Student protests are erupting globally. In India, the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR), normally a routine process, has struck off 130 million names from the draft voter list. Students are demanding better educational facilities, timely and fair examinations, and the right to vote, which the SIR process has systematically…
Reading between frames
Yuki’s Sun and the humble beginnings of Miyazaki’s genius
Spirited Away needs no introduction. A hand-drawn animation masterpiece, the film broke so many records, shattered so many glass ceilings for animation as a category, and, to this day, remains a personal favorite and sets the bar for new-age animated films. But 30 years before Studio Ghibli left a permanent…
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When domestic violence and therapy found their way into children’s animation
When 15-year-old Princess Ellian says her parents are monsters, a child might imagine fantastical ones, while an adult might think differently. A feature-length musical fantasy by Skydance Animation, Spellbound tells a princess story with a twist. It’s been a while since animation studios abandoned the search for an appropriate prince…
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René Laloux’s The Snail and the Tool’s Pot Are Still Relevant Today
René Laloux’s Fantastic Planet needs no introduction. Every animation movie nerd knows about it and will happily discuss why humans deserve the treatment they got. My introduction to his 1966 short film, Les Escargots (The Snail), wasn’t through any popular OTT channels or because a friend told me about it….
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God is Shy and the emotional human’s layered existential crisis
Fear or fright? If I ask you to illustrate your fear, what will you draw? And how will you ascertain that it distinguishes itself from fright? Paul answers that while fear is often needless anticipation rather than something terrifying, fright is a response we feel in our bones, often in…