Animated films for grown-ups

Writing for The Morning News, Matthew Baldwin shares some of his favorite animated films for adults, including some of my favorites: The Iron Giant, Spirited Away (and Princess Mononoke), and Wall-E.

Half a decade later I walked into a theater, for reasons I cannot recall, to see Princess Mononoke. It was a revelation-somehow, in my absence, animated films had gotten all grow’d up. There were no songs or dance numbers, the plot was complex and disturbing, and the running time of two hours — not to mention some shockingly violent scenes — was far from kid-friendly.

The subtext of Princess Mononoke is one of environmental protectionism-the same theme that Pocahantas wore on its sleeve. Had I had seen the former film in 1995, instead of the latter, I probably never would have left the fold.

• Matthew Baldwin
• movies