The ToonSeum is celebrating the 83rd annual Academy Awards by screening a selection of our favorite Oscar nominees for Best Animated Feature, The Triplets of Belleville, Persepolis, Waltz With Bashir, and Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away, each accompanied by Oscar-winning shorts.
February 27th will mark the tenth anniversary of the Academy’s introduction of the Animated Feature category in which three or five films are nominated annually.
“The Best Animated Feature award has really done a lot to legitimize the art of animation for American audiences,” says John Mattie, the ToonSeum manager who programs the screenings. “Even though animators at Disney, PIXAR, and Studio Ghibli were producing masterful features that were very profitable and popular, the majority opinion was still that animation was silly kids stuff. Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, and Princess Mononoke began to change all that. They were sophisticated and made money, but more importantly, they were widely agreed to be Best Picture-worthy by leading critics.”
Each feature will be accompanied by a selection of classic Oscar-winning animated shorts and discussion.
The schedule for the screenings is as follows:
Thursday, February 10th at 7:00pm
The Triplets of Belleville (2003) – Sylvain Chomet’s anarchic masterpiece about jazz, pudgy dogs, and the Tour de France is endlessly spry, inventive, and subversive. Virtually dialogue free, Chomet combines elements of the Fleischer Brothers, Jaques Tati, and Ronald Searle-esque art to create an incomparable movie experience. The film is recommended for ages 12 and over.
Thursday, February 17th at 7:00pm
Persepolis (2007) – Marjane Satrapi wrote and co-directed this gorgeous adaptation of her own landmark graphic memoirs, a dynamic coming-of-age story set in heart of the Iranian Revolution and the repressive fundamentalist state that follows. Satrapi’s bold black and white imagery accentuates the heavy themes of alienation and dogmatic politics, however the film is full of humor and warmth, a powerful femininity, and clear but understated observations on family and nationalism. This film is recommended for ages 14 and over.
Thursday, February 24th at 7:00pm
Waltz With Bashir (2008) – The only animated feature to ever be nominated for Best Foreign Film, director Ari Folman’s Waltz With Bashir is a brilliant melding of documentary, narrative film, and haunting animation. Recounting Folman’s own experience of the horrors of the Lebanon War, the film mixes shocking and surreal recreations of the Sabra and Shatila massacre with real interviews Folman conducted with family and fellow veterans, all in an attempt to unveil memories he has repressed. This film is recommended for ages 17 and over.
Sunday, February 27th at 3:00pm
Spirited Away (2001) – Hayao Miyazaki’s wonderfully surreal masterpiece was the first and only foreign-language film to win the Best Animated Feature Oscar . Spirited Away is a hallucinatory fantasy about pre-teen Chihiru, a pouty young girl who is magically transported to a spiritual way-station where she faces off against a duplicitous madam over nothing less than her parent’s souls. The film is full of eye-popping imagery and oddly touching moments, weaving a contradictory world that imagines puberty as a funhouse of liberation and grotesque discovery. This film is recommended for all ages, however does include some potentially scary moments for younger viewers.
All films will be screened with discussion and several shorts, all Oscar winners or nominees from various years.
All films are screened free of charge. Donations are accepted.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
The ToonSeum and Church Brew Works are proud to announce a special Valentine's Day beer tasting and drawing lesson for couples. This one-of-a-kind class will be held on Friday, February 11th, 2011 @ 6:30 pm.
Professional cartoonist Joe Wos will host an adult-beginners' program modeled specifically for couples, encouraging collaborative fun and imagination in a laid back atmosphere. To help set the mood, CBW will be on hand to pour some of their favorite beers.
“Our collaborations with the Church Brew Works were some of our favorite events of last year,” said John Mattie, the ToonSeum's manager and coordinator of the Toons and Brews events. “We were eager to work with them again and thought that it would be fun to offer a unique “date” event.”
Cost per couple is $50 (ToonSeum members are $45), tasting, lesson and snacks included. Participating couples are eligible for door prizes. Reservations are required and can be made at www.toonlove.eventbrite.com or at the ToonSeum Gallery on Liberty Avenue. Space is very limited, however if demand exceeds expectations, a second event may be added.
Guest are encouraged to attend an early or later dinner at Mahoney's next door. Mention the ToonSeum for a discounted specials.
Professional cartoonist Joe Wos will host an adult-beginners' program modeled specifically for couples, encouraging collaborative fun and imagination in a laid back atmosphere. To help set the mood, CBW will be on hand to pour some of their favorite beers.
“Our collaborations with the Church Brew Works were some of our favorite events of last year,” said John Mattie, the ToonSeum's manager and coordinator of the Toons and Brews events. “We were eager to work with them again and thought that it would be fun to offer a unique “date” event.”
Cost per couple is $50 (ToonSeum members are $45), tasting, lesson and snacks included. Participating couples are eligible for door prizes. Reservations are required and can be made at www.toonlove.eventbrite.com or at the ToonSeum Gallery on Liberty Avenue. Space is very limited, however if demand exceeds expectations, a second event may be added.
Guest are encouraged to attend an early or later dinner at Mahoney's next door. Mention the ToonSeum for a discounted specials.
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