Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below (2011)

This movie makes me excited about the future of animation. It's flawed, but it's so masterfully made that watching it reminded me of everything I love about animation. It's clearly influenced by Ghibli, but not in a rip-off way - more in a way that makes you feel like the world will still have Ghibli esque films after Miyazaki is gone.

It's overwhelmingly beautiful and so imaginative I could watch it endlessly, but I had a hard time connecting to the characters. They're relatable on paper, but their emotional plights never really got to me. Maybe I was distracted by all the pretty. It also felt like some scenes may have been cut - there's a Chekov's gun that goes nowhere. In spite of those problems, this was stunning, a joy to watch, and I can't wait to see it again.

4 scarfs wrapped around an arm out of 5.