It’s time for the 2024 Golden Globe Awards, which will honor some of the year’s best movies and TV shows. The award show will be broadcast live on CBS on Sunday, Jan. 7 from 8 – 11 p.m. You can also stream the ceremony on Paramount+.

The 2024 Best Motion Picture Animated Movies Nominees

There are six nominees for the Best Motion Picture Animated Movies category, each with a unique style and innovative animation. My personal favorite is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but The Boy and the Heron is also a strong contender.

The Boy and the Heron : The Winner

The Boy and the Heron is a coming-of-age drama directed by Hayao Miyazaki, one of the greatest living directors of animation. This 2D animation features a mythical heron that visits a young boy as he tries to make sense of the world around him.

Elemental

Dive into a world where Earth, Wind, and Fire live among one another but not together. This “COOL” movie by Disney discusses how cultures, or in this case, elements can work together and understand one another. This uniquely animated love story packs an emotional punch with great visual effects from Pixar.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Welcome to the Spider-verse! This movie is by far my favorite of the nominees! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a thrilling animated movie that follows Miles Morales across multiple universes. It pays homage to many versions of the web-slinger’s appearance from comics to TV shows and has a stunning storyline. It’s my personal favorite of the nominees.

Suzume

Suzume is a visually stunning anime directed by Makoto Shinkai. The movie follows a 17-year-old girl named Suzume and a stranger she meets, who team up to prevent a series of disasters across Japan. The film was inspired by the director’s feelings about the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami and its devastating impact on the country.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie

The Super Mario Bros. Movie has become a hit with audiences of all ages, grossing over $1.3 billion. It incorporates many gaming and contemporary styles of animation from Illumination. The movie delivers a delightful origin story for Mario and Luigi, and its silly and memorable quotes make it a fun watch for everyone. I give it 4 stars out of 5.

WISH

Can Wish, the movie, make its dream come true and win a Golden Globe? The film marks the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Animation Studio and follows the story of Asha, a young woman who learns how to make her wishes come true. Although the animation is beautiful and the story is interesting, it’s not one of my favorite Disney movies. However, I did enjoy the references to the studio’s wishing star and some of the characters that have been featured throughout Disney’s history.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has officially announced their winners of the 49th Student Academy Awards competition!
A total of 1,796 entries from 614 colleges and universities around the world were submitted.
Congratulations to the student winners below! 

Students Winners For Animation

Laika & Nemo

Names: Jan Gadermann and Sebastian Gadow
School: Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg
Location: Germany
About:
Nemo looks different. Nobody else wears a diving suit and such a huge helmet. But then he meets Laika, an astronaut.

An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It,

Name: Lachlan Pendragon 
School: Griffith Film School
Location: Australia
About:
A young office worker uncovers the flaws in his stop-motion universe with the help of a mysterious talking ostrich.

The Seine’s Tears

Names:Yanis Belaid, Eliott Benard and Nicolas Mayeur
School: Pôle 3D Digital & Creative School
Location: France
About:
Algerian workers take to the streets in October of 1961 to protest the mandatory curfew imposed by the Police prefecture.

About the Ottawa International Animation Festival

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) has provided animation and entertainment since 1976. The second oldest film institute in the world and also the hub of animation in Canada, has a lot to offer. The festival will be held online from September 22 to October 3, 2021.

Ottawa International Animation Festival Shorts Competition 3

Comeback

Director: Vladimir Leschiov 
From: Latvia & Lithuania
About: It’s never too late for a comeback.

electric + 

Director: Brandon Blommaert 
From: Canada
About: A slow sensuous dance gives way to a technical barrage of prismatic shards of love.

Papa Zaza

Director: Géraldine Charpentier
From: Belgium
About:  Fleur and her brothers’ games are put on hold when their father, Zaza, is taken to the hospital.

World Brain ‘Dance II (Discovery Zone Cover)’

Director: Julian Gallese 
From: Costa Rica & Germany
About: A dream computer land inhabited by animals that like to party and frequent museums.

Babičino seksualno življenje (Granny’s Sexual Life) 

Director: Urška Djukić & Emilie Pigeard 
From:  Slovenia & France 
About: A trip into grandmother’s youth and the memories of her intimate life illustrate the status of Slovenian women in the first half of the 20th century.

Festivalska špica Animafest Zagreb 2020 (Animafest Zagreb 2020 Festival Trailer) 

Director: Yoriko Mizushiri 
From: Croatia 
About: A trailer for the Animafest Zagreb 2020.

