Classic animated films get the spotlight in new Berkeley series

The animated film rarely gets the credit it deserves.

Consider this. Since Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” in 1991 landed a best picture Oscar nomination — the first animated film in that category — only two other animated films have managed to squeeze into that prestigious contest. Both came came from the creative team at Pixar: 2009’s “Up” and 2010’s “Toy Story 3.”

Instead a kvetching, let’s focus on some of the animated films that deserve to be bathed in artistic praise, especially since more than a few of them are part of “The Art of Animation: Storytelling in the Digital Age,” an upcoming series at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.

The August program celebrating high-quality animation and storytelling includes three free outdoor screenings and seven inside the Barbro Osher Theater. As an added bonus the co-authors of “Making the Cut at Pixar: The Art of Editing Animation” — Berkeley-based indie filmmaker Bill Kinder and New York-based author Bobbie O’Steen — will be introducing the films and providing context and insight at the in-theater screenings.

The Berkeley program includes a diverse offering, some aimed for families, some for adult audiences. Perusing the program, you can’t notice how animated films sometimes tell a story better than their live-action brethren.

“Animation is an approach to filmmaking based on creating a work frame by frame with the ability to control every aspect of a film’s production,” says Susan Oxtoby, BAMPFA’s director of film and senior film curator. “All creative choices are completely malleable: rhythm and timing, use of color and light play, characters’ voices, sound and layered sound effects, and the possibility of incorporating live action material using rotoscoping techniques.”

Here’s a look at the some of the entries in the BAMPFA series and what makes them so special.

“Ratatouille” (2007): Emeryville-based Pixar animation studio’s gem is about a rat named Remy aspiring to be a chef, whipping up Alice Waters-like entrees and delivering a message about society needing to embrace open-mindedness. The animation is exquisite and the story shifts between funny and touching; all in all it’s one of the best in the Pixar vault. (Recommended for all ages).

Screening: 4 p.m. Aug. 5.

“Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009): The fanciful work of filmmaker Wes Anderson can sometimes get too precious for his and the audience’s own good. But his stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel sidesteps that trap and even plays to his strengths as a storyteller who showcases eccentrics — this time in fox form. George Clooney is perfectly cast to voice the sly Mr. Fox. Anderson’s appreciation for stop-motion animation also led him to make 2018’s “Isle of Dogs,” another one his better films. (Recommended for ages 8 and up.)

Screening: 7 p.m. Aug. 10

“Spirited Away” (2002): Director Hayao Miyazaki remains one of the best animated filmmakers of all time with a canon that’s a treasure trove of classics — 1988’s touching “My Neighbor Totoro,” 1997’s epic “Princess Mononoke,” 2004’s highly inventive “Howl’s Moving Castle” and many more. But it was the 81-year-old Japanese auteur’s incredible journey featuring the inquisitive 10-year-old Chihiro that gained him an Academy Award and wider exposure in America. Watching “Spirited” is like venturing into a dream world where anything can happen. It’s one of my favorite films of all time. (Recommended for ages 8 and up.)

Screening: 4:30 p.m. Aug. 12 (English version) and 7 p.m. Aug. 18 (in Japanese with English subtitles).

“My Life as a Zucchini” (2017): In this Dickensian tale, a traumatic childhood event thrusts a withdrawn, fragile boy nicknamed Zucchini into the warm folds of a caring foster home where other pre-adolescents try to cope from bad parenting and/or tragedies. Director Claude Barras’ feature doesn’t merely tug on your heart, it all but yanks it out. This is a beautiful film about surviving the worst horrors imaginable and how some families are defined no by blood but love. It’s gorgeous, but isn’t for really young children. (Recommended for ages 12 and up.)

Screening: 5 p.m. Aug. 19

“Flee” (2021): For proof that a documentary can get pushed into exciting and innovative directions, check out director Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s heartbreaking account of a gay Afghanistan refugee’s extraordinary plight. Rasmussen mostly leans on animation to create a poignant, relevant and all-too common refugee story, one about a displaced man seeking to find roots in a new land and with a new love. (Recommended for ages 13 and up.)

Screening: 7 p.m. Aug. 25

“The Incredibles” (2004): Are you suffering from Superhero Fatigue? It’s a common malady hitting filmgoers throughout the nation. But it doesn’t mean you should skip this Pixar gem that introduces us to the hardworking brood that’s living incognito in suburbia — the Incredible couple of Elastigirl (voice of Holly Hunter) and Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson). Both spring back into action, of course, while tending to the kids in this fast-paced adventure that nostalgically tosses us back to the ‘60s burbs in another Pixar classic. (Recommended for ages 7 and up.)

Showing: 4 p.m. Aug. 26

“Waltz with Bashir” (2008): Stark, disturbing and guilt-ridden, Ari Folman’s tricky feature takes a surreal look at the historical and psychological fallout from the 1982 invasion of Lebanon by Israel, which resulted in the slaughter of refugees in camps. Folman — who was in the Israel Defense Forces when this happened — starts to wonder if the version of events he’s been told is the truth. The imagery in “Waltz With Bashir” will haunt you. Obviously this is not for children.

Showing: 7 p.m. Aug. 30

Grab a blanket or two, a warm parka (this IS Berkeley in the summer after all) and something to nosh for these screenings at BAMPFA’s Outdoor Screen at Addison and Oxford Streets.

“Toy Story 2”: Pixar’s lovable sequel centers on Andy going to Cowboy Camp while Woody winds up in the clutches of a toy collector. Originally slated to be a straight-to-video effort, the studio realized it had something special on its hands and released it to theaters. (Recommended for all ages)

Screening: 7 p.m. Aug. 3

“Finding Nemo”: Marin’s Andrew Stanton sends us under the sea where a fish named Nemo gets lost and meets some unforgettable characters, including the incredibly forgetful Dory, voiced by Ellen DeGeneres. (Recommended for all ages.)

Screening: 7 p.m. Aug. 17

“Persepolis”: Marjane Satrapi adapts, along with Vincent Paronnaud, her acclaimed graphic novel about being young and bearing witness to the Iranian Revolution of 1979. (Recommended for ages 12 and up.)

Screening: 7 p.m. Aug. 31

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