The Dark Crystal

The Dark Crystal

Directed by Jim Henson

Country of Origin: USA

Year: 1982

Another planet, another time. 1000 years ago the mysterious Dark Crystal was damaged by one of the Urskeks and an age of chaos has began! The evil race of grotesque birdlike lizards the Skeksis, gnomish dragons who rule their fantastic planet with an iron claw. Meanwhile the orphan Jen, raised in solitude by a race of the peace-loving wizards called the Mystics, embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of the Dark Crystal which gives the Skesis their power and restore the balance of the universe.

Kirikou and the Sorceress

 

Kirikou and the Sorceress

Country of Origin: France

Year: 1998

English dub available
May not be suitable for kids

In a little village somewhere in Africa, a boy named Kirikou is born. But he's not a normal boy, because he knows what he wants very well. Also he already can speak and walk. His mother tells him how an evil sorceress has dried up their spring and devoured all males of the village except of one. Hence little Kirikou decides, he will accompany the last warrior to the sorceress. Due to his intrepidity he may be the last hope of the village.

Allegro non troppo

Allegro non troppo

Country of Origin: Italy

Year: 1977

Contains live-action scenes in Italian dialogue. Animated sequence does not have dialogue
Not safe for kids

An enthusiastic filmmaker thinks he's come up with a totally original idea: animation set to classical music! When he is informed that some American named "Prisney" (or something) has already done it, he decides to do his own version, using an orchestra comprising mostly old ladies and an animator he's kept locked in a dungeon. Several different classical pieces are animated, while the animator plots his escape.

My Life as a Zucchini

My Life as a Zucchini

Country of Origin: France

Year: 2016

English dub available

Courgette (Zucchini) is an intriguing nickname for a 9-year-old boy. Although his unique story is surprisingly universal. After his mother's disappearance, Courgette is befriended by a police officer Raymond, who accompanies him to his new foster home filled with other orphans his age. At first he struggles to find his place in this strange, at times, hostile environment. Yet with Raymond's help and his new-found friends, Courgette eventually learns to trust and might find true love.

In this Corner of the World

In this Corner of the World

Directed by Sunao Katabuchi

Country of Origin: Japan

Year: 2016

English dub available

Set in Hiroshima during World War II, an eighteen-year-old girl gets married and now has to prepare food for her family despite the rationing and lack of supplies. As she struggles with the daily loss of life's amenities she still has to maintain the will to live.

Blame!

Blame!

Year: 2017

Country of Origin: Japan

English dub available

In the distant technological future, civilization has reached its ultimate Net-based form. An "infection" in the past caused the automated systems to spiral out of order, resulting in a multi-leveled city structure that replicates itself infinitely in all directions. Now humanity has lost access to the city's controls, and is hunted down and purged by the defense system known as the Safeguard. In a tiny corner of the city, a little enclave known as the Electro-Fishers is facing eventual extinction, trapped between the threat of the Safeguard and dwindling food supplies. A girl named Zuru goes on a journey to find food for her village, only to inadvertently cause doom when an observation tower senses her and summons a Safeguard pack to eliminate the threat. With her companions dead and all escape routes blocked, the only thing that can save her now is the sudden arrival of Kiri the Wanderer, on his quest for the Net Terminal Genes, the key to restoring order to the world.

Mune: Guardian of the Moon

Mune: Guardian of the Moon

Country of Origin: France

Year: 2014

English dub available

When an evil magma demon and his minions steals the sun of a magical world, the new guardians of both the sun and the moon must embark on a quest to retrieve it and save their world from disaster as the moon faces destruction as well.