Nichts (Nothing) 

Director: Paul Hartmann 
From: Germany 
About: Since nothing really matters why not change things.

Rites of Spring 

Director: Yiorgos Tsangaris 
From: Cyprus 
About: The Christian Orthodox tradition and traveling theatre troupes with their pagan roots are two seemingly opposite worlds, both mysterious and enchanting.

Dior ‘A New Continent’ 

Director: Bárbara Cerro 
From: Argentina
About: Femininity in the world of animation according to Dior.

Impossible Figures and Other Stories

Director: Marta Pajek
From: Poland & Canada
About: Following an explosion, a mysterious and elegant elderly woman wanders deserted city streets, recalling what was and what could have been.

About the Ottawa International Animation Festival

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) has provided animation and entertainment since 1976. The second oldest film institute in the world and also the hub of animation in Canada, has a lot to offer. The festival will be held online from September 22 to October 3, 2021.

Ottawa International Animation Festival Shorts Competition 2

Sleater-Kinney ‘High in the Grass’ 

Director: Kelly Sears
From: United States 
About:A fantastic world of radical empathy and ecstatic care. What initially appears as horrific transforms into the euphoric.

The Clearing 

Director: Daniel Robert Hope 
From: United Kingdom
About: A holiday of a lifetime! Or a final attempt to save a failing marriage. Bill and Deb struggle to see eye to eye, and their last-ditch camping trip takes a sinister turn.

Dogadjaji za zaboraviti (Events Meant to Be Forgotten) 

Director: Marko Tadic 
From: Croatia
About: Based on a poem by Hans Magnus Enzensberger, forgotten people, their lives and their deeds are recalled.

Zubroffka 2021 Festival Trailer

Director: David Stumpf 
From: Poland 
About: A promo for the Zubroffka Short Film Festival.

Maalbeek 

Director:  Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis 
From: France
About: A amnesiac survivor of the attack at Maalbeek metro station in Brussels seeks the missing images of an event of which she has no memory.

Norges blindeforbund ‘Hjelp, vi har en blind pasient’ (Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted ‘Help! We have a blind patient’) 

Director:  Robin Jensen 
From: Norway 
About: 3 comic films made for the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted.

Space 

Director: Zhong Xian 
From: United Kingdom 
About: Personal space plays an important role in a relationship.

The End Of Stories 

Director: David OReilly 
From: Ireland & United States 
About: A lost generation struggles to understand the present or imagine the future.

Peaches ‘Pussy Mask’ 

Director: Leah Shore 
From: Germany, United States & Canada 
About: A music video for the band, Peaches that is absurd and fun.

About the Ottawa International Animation Festival

The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) has provided animation and entertainment since 1976. The second oldest film institute in the world and also the hub of animation in Canada, has a lot to offer. The festival will be held online from September 22 to October 3, 2021.

Ottawa International Animation Festival Shorts Competition 1

Rocket Freudental ‘Der Stuhlkreis’ (Rocket Freudental ‘Team Meeting’)

Director: Ged Haney
From: United Kingdom and Germany
About: Rocket Freudental, Stuttgart’s premier exponents of post-punk trash experimentalism, perform “Der Stuhlkreis.”

Steakhouse

Director:  Špela Čadež 
From: Slovenia, Germany & France
About: The steak has been marinating for a few days now. The pan is heated. Franc’s stomach is rumbling. But Liza’s co-workers surprise her with a birthday party. What could go wrong?

Anxious Body 

Director: Yoriko Mizushiri 
From: France & Japan 
About: Living things, artificial things, geometry shapes, and lines. When they meet, a new direction is born.

Kula (The Tower) 

Director:Sunčana Brkulj 
From: Croatia
About: A tiny civilization creeps its way upwards.

Renaissance ‘Changing Lives’ 

Director: Mathieu renoult 
From: Canada
About: Life is full of changes and they’re reflected in the clothes we wear.

Sobaki pakhnut morem (Dogs Smell Like the Sea) 

Director: Anastasiya Lisovets 
From: Russia 
About: A woman gets a dog but the new canine envisions someone else as the owne

Zolle Resign

Director: Kristian Pedersen 
From: Norway & United States
About: A woman is trapped in limbo between the living and the dead, between memory and reality – a restless immigrant in death as in life.

INT – Noche / Bit Bang 2020 (INT – Night / Bit Bang 2020) 

Director: Juan Pablo Zaramella 
From:  Argentina
About: Spot for Bit Bang 2020 Animation, Games and Digital Art Festival.

Goda sardze (Guard of Honour) 

Director: Edmunds Jansons 
From: Latvia 
About: When natural disaster interferes with the honour guard ritual, one strange guard remains at his post.

Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics 

Director: Terril Calder 
From: Canada 
About: Convinced she’s soiled and destined for Hell, a precocious Metis Baby Girl receives teachings that fill her with strength and pride, and affirm a path towards healing.

About the 73rd Emmy Awards Ceremony

The Primetime Emmy Awards honor the best U.S. television programming from June 1, 2020 until May 31, 2021. The nominees are chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

The ceremony was held September 19, 2021 and broadcasted by CBS and Paramount+.

2021 Emmy Award Nominees and Winner

Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal (WINNER)

Episode: “Plague of Madness”
Network: Adult Swim
About: A relentless dinosaur infected with a terrifying disease pursues Spear and Fang.

Big Mouth

Episode: “The New Me”
Network: Netflix
About: First episode of the fourth season. At camp, Jessi makes friends with a girl who has transitioned. Nick also must face his two best friends have a little too much in common.

Bob’s Burgers

Episode: “Worms of In-Rear-Ment”
Network: FOX
About: Linda tries to take her family to the symphony on free admission night, but her efforts are thwarted by a pinworm epidemic.

South Park

Episode: The Pandemic Special
Network: Comedy Central
About:The on-going Pandemic presents endless challenges to the citizens of South Park.

The Simpsons

Episode: “The Dad-Feelings Limited”
Network: FOX
About: The origin story of Comic Book Guy is revealed as he and Kumiko debate having a baby.

About Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)

The Toronto International Film Festival is officially back! Also known as TIFF, is one of Canada’s and the world’s largest and well known film festivals. Located in downtown Toronto, the festival welcomes many filmmakers from around the world to show off their skills and talents.

These are the animated shorts and films that were shown during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for this 2021.

Angakusajuajug – The Shaman’s Apprentice

Director: Zacharias Kunuk
CANADA
21 minutes

About: A young shaman must face her first test-a trip underground to visit Kannaaluk, The One Below, who holds the answers to why a community member has become ill.

Anxious Body

Director: Yoriko Mizushiri
France, Japan
6 minutes

About: Living things, artificial things, geometry shapes, and lines. When these different things encounter, a new direction is born.

Boobs

Director: Marie Valade
Canada
8 minutes

About: A young woman drawn in ink is forced to deal with paper breasts appearing on her chest. She must quickly come to terms with these new strange things.

Charlotte

Director: Eric Warin, Tahir Rana
Canada, France, Belgium
92 minutes

About:

An account of German-Jewish artist Charlotte Salomon living in the south of France between 1941 and 1943.

Charlotte

Director: Zach Dorn
United States
13 minutes

About: A pop song transforms the lives of a folk singer and her family. 

DUST BATH

Director: Seth A Smith
Canada
2 minutes

About: A disquieting tale of a humble rooster facing the great questions of existence.

I Gotta Look Good for the Apocalypse

Director: Ayce Kartal
France
6 minutes

About: March 2020. After China, the whole planet locks itself in. Our world, which we call real, is drained of what used to be its substance, and forms of digital life multiply, like these couples whose avatars share a common life in a virtual universe. But what if the crisis we are actually experiencing is not a pandemic, but an accelerated derealization of our lives?

Inu-Oh

Director: Masaaki Yuasa
Japan, China
98 minutes

About: Two boys marginalized by society in 14th-century Japan find power through dance and song, in Masaaki Yuasa’s animated tale about a disturbing curse.

Love, Dad

Director: Diana Cam Van Nguyen
Czech Republica, Slovakia
12 minutes

About: A short film about ties and gaps between a child and a parent. The author rediscovers letters her dad used to write her from prison. That love seems to be gone now. She decides to write back in hope to find the connection again. She puts in writing what could not be said: blaming him for family’s break-up but also trying to understand.

Meneath: The Hidden Island of Ethics

Director: Terril Calder
Canada
20 minutes

About: A stop-motion animation that charts a challenging journey for Baby Girl, a precocious Métis girl contemplating her path to Hell.

Soft Animals

Director: Renee Zhan
United Kingdom
3 minutes

About: Two ex-lovers bump into each other at a train station.

About ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival

The festival shows dozens of foreign and local animated films for children and adults for five days in September. The goal of the festival is to promote art and animation in Azerbaijan. Over 200 animated films from 40 countries were screened. The theme of the festival was dedicated to people with disabilities.

The winners of International Competition – Best Animated FIlm and Short

The Knight and the Princess – Best Animated Feature Film

About: A young, idealistic adventurer who plans to rescue the wives and children of deceased sea merchants that have been taken prisoner by pirates and King Daher the Great of Sindh.

directors Bashir Eldik and Ibrahim Musa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt

Interesting Facts:

• One of Egypts first Animated Feature Film, that has been 20 years in the making.
• An all-Arab cast and film crew.
• Eight Musical Numbers are included.

Kitchen by Measure – Best Animated Short Film

About: The story explores gender roles of the past and how they are surprisingly relevant still to this day.

directors Sólrún Ylfa Ingimarsdóttir and Atli Arnarsson, Iceland

Interesting Facts:

• 10 minute stop motion short.
• The film is based on a short story by legendary Icelandic author, Svava Jakobsdóttir.
• Featured on the Icelandic Film Centre.

Get it Together, 2021!

Here is our list of best-animated video games of the year so far. With blockbuster releases that blew our minds and returning franchises, here are games every video gamer should check out! 

 If you have any suggestions, feel free to comment!

2021 Best Animated Video Games

Resident Evil Village

Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, PC, Google Stadia

Did somebody say, Lady Dimitrescu? 

Resident Evil Village may not be up to par to Resident Evil 4 (Yes, they both happen to take place in a village/ countryside). Resident Evil Village has some memorable foes, and graphics. I expect this game to get many nominations for best video game of the year. Glad to see the franchise still going strong, but the real question is when will we finally be able to have a Resident Evil that stars the return of, Jill Valentine?

It Takes Two

Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, PC

Just the two of us? 

A co-op video game that stars a married couple planning on getting a divorce. This game may sound depressing but the gameplay is certainly not. The game has received generally favorable reviews and many mini games are included. A prenup may or may not be included. 

Genesis Noir 

Platforms: Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch, PC, Mac

Is this game bigger than the Big Bang?

A point-and-click adventure video game set before, during, and after the Big Bang. 

To save your love, you must stop the expansion of the universe. The graphics of this video game are very nostalgic. A combination of a crime mystery enriched in a video game. 

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition

Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC

Legendary!? 

Mass Effect has accumulated many followers is an understatement. This remastered and optimized three game pack allows you to customize and personalize your character across a galaxy in turmoil.

Little Nightmares 2 

Platforms: Android, Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series 

A puzzle-platform horror adventure game and a prequel to the 2017’s Little Nightmares. The story revolve around Mono, who must work together too survive the City of Pale. This game has some twists and turns and just in case, you may want to grab a paper bag.

WarioWare: Get It Together!

Platforms: Nintendo Switch

I repeat, please reread that video game title. This legendary arcade mini game is officially back! This comedic video game has over 200 mini games packed with a serious punch. This game will have you laughing all the way through. This is a hardcore version of Mario Party. 

About the Annecy Film Festival

Think Oscars but for Animation!

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival was created in 1960 and takes place at the beginning of June in the town of Annecy, France. Initially occurring every two years, the festival became an annual event in 1998. It is one of the four international animated film festivals sponsored by the Association Internationale du Film d’Animation (or ASIFA, the International Animated Film Association). The festival is a competition between cartoon films of various techniques (animated drawings, cut-out papers, modeling clay, etc.) The competition is classified in various categories; feature films, short films, films produced for television and advertising, student films and films made for the internet.

The 2021 Annecy International Animated Film Festival begins on Monday, June 14 to Saturday, June 19, 2021.

Annecy Feature Film Selection

Flee

This is the true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage that compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time. A secret he has been hiding for over twenty years threatens to ruin the life he has built for himself. He recounts his dramatic journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan to Denmark.

Directed by: Jonas POHER RASMUSSEN
Style: 2D Computer, live action
Country: Denmark, France, Norway, Sweden

Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story ( You Animal! The Nimfa Dimaano Story)

Nimfa Dimaano, a perfume saleskitty, falls head over paws for Iñigo – a dashing dog about town. Trouble is, Nimfa still shares a shanty with her drab of a lover Roger – a mall janitor mongrel. Could this new dog in her life save Nimfa from her poor cat woes? In this animal world, amorous cats and dogs put their own spin on daytime soap opera.

