Art
David Bayus’s AI-Infused Gender Burlesque
The artist unspools a playful and dark-edged narrative that refracts art deco and noir melodrama through the late-modern styles of video games, manga, and fantasy.
Animation
Film
Television’s Best Action Cartoon Is Back
Directed by virtuous animator Genndy Tartakovsky, Primal is a continuously inventive and exciting adventure through a prehistoric fantasy world.
Film
Mad God Is a Descent Into Hell, in the Best Way Possible
Made over the course of 30 years by special effects legend Phil Tippett, this stop-motion animated epic is a feast of creatively horrifying imagery.
Film
Panda! Go Panda! Classics Make a Delightful Comeback
You don't have to be an anime-head to appreciate these early-career shorts by the founders of Studio Ghibli.
Film
The Animated Biopic of Charlotte Salomon Is a Missed Opportunity
Charlotte fails to truly depict the famed artist's work and pain. It may just be that no other artist can tell Salomon's story better than she already did.
Art
Searching for Hayao Miyazaki in the Details of His Films
Does the Academy Museum exhibition successfully plumb the depths of Miyazaki’s psyche?
Film
Visit the Beautifully Bizarre Cryptozoo, a Sanctuary for Mythological Creatures
Married creative duo Dash Shaw and Jane Samborski collaborated on the vivid adult animated feature.
Art
Ancient Greece and Rome Are Hot in Animation Right Now. Here’s Why.
Animation allows for creators to push the envelope in depictions of sex, violence, and other themes central to myth and history.
Film
Experimental Animation Gems by Suzan Pitt, Walerian Borowczyk, and More
Here are some cartoons outside the mainstream, from a mischievously psychosexual short to an allegory for post-WWII Europe.
Books
25 Years of Pixar’s Vibrant, Emotional Color Palettes
Revised and expanded, The Art of Pixar gathers color scripts from the studio’s short and feature films, mapping out the emotional beats of each story in lush hues.
Film
Weird Animations About Infidelity, Warfare, and Quitting Smoking
Here are some highlights from the sizable collection of Bill Plympton cartoons on the Criterion Channel.
Film
A Tale of Colonial Development Versus Primeval Magic
The gorgeous Irish animated feature Wolfwalkers is perfect holiday family viewing.