As a parent, I've gotten to watch uh a LOT of animation, and while there are many films I quite like, I'm continually struck how no contemporary animated films are actually beautiful the way something like this or Studio Ghibli films are beautiful.

in pursuit of realism, a lot of media has forgotten the beauty in art direction and creating a distinctive style. when everything tries to look as close to real life as possible, we lose the unique visual signatures that make certain works memorable. i remember playing nfs most wanted 2005 as a kid and the filters added... See more