The Red Turtle (French: La Tortue Rouge; Japanese: レッドタートル ある島の物語) By Michaël

Out of all adaptations of the ballet and short story, this has gotta be my favorite version of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.

I hope you like rodents! ^^

I agree with Miyazaki.

"They’re my friends. I made them."

- J.F. Sebastian, Blade Runner

"All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their peril." - Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen by Terry Gilliam.

Based on the tall tales about the 18th-century German nobleman Baron Munchausen and his wartime exploits against the Ottoman Empire.

It is, to this day, a misunderstood film.

A titanic exercise in bravura filmmaking. A testament to the power of imagination. Moving and magical.

Gilliam is a master. ^^

The Shrinking Man (retitled "The Incredible Shrinking Man" in some later editions) by Richard Matheson.

An existential, soul affirming sci-fi adventure of the highest caliber.

A classic.

Everyone knows about the Salem Witch Trials, but have you ever heard of the European werewolf trials?

Between the 15th and 17th centuries, individuals across Europe, including countries like Switzerland, Germany and France were accused of lycanthropy, wolf-riding and wolf-charming (wolf-charming meaning they used magic to summon a pack of wolves to attack someone).

The most famous case of someone being charged with lycanthropy took place in 1598. German farmer Peter Stumpp was accused of using witchcraft to turn himself into a wolf and go on a killing spree that led to the deaths of two pregnant women and 14 children. The worst part is they said he ate his victims while in his wolf form. After being stretched out on the rack, Peter admitted to all of the accusations, said he'd been practicing magic since he was 12 years old and that he used a magical belt the devil gave him to take his wolf shape. After his admission, Peter was executed on the wheel where he was skinned alive, had his limbs broken, his head chopped off and his body burned.

Frans Francken the Younger’s "Chamber of Art and Antiquities" (1636). 

A painting depicting a 17th century cabinet of curiosities made up of art, collectibles, and oddities from the natural world.

A Dictionary of Symbols by J. E. Cirlot.

An essential piece of literature.

This is a book that can help you interpret paintings, cipher and decipher art, and view the world in a different light.

Tokyo Godfathers (東京ゴッドファーザーズ) by Satoshi Kon.

A masterwork by the late storytelling master, Satoshi Kon.

For those who don't know, Satoshi Kon is the same director who worked on films like Paprika, Perfect Blue, and the mystery/psychological thriller/supernatural anime masterpiece Paranoia Agent. Unfortunately, on August 24, 2010, we lost this creative mind to terminal pancreatic cancer. If you ask me, we're probably never gonna get anything close to the creepy works this guy managed to craft ever again.

Tokyo Godfathers is a really good example of a tragicomedy, and it is one of the most disturbing Christmas films you'll ever encounter (without relying on pure shock value) solely because of the subject matter. While animated, it really focuses on making the setting as realistic and as gritty as a wacky story like this can be, leading to this unsettling, off tone in a familiar, yet urban setting that really made me feel uncomfortable. What makes this movie disturbing is how realistically the developed characters and setting are. These are just average, everyday people - the kind you may have encountered or known in real life - dealing with a stressful/unfortunate situation, while also dealing with the preconceived notions about who they are from the people around them and each other. There are fantastical elements to this movie, to be sure. But I'd say that the grounded nature and focus on mental health and identity are just downright heartbreaking and genuinely hard for me to watch.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter what background you come from, what horrible thing has happened in the past or what society says about who you are. The things that make us truly human is the empathy we can have for one another. This isn't your traditional Christmas film, but it's most certainly one of the best I've ever seen. It's not only disturbing, heartwