A Glean movie guide
Animation for Grown-Ups
Mature themes, complex worlds.
Sophisticated storytelling and stunning visuals that prove animation isn't just for kids.
Handpicked for this guide
The movie list
- 01
Akira
A landmark cyberpunk epic that blends visceral action with complex political and social commentary.
A secret military project endangers Neo-Tokyo when it turns a biker gang member into a rampaging psychic psychopath that only two teenagers and a group of psychics can stop.
- 02
Spirited Away
A visually breathtaking masterpiece that explores identity and greed through a rich mythological lens.
A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.
- 03
Persepolis
A stark and moving memoir that uses a unique aesthetic to navigate the complexities of the Islamic Revolution.
In 1970s Iran, Marjane 'Marji' Satrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family of a long dream being fulfilled of the hated Shah's defeat in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. However as Marji grows up, she witnesses first hand how the new Iran, now ruled by Islamic fundamentalists, has become a repressive tyranny on its own.
- 04
Perfect Blue
A haunting psychological thriller that masterfully blurs the line between reality and celebrity obsession.
Rising pop star Mima quits singing to pursue a career as an actress. After she takes up a role on a popular detective show, her handlers and collaborators begin turning up murdered. Harboring feelings of guilt and haunted by visions of her former self, Mima's reality and fantasy meld into a frenzied paranoia.
- 05
Anomalisa
A deeply human stop-motion drama that captures the quiet desperation of loneliness and existential dread.
An inspirational speaker becomes reinvigorated after meeting a lively woman who shakes up his mundane existence.
- 06
Ghost in the Shell
A philosophical sci-fi classic that questions the nature of consciousness in a high-tech future.
In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster.
- 07
Grave of the Fireflies
An unflinching and devastating look at the human cost of war that remains an emotional powerhouse.
In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.
- 08
Flee
A groundbreaking animated documentary that uses its medium to tell a powerful, true story of survival and identity.
Recounted mostly through animation to protect his identity, Amin looks back over his past as a child refugee from Afghanistan as he grapples with a secret he’s kept hidden for 20 years.
- 09
Paprika
A mind-bending journey through the subconscious featuring surreal imagery and complex dream-logic.
When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patient's dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist can stop it and recover it before damage is done: Paprika.
- 10
Fantastic Mr. Fox
A dryly comedic adventure that uses meticulous stop-motion to explore mid-life crises and family dynamics.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox, bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers. The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his family.