As an Oscar-nominee attached to Kaufman’s name, Anomalisa has a higher profile than the other films on this list. Charlie Kaufman’s meditation on loneliness and mental disturbance, which he first wrote as a play, is perfectly suited to the uncanniness of puppets ( the stop-motion animation comes courtesy of Duke Johnson). Enjoy…Īnomalisa (Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson, U.S.)Ī consultant starts to confuse faces, voices, and objects on a work trip to Cincinnati. Otherwise, we followed no criteria - just our own tastes.

(It’s worth noting that The Association of Japanese Animation, which publishes an annual report on the industry, recently identified the rise of older-skewing animated features in the West as a possible threat to anime’s overseas market.) We’ve omitted anime, an industry its own right, which has long catered to a variety of audiences, and merits a list of its own. Made outside the strictures of the studio system, these six features are free to tackle themes, tell jokes, and show images that would scandalize a Pixar executive.Īll the films were released in the last five years. While we’re waiting, we’ve compiled an entirely subjective list of films that show what adult animation can look like. What they’ll look like is anyone’s guess. SPA has a few R-rated features in the works, including at least one from Genndy Tartakovsky. If Belson is showing interest, it isn’t just because of the coronavirus. Not only that, the market for mature animation is growing and diversifying like never before. Other branches of the industry - tv, streaming, and indie features, not to mention the short film circuit - have demonstrated that the medium is just that: a medium, capable of telling any story to any audience, and not a self-contained family genre. Only in Hollywood does the idea of adult animation seem novel.

“I think you’re going to see PG-13 animated movies, which is something you haven’t seen before.” “There will be more R-rated animated movies,” she predicted. Last month, Kristine Belson, president of Sony Pictures Animation (SPA), spoke of how she thinks the upheaval caused by the coronavirus will reshape the industry.

Animated adult images