children's Film" screening unit of the 2012 Toronto Film Festival.
"I grew up in Iran"
Directed by: Vincent Parland / Marga shatarpi
Country of production: France / USA
Adapted from the manga of the same name by Iranian female illustrator Marjane Satrapi, the film tells her own upbringing in the form of an autobiography, reflecting the social changes in Iran.
After 1979, Iran launched the Islamic Revolution, social unrest, the defeat of the revolution made Iran lose hope of democracy, increasingly conservative, the people are miserable.
Nine-year-old Marjane is precocious and sensitive, and she cleverly conceals her official minions, becomes obsessed with Western punk bands and pop music, and immerses herself in her own world.
After the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War, life in Iran became more difficult, marjane grew up, and her increasingly bold behavior worried her parents, and when she was 14 years old, she was sent to Austria by her parents to study.
In Austria, Marjane, as an Iranian, had to face discrimination and inferiority.
When she finally overcame her psychological obstacles and won everyone's approval, the pain of love and the longing for her hometown made her decide to return to her parents.
At a time when Iran was still experiencing the baptism of war and religious restrictions on women's lives were becoming more stringent, Marjane began to wonder if she should continue to live in this authoritarian country.
The Secret of the Book of Kells
Director: Tom Moore / Nora Twomey
Country of production: Ireland / France / Belgium
In Ireland, behind a high-walled monastery lives brandon, a brilliant and innocent young monk.
In order to resist the Viking invasion, the walls of the courtyard were constantly raised, and Dean Carla strictly forbade Brandon to enter the outside world.
One day, a monk with long hair and a humorous sense of humor came to the monastery, and he was the famous Iona painter Itami.
Itami had been writing the important religious scripture of the Book of Kells, but the invasion of the alien race forced him to interrupt this sacred work.
Attracted by the Book of Kells, Brandon is determined to help Itami complete the drawing of the classics, so he challenges the ban to leave the monastery. Yet the outside world is full of novelties and dangers...
The film won the Audience Award for Best Film at the 2009 Annecy International Animated Film Festival and was specially mentioned at the 2009 Zagreb International Animated Film Festival.
Guardians of the Bright Moon
Directed By: Alexander Seburn / Benoy Fili
The no-name pawn Miu en always likes to run into trouble, and one day he mistakenly becomes an important guardian of the moon.
On his first day in office, he made a big mistake, indirectly leading to the theft of the sun, the disappearance of the moon, and the chaos of the world.
So, he has to join hands with the Guardian of the Sun and the wax girl Sil, to embark on a big adventure to find out the black hand behind the chaos and save the world.
Czech Horror Night
Director: Jan Verrih
Country of production: Czech Republic
Ears: A street artist who lacks musical cells is pointed out to understand that his ears hinder his playing, and once by chance he gets a genius ear with blood, and for the sake of art, he cuts off his own unformed ears...
Time to stop: A single young man walks into an empty tavern with a wilted bouquet in his hand, and the loneliness is overflowing. The elderly bartender throws gold coins into the on-demand piano, and as the beautiful music flows out, the small tavern begins to come alive...
The essence of magic: the hustle and bustle of the tavern returns to calm, and drunken men ride home on motorcycles and fall in the middle of the road. Strange elves emerge from empty bottles and fulfill their wishes...
Insect Story
Director: Helene Giro / Thomas Shobo
Country of production: France / Belgium
In the tranquil jungle, beneath the tracks of humanity, hides a vibrant and lively insect world.
A ladybug is chased by various insects in the jungle, and then breaks into the war scene of red and black ants to witness a "Trojan siege" in the insect world.
The film's imagination is wild, constantly throwing out new insect species and a variety of props with rich design sense.
The entire film has no dialogue, presents the microscopic world of the insect kingdom in 3D, and the animation and live-action shooting are combined to create a French animation blockbuster that is very different from hollywood animation.
Mechanical Heart
Director: Stefan Burra / Marcillos Marcheu
Country of production: France
In Edinburgh at the end of the 19th century, on an extremely cold winter, a distressed pregnant woman gave birth to a baby with the help of dr. Madeleine the witch.
After the baby was born, his heart froze, so Madeleine helped him install a mechanical heart.
The child's birth mother did not say goodbye, and Madeleine raised her as her own son and named him Jack.
She warns Jack not to get angry, to avoid strong emotional ups and downs, and especially to avoid falling in love. Little Jack grew up day by day, and when he was ten years old, he came to town for the first time to play and meet the angels of fate.
His mechanical heart was malfunctioning, and smoke was coming out, and he knew he was in love. From this day on, Jack is destined to embark on a journey in pursuit of love...
The film is based on the original book by Matthias Magill.
Suicide Shop
Director: Patrice LeConte
Country of production: France / Canada / Belgium
An old shop known for selling suicide products thrives in the lifeless French town, where suicide is commonplace.
Mishima, the owner of the shop, is lifeless, and the hostess is even more sad every day. They have long since lost their enthusiasm for life and are depressed all the time.
The long-term trafficking of suicide supplies has put them on the brink of collapse. Fortunately, one of their sons and daughters still loves life, especially their youngest son, Arun, whose smile is always on his face.
However, Arun's life-loving attitude threatens the operation of the old shop, and his father tries his best to make Arun depressed, and even forces Arun to a dead end...
This imaginative French animated film is based on the best-selling novel by French cartoonist Jean Terré.
The film not only embodies the unique black humor of the French style everywhere, but also adds a large number of song and dance elements, through the mouth of these animated characters who sing and dance, and the profound philosophy between birth and death.