Anapoda

Written by Rich Hogan and directed by Tex Avery.

Description: A funny variation on the Three little pigs story told as WW2 anti-german propaganda, as the US had just entered the war. It’s interesting how at times of war a nations culture could turn to influence even those so innocent and un-involved in the conflict such as children. Still, it’s a harmless and funny watch so it will make a great watch for any MGM Carton enthusiast and for children as well.

IMDB Link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0034524/

Directed by Paul Berry.

IMDB link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0105311/

Directed by Yuriy Norshteyn and written by Lyudmila Petrushevskaya and Yuriy Norshteyn.

Description: To my shame I have to admit I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t gotten around to watching this fully, just skipped through a few scenes, was impressed, so I’m just going to throw in a comment from IMDB that makes a good case: “Using a mix of puppet, cutout, and cell animation, Yuri Norstein made in Tale of Tales a heartbreaking, tenderly poetic meditation on Russian history as well as one of the most stunningly beautiful animated films ever. Very hard to get, but don’t miss a chance to see this film.”. Apparently this was also named the greatest animated film of all-time by the 1984 Animation Olympiad jury held in conjunction with the 1984 LA Olympics.

IMDB link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0079986/

Directed by Yuriy Norshteyn, written by Sergei Kozlov .

Description: This is yet another wonderful piece of russian animation, and it has that specific feel to it too. It is the story of a little hedgehog that embarks on a journey to see his friend, the bear, but gets lost in the fog and has to face his fear of the unknown, while enjoying the momentary company and assistance of a friendly dog, an strange owl and a helpful fish. This is a very cute and touching piece of animation that brings back memories of childhood experiences and quests for new and unknown things. Make sure to share this with the kids, they will surely enjoy it.

IMDB link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0073099/

Directed by Ted, story by Edgar Alan Poe. Narrated by James Mason.

Description (jmcusack/YouTube): The Tell-Tale Heart is a wonderful animated short film of 1953 based on Edgar Allan Poe short-story. The story told by a mad man has a dark visual with a perfect work of narration by James Mason. It is a UPA Production and was the first cartoon to be X-rated (adults only) in Great Britain under the British Board of Film Censors classification system.

IMDB link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0046408/