Animation Obsessive

I saw this in Shanghai last summer—it’s brilliant; a very creative, funny, and humanistic reimagining of Journey to the West. Seek it out!

I saw Nobody at AIF and it was incredible. Most fun I’ve ever had in a theater. I can’t wait to watch it again and recommend everyone watch it whenever they can too!

This is one of 2025's best movies. But you won't get to see it compete at the Oscars.

It's called Nobody, and it earned almost $250 million on a $10< million budget. A future is coming for small, risky films — with or without the Oscars. We explore: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/the-film-t...

Happy to send a little more attention its way! It's such a great film. And for sure -- a distributor needs to get it physical and streaming releases in the States. It would be a shame if it fell through the cracks here like Dahufa did.

This is one of 2025's best movies. But you won't get to see it compete at the Oscars.

It's called Nobody, and it earned almost $250 million on a $10< million budget. A future is coming for small, risky films — with or without the Oscars. We explore: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/the-film-t...

From: Butterfly (1972), dir. Andrei Khrzhanovsky, Soyuzmultfilm

Absolute treasure trove of a site. Will warm your heart when it needs to be warmed.

Ah, thank you so much for the kind words!

From: The Kidnapping of the Sun and Moon (1968), dir. Sándor Reisenbüchler, Pannonia Film Studio

Note: flashing images

Hey, no worries! Thanks a ton for the kind words and the share.

Thanks for shining a light on Cy Young! He's way too often overlooked in Disney's history.

Iwao Takamoto was one of the Disney greats. Films like Sleeping Beauty owe a lot to his meticulous lines.

The studio was a kind of home for him -- it was a big change. Just before, he'd been in the camps. We explore the story:
animationobsessive.substack.com/p/takamoto-a...

From: Robot Dreams (2023), dir. Pablo Berger, Arcadia Motion Pictures

Character design work by Yasuhiro Nakura for Moomin (1990–1991), dir. Hiroshi Saito, Telescreen

The Music of 'Samurai Champloo' Plus: news.

Another great free Sunday newsletter from Animation Obsessive, unpacking the unique music of Samurai Champloo
animationobsessive.substack.com/p/the-music-...

After two decades, Samurai Champloo's soundtrack is still iconic. Its influence is everywhere.

Shinichiro Watanabe loved underground hip hop -- and he hired artists like Nujabes to create music that doesn't just fall into the background. We explore: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/the-music-...

The Bloody Lady The legend of Elizabeth Báthory-the early-17th-century Hungarian countess accused of torturing and killing hundreds of women, and rumored to have bathed in their blood as a means of preserving her youth-receives a most singular retelling in Slovak animator Viktor Kubal's largely silent opus, rendered in a minimalist fairy-tale style. Jela Lukešová narrates. 72 min. Standard; Soundtrack: Slovak DTS HD mono Master Audio; Subtitles: English; bonus feature "Jurko the Highwayman" (1976); bonus shorts; theatrical trailer. In Slovak with English subtitles.

Not sure if it's streaming anywhere, but there's a recent Blu-ray collection of Kubal's work that includes it: www.amazon.com/Bloody-Lady-...

From: The Marzipan Comedy (1987), dir. Viktor Kubal, Slovenská Filmová Tvorba

A very unusual retelling of the Hansel and Gretel story

From: My Friend Tiger (2021), dir. Tatiana Kiseleva, Soyuzmultfilm

From: Magic Boy (1959), dir. Akira Daikubara and Taiji Yabushita, Toei Doga

YouTube video by Nemzeti Filmintézet Az 1812-es év (Reisenbüchler Sándor, 1972)

That comes from The Year of 1812! You can see it here (it has flashing images, just as a heads up): www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-vd...

They're all fascinating! These are their titles in order of appearance: The Metamorphosis of Mr. Samsa, Frank Film, Begone Dull Care, The Year of 1812, A Chairy Tale, The Kidnapping of the Sun and Moon and New Janko the Musician.

You don’t need Disney-level resources and drawing skills to create animation.

People have made classics with sand and a source of light. With magazine clippings, or their own bodies animated via stop motion. There’s no barrier to entry, as we explore: animationobsessive.substack.com/p/sand-and-a...

YouTube video by spktra spktra - Spirit Jumper (Official Animated Music Video) [4K]

That comes from this music video, which emulates the backlit-animation look with digital tools: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC_8...

Concept art by Alex Niño and Marcelo Vignali for Mulan (1998), dir. Barry Cook and Tony Bancroft, Walt Disney Feature Animation

'Sand and a Source of Light' Plus: news.

The latest newsletter from the Animation Obsessive @ani-obsessive.bsky.social is very good, discussing the many options available to animators and the splendid works of art people can create with unorthodox styles and materials. It highlights

animationobsessive.substack.com/p/sand-and-a...

Thank you so much! Really happy to hear this. To us, art is definitely closer to the latter -- it makes us feel human again. There's a line from an animated film that goes, "Without art and music, what do we have in this world full of conflict and war?" That one hits home for us, for sure.

From: Cannon Fodder (1995), dir. Katsuhiro Otomo, Studio 4°C

This film was designed to flow without hard cuts -- the camera just goes and goes and goes

Thanks a ton!

YouTube video by spktra spktra - Spirit Jumper (Official Animated Music Video) [4K]

The track is Spirit Jumper by spktra -- you can find it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC_8...