Animation for adults

The future of hand-drawn animation and the best argument for the survival of the artform in the face of modern CGI can be summed up in one word: Persepolis. This film is based on the autobiographical graphic novel of the same name by the Iranian-born artist Marjane Satrapi. Its style is true to her graphic novel making the movie a much more personal work. And while the movie does allude to the violence of recent Iranian history as well as that which she experienced in her own life, it works much more effectively as simply that, allusion, than if these things had been made explicit. The movie is mostly black and white, with a very canny and sparing use of color. It is a traditional coming-of-age tale from a perspective we haven't seen before and offers a window into a world that has been demonized by a succession of U.S. presidential administrations. In doing so, it doesn't rely on the crutches of overt depictions of sex, violence and special effects. It doesn't shy away from the subjects of sex, drugs and violence, but it doesn't rely on them for audience shock value. That is perhaps the most telling feature of this animated feature. It is a mature work. It's an animated feature for adults and it respects its audience.

What makes this the future of the form? The individual style. The use of paint to provide access to a world beyond reach (as making this film as a live action movie on location would have been impossible and would have robbed it of its power). The effectiveness of communicating the truth of Satrapi's inner states as they related to her experience of her outer world. The future of hand-painted animation is Persepolis because it puts the form back in the hands of an individual artist for the purpose of communicating a unique, personal vision.