CoolMovies - Animation.

You can't even dream of writing about animation without putting the name Disney in your first sentence. There. With that done, now we can move along.

Seriously, the classics of Snow White, Pinocchio, and Joe & Andy's fav, Fantasia, are immaculate with character detail, line, and fluid movement. Even some of the newer releases that came from Disney's animation resurrection of the late 80's hold their own: Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Katzenberg's baby, The Lion King, in particular. That is why it's so disappointing to see what has come from the crew at Disney since "the departure." The flight of many animators to the new kids on the block shows a promising future for a wider variety of feature animated fare in the upcoming years.

I, for one, am anxiously awaiting the summer release of the first animated film from the team at Dreamworks, Prince of Egypt. Although it's from Katzenberg and Spielberg, word is that it is going to use animation to address more mature themes--and I don't mean a skin flick. More in the lines of what's happening overseas in the world of Japanimation.

If you haven't seen one yet, start with the Citizen Kane granddaddy of them all, Akira. Motorcycles, mayhem, mysticism, and the post-apocalyptic nightmare all wrapped into one, it will thrill, confuse, and dazzle you all at the same time. Keep these in mind while viewing: Hiroshima/Nagasaki, the transistor, and the technological rat race that it spawned in Japan. Cinematic detail is the focus so expect more of a look of Blade Runner than The Jetsons. Check out the hype for yourself.

If that sounds like your taste, try checking out another valiant attempt to broaden the medium, Ralph Bakshi's 1978 adaptation of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The film itself is so-so, but its use of roto-scoping during the fight sequences gives it a realistic detail that's a must-see. (If you're confused about roto-scoping the easiest example is A-Ha's "Take on Me" video). Plus, damn, those ring wraiths are scary!

But now on the horizon is a new form to go with the old classic cell animation: 3D computer animation.