Tired of sifting through hyperbole-filled recommendations for earth shattering dramas, must see revenge thrillers, or horror movies that supposedly re-write the genre? Fed up with five star reviews for movies that leave you meh? How about a change of pace- welcome to the Animated Alternative, a post that will introduce you to the wide and varied spectrum of animated offerings out there, in the hopes of providing some emotional and occasionally mind-expanding relief from the constant flow of so-called crucial cinema.

Let’s begin with something familiar. It’s fair to assume that even with a minimal knowledge of what’s out there, the name ‘Miyazaki’ rings a distant bell. Miyazaki is/was the heart and soul of the dynamite awe and wonder machine that is Japan’s Studio Ghibli- the first and last word in universally acknowledged and acclaimed animation. Being a juggernaut of that caliber will obviously spawn imitators, both inspired and un…