Marcel – The Shell with Shoes On (2021), directed by Dean Fleischer Camp

A documentary within a documentary, this film was Oscar nominated and won several awards for best animated feature. It follows the life of a one-inch shell, Marcel, who lives with his grandmother in an Air B&B, and his friendship with filmmaker Dean. The old-school stop motion animation is brilliantly intertwined with live action to make the film visually very appealing. But the messaging about the importance of making connection is laid on pretty thick and the story is twee and, at 90 minutes, too long. Isabella Rossellini is wonderful as the voice of Grandma Connie, but it probably would have been better to cast a boy actor as Marcel, rather than co-writer Jenny Slate.

My Year of Dicks (2022), directed by Sara Gunnarsdottir

Based on a book by Pamela Ribon, this short animated film has been nominated for an Oscar. Told in five chapters, it is the story of 15-year-old Pam’s misguided bid to lose her virginity and the complete dicks she encounters along the way. The chapters are punctuated with old video footage of Pamela talking to camera, which is sometimes illuminating and a bit distracting from the main event. The 25 minute film is sweet and funny and very relatable. It is available to view free online at myyearofdicks.com Because everybody has one, apparently.

Sean the Sheep: Farmageddon (2019), directed by Will Becher & Richard Phelan

What a pleasure it is to enter the funny, clever and joyous world of Aardman. A blatant rip-off of ET, Farmageddon is a much better film. It avoids the button-pushing clichés of its progenitor, while retaining its moving moments, along with continuous LOLs. The beauty of Aardman animation is that it makes films ostensibly for kids that actually operate on several levels, with many smart jokes aimed at adults. And it is all done with so few words. Gestures, noises and facial expressions do the bulk of the communication work, which is particularly meaningful in a film about an alien visiting Earth. The music is well chosen to support the non-verbal communication, especially in the second half. It’s a nice touch that traditional farmyard antagonists wind up becoming allies to save the day.

Zootopia (2016), Disney

Energetic bunny Judy Hopps is determined to overcome prejudice and the concerns of her carrot-farmer parents to become the first rabbit cop in Zootopia. Ambition achieved, she finds herself relegated to parking duties instead of fighting crime and making the world a better place. But someone is abducting mammal predators and Judy enlists the talents of scamming fox Nick Wilde to solve the mystery and bring peace back to Zootopia. The metropolis of Zootopia, where animals live (mostly) in harmony is wonderfully imagined. Ginifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman are just right as Judy and Nick, while Idris Elba makes a great buffalo police chief and Shakira is pop diva Gazelle, who sings the theme song Try Everything. Winner of the 2016 Oscar for best animated film, Zootopia is a colourful and entertaining romp with an exciting crime story and small notes of amusement along the way. It makes nice points about tolerance, inclusion and striving to do your best, even if you make mistakes.