Directed by: Avid LIONGOREN
Style: cut-outs, 2D Computer
Country: Phillipines

Jian Ziya: The Legend of Deification

After the great Battle of The Gods, when Jiang Ziya is about to be named the Leader of the Gods, he is sent to Earth for a momentary mistake and spurned by the world. Jiang Ziya must make a difficult choice between his heart and his destiny. In the end, he finds his real self and restores the relationship between Human, God and Demon.

Directed by: Wei LI, Teng CHENG
Style: 2D / 3D Computer
Country: China

Josee to Tora to Sakanatachi (Josee, the Tiger and the Fish)

A young girl Josee, paraplegic from a very early age, lives in her own world between painting, books and her overflowing imagination. Tsuneo, in a marine biology faculty, would like to continue his studies in Mexico to be able to live his ultimate dream: to dive in tropical waters. For that, he needs money. Just then, a job literally falls into his lap when he collides with Josee.

Directed by: Kotaro Tamura
Style: Anime
Country: Japan

La Traversee (The Crossing)

A small village looted in darkness, a family forced to flee. The two oldest children, Kyona and Adriel are quickly separated from their parents facing the road of exile alone. They embark on a heroic journey which takes them from childhood to adolescence in search of shelter, peace and the hope of finding refuge and their family. Crossing a continent torn apart by war and migrant persecution, these courageous siblings survive incredible challenges, before reaching a new world, free at last.

Directed by: Florence MIALHE
Style: Paint on glass
Country: Germany, France, Czech Republic

Lamya’s Poem

A young Syrian refugee girl finds a magical gateway to meet the great 13th century poet, Rumi, and helps him write the poem that 800 years later saves her life.

Directed by: Alex KRONEMER
Style: 2D Computer
Country: Canada, USA

Lion Dance Boy

By a fortunate coincidence, Juan is inspired and encouraged by a girl with the same name. Therefore, he decides to form a lion dance troupe with his friends, Cat and Dog, to break the constraints of reality and fight for themselves for once. It is a hilarious coming-of-age story about how they support each other through various hardships and eventually achieve their dreams.

Directed by: S. Hamilton
Style: 3D Computer
Country: China

Ma famille afghane (My Sunny Maad)

When Herra, a young Czech woman, falls in love with Nazir, an Afghan, she has no idea what kind of life awaits her in post-Taliban Afghanistan, nor of the family she is about to integrate into. A liberal grandfather, an adopted child who is highly intelligent and Freshta, who would do anything to escape her husband’s violent grip.

Directed by: Michaela PAVLATOVA
Style: 2D Computer
Country: Czech Republic, France, Slovakia

Poupelle of Chimney Town

Young Lubicchi and a man made of garbage, Poupelle live among the thick smoke from the chimneys of his isolated town. Lubicchi yearns to see the “stars” and to learn the truth his father always told him about.

Directed by: Yusuke HIROTA
Style: 2D / 3D Computer
Country: Japan

Rotzbub (Snotty Boy)

1960’s Siegheilkirchen, a small town in the Austrian hinterland is steeped in reactionary and ultra-Catholic attitudes. The son of a hard-working innkeeper and his wife, called Snotty Boy by all and sundry, is at odds with the narrow-minded confines of his home town. But his unstoppable talent for drawing gives him an outlet for his discontent.

Directed by: Marcus RosenMuller, Santiago LOPEZ JOVER
Style: 3D Computer
Country: Austria, Germany

The Ape Star

The eight-year-old orphan Jonna is longing for a mother. One day, an old car stops outside the orphanage and out steps a gorilla who picks Jonna for adoption. It soon becomes clear that they have more things in common than they initially thought.

Directed by: Linda HAMBACK
Style: 2D Computer
Country: Sweden, Norway, Denmark

The Deer King

Van, the former leader of a warrior corps who fight for their homeland, is captured and seized as a slave. One night, vicious mountain dogs attack, causing a mysterious plague. Van escapes the chaos, helping a young girl who he decides to raise. Meanwhile, a doctor seeks a cure for this disease.

Directed by: Masashi ANDO, Masayuki MIYAJI
Style: 2D / 3D Computer / Anime
Country: Japan