Vasiliy
My current favorite is a recent discovery and a very unique project – which I strongly recommend to NOT read anything about before watching at least a couple of episodes. Just prepare for a very deep experience, and know that the vivid, psychedelic visuals are just the icing on the cake that is Midnight Gospel.
Kseniia
I’m a big fan of animation by Studio Ghibli. Everyone has probably at least heard of their most famous works directed by Hayao Miyazaki – My Neighbour Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, and of course, Spirited Away. Those are all masterpieces, I won’t argue with that, but today I’d like to note other, perhaps less well-known films directed by a co-founder of the studio, Isao Takahata. I’d say the top three are Grave of the Fireflies (heartbreaking, watch at your own peril), Only Yesterday, and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. They differ from the rest of Ghibli animation and are intended for a more mature audience, but all convey beautiful and inspiring messages for which we love this studio’s production.
Catherine
I've been trying to pick a movie to mention in this article for at least a week. It's a relief to see Studio Ghibli named above! Now I am only obliged to briefly list Up (I still can't rewatch it because just one memory of the first five minutes brings me to tears), Inside Out (with a peculiar view on how our brains work), and How To Train Your Dragon (all three parts – and stock paper towels for the last one). But my top choice will have to be Big Hero 6. To me, it is first and foremost a story about love – for your family, your friends, yourself, and the whole world – and the many forms it can take. Plus, the jokes here are impeccable, and did I mention that it's impossible not to fall in love with Baymax the robot? Beware, though, paper towels wouldn't go amiss here, as well.
Vadim
I’ve never been big on animation. But I do remember how four years ago a very delightful (if somewhat puzzling) animated short called Infinity Train made it big online. It did so well that, as I’ve learned not long ago, the fan demand caused it to be made into a full-on animated series of the same name. And let me tell you, it is so good. Granted, I’m only one-and-a-half seasons into the existing three (soon to be four), but something tells me the rest is going to be just as great.
Now, know this: this is a show that’s not afraid to get serious, but it does so in a way that somehow blends perfectly with its more lighthearted and adventurous parts. As for the story, it is a sci-fi romp through a world that in its rules borders on – dare I say – Lynchian levels of surreal. Each season focuses on a new group of characters as they make their way through a mysterious train where each car is more stranger than the last: made of crossword puzzles, consisting entirely of cake, or populated by talking corgis. With each episode merely 11 minutes in length, it can be watched in just hours; but I assure you it’ll be hours very well-spent.
Elizaveta
There’s always a time to realize you see certain things from another angle, and cartoons are no exception. In one of those moments of enlightenment, I was lucky to rediscover Shrek. Of course, as a kid I’ve watched it a thousand times – it was extremely funny, and what’s more important, constantly on TV in the ’00s. But giving a grumpy ogre’s story another try at a more conscious age turned out to be mind-blowing. A fairytale itself, Shrek parodies the entire concept of this genre. It shifted the focus from conventionally beautiful and brave knights and queens to the ugly ogre who is not striving to perform feats. Yet other characters are, too, far from being called trivial: a princess who doesn’t need to be rescued, a dragon who just wants to be loved, a prince with megalomania. Moreover, the imaginary world is stuffed with references to modern pop culture from Matrix to Mission Impossible accompanied by timeless All Star by Smash Mouth. What’s more important, besides all these novelties, it’s still an engaging story about love and stereotypes enriched with smart and careful humor.
