Anapoda

Directed by Georges Schwizgebel.

Description (JHailey): The circle of life. A child sits alone on a playground merry-go-round. All around are images of life: a woman reclining, a couple standing. These images revolve as accordion music fills the air. Circular images - the rim of a coffee cup, the merry-go-round, a record - and couples turning in dance suggest the pleasures and connectedness of life. However, the film also returns to a solitary man alone in a flat. Some staircases are circular and lead to meetings between men and women. The staircase outside his flat is angular. Is he alone and outside the circle?

IMDB link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0409661/

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/

Direct by Anthony Lucas and written by Mark Shirrefs.

Description: Set in a steam-powered mechanical universe, the animation tells the story of Jasper Morello, an aerial navigator fallen out of grace, and his adventurous trip in search of a cure for his plague-ridden homeworld and his one true love. In his journey, Morello discovers and abandoned dirigible by chance, a discovery which leads him through unknown water, to an island dwelled by a terrible monster, a monster which may however hold the cure to the terrible plague. The journey back to civilization is a horrific and turbulent one, ridden with philosophical introspection which finally leads Morello to the realization that the worst plague of all lies within man itself. Although not a watch for everyone, and definitely not one to show the kids, “The mysterious explorations of Jasper Morello” excels through excellent animation and visual imagery, a very well composed story and last but not least the wonderful voice narration and characters.

IMDB link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0469146/