This article was originally written for Subtitled Online September 2012.

There are some great alternatives to both the style and content of the products of dominant American animation powerhouse studios like Disney and Pixar, DreamWorks Animation and Blue Sky Studios. Animation as a medium is far more than something to distract the children while the adults watch something else. There’s much food for thought to be found, even for the most cynical film-goer, in animated features from around the world. Fascinating, enjoyable and beautiful animation is out there, you just have to look for it. So stop watching FINDING NEMO, SHREK and ICE AGE, and give one or two of these highly recommended world cinema animated features a go…

Hayao Miyazaki’s most famous and most loved creation is a thing of pure beauty, sweetness and magic. We follow Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi) who finds her way into a fantastical realm with…