While this specially-curated line-up of films does include some family-friendly fare, some of it is for more mature audiences, exploring heavy themes and featuring strong imagery, like the Veterans Day commemoration “War! What’s It Good For?” featuring animated shorts on Thurs. Nov. 9, the gorgeous “The Breadwinner” on Fri. Nov. 10, and the haunting lost classic “When The Wind Blows” on Mon. Nov. 13 & Wed. Nov. 15 (see below for full synopses).
“Ultimately, a good animated film will rise above its genre and be what any good movie is about––a decent story with compelling characters that is told well,” Newton adds. “When these films cry out, “We are real movies, too!”, why not answer them by taking a chance and possibly discovering something amazing? We think you’ll be glad you did!”
The full line-up is as follows:
WAR! WHAT’S IT GOOD FOR? SHORT FILMS
Nine short films totaling 90 minutes personally curated by Rob Newton not only honor veterans on this holiday, but also convey the realities of war in an artful and memorable way. The block culminates in the wonderful 2002 short, “War Game,” about a Christmastime truce between British and German troops in the trenches of World War I. PG/PG-13 EQUIVALENT. Playing Thurs. Nov. 9 @ 7:30pm.
REVOLTING RHYMES
Based on the book written by Roald Dahl (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Matilda,” “B.F.G.”) and illustrated by Quentin Blake, Revolting Rhymes mixes the classic fairy tales of Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, The Three Little Pigs, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Cinderella, and then serves them with a mischievous twist. From the creators of “Room on the Broom” and “The Gruffalo.” PG EQUIVALENT. Playing Fri. Nov. 10 & Sat. Nov. 11 @ 11:00am, Sun. Nov. 12 @ 12:00pm.
THE ADVENTURES OF MARK TWAIN
Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn and Becky Thatcher stow away with Mark Twain (voiced by James Whitmore) on his magical airship and take an incredible journey through time in search of Halley’s Comet! Along the way, they encounter a variety of Twain’s storybook characters from “The Diary of Adam and Eve,” “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” “The Mysterious Stranger,” “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” and “Captain Stormfield’s Visit to Heaven.” Directed by Will Vinton, famed creator of Claymation, Eddie Murphy’s long-lost “The PJs,” and the phenomenally successful “The California Raisins.” RATED G. Playing Fri. Nov. 10 & Sat. Nov. 11 @ 12:30pm, Sun. Nov. 12 @ 1:30pm.
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS
Based on Jonathan Swift’s classic story about Lemuel Gulliver, a sailor shipwrecked in Lilliput, the land of tiny people, this lovely and engaging family film stands the test of time, produced in 1939 by the Fleischer Studios, who gave Walt Disney a run for his money (until they ran out of it). G EQUIVALENT. Playing Fri. Nov. 10 & Sat. Nov. 11 @ 2:30pm, Sun. Nov. 12 @ 1:30pm.
THE GIRL WITHOUT HANDS
In hard times, a miller sells his daughter to the Devil. Protected by her purity, she escapes from the Devil who, in revenge, deprives her of her hands. So begins her long journey towards the light… but in spite of her resilience and the new protection of a handsome prince’s estate, the Devil devises a plan of his own. Hand-painted with lush, evocative details, this beautiful and dreamlike take on the Brothers Grimm story is an adult fairytale destined to become a classic. PG-13 EQUIVALENT. Playing Fri. Nov. 10 & Sat. Nov. 11 @ 5:00pm, Sun. Nov. 12 @ 4:00pm.
THE BREADWINNER
From executive producer Angelina Jolie and the creators of the Academy Award®-nominated “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea” comes the New England premiere of the highly-anticipated new feature based on Deborah Ellis’ bestselling novel. Parvana is an 11-year-old girl growing up under the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001. When her father is wrongfully arrested, Parvana cuts off her hair and dresses like a boy in order to support her family. Working alongside her friend Shauzia, Parvana discovers a new world of freedom–and danger. With undaunted courage, Parvana draws strength from the fantastical stories she invents, as she embarks on a quest to find her father and reunite her family. Equal parts thrilling and enchanting, “The Breadwinner” is an inspiring and luminously animated tale about the power of stories to sustain hope and carry us through dark times. RATED PG-13. Playing Fri. Nov. 10 @ 7:30pm only.
MY ENTIRE HIGH SCHOOL SINKING INTO THE SEA
This equal parts disaster cinema, high school comedy, and blockbuster satire and this audacious cornucopia is told through a dream-like mixed media animation style that incorporates drawings, paintings, and collage. The story features Dash (Jason Schwartzman) and his best friend Assaf (Reggie Watts) are preparing for another year at Tides High School muckraking on behalf of their widely-distributed but little-read school newspaper, edited by their friend Verti (Maya Rudolph). Disaster ensues. Hailed as “the most original animated film of the year” and “John Hughes for the Adult Swim generation” (Indiewire), the film’s everyday concerns of friendships, cliques, and young love remind us how the high school experience continues to shape who we become, even in the most unusual of circumstances. RATED PG-13. Playing Fri. Nov. 10 @ 7:30pm, Sat. Nov. 11 @ 10:00pm, Sun. Nov. 12 @ 6:30pm.
THE 19TH ANNUAL ANIMATION SHOW OF SHOWS
Since 1998, The Animation Show of Shows has selected the best in animated short films from the world’s most renowned animation festivals and presented them at the major animation studios to inspire their animators and directors. Some of these films will go on to be nominated for an Oscar, but you can see them in this 90-minute collection of beauty and hilarity before anyone else. PG EQUIVALENT. WITH SPECIAL GUEST, CURATOR RON DIAMOND ON SUN. NOV. 12! Playing Sun. Nov. 12 @ 6:30pm, Mon. Nov. 13 @ 5:00pm & 7:30pm, Tues. Nov. 14 @ 5:00pm & 7:30pm, Wed. Nov. 15 @ 5:00pm & 7:30pm, Thurs. Nov. 16 @ 5:00pm.
WHEN THE WIND BLOWS
An aging couple, voiced by John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft, face a nuclear holocaust with only the instructions from the government’s infamous ‘Protect and Survive’ leaflet to help them in this glorious animated adaptation of “The Snowman” creator Raymond Briggs’ book, voiced by John Mills and Peggy Ashcroft. With music by David Bowie and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd. PG-13 EQUIVALENT. Playing Mon. Nov. 13 & Wed. Nov. 15 @ 7:30pm.
All films will be screened at The Cape Ann Cinema & Stage and its new screening room, The Magic Lantern, at 21 Main Street in Gloucester. Tickets for all films are $11.50 adults, $10.00 students & seniors (60+), and $8.50 for Members and kids under 13. All shows before 1:00pm are matinee-priced at $7.50. Tickets are available at the theater, or online at www.CapeAnnCinema.com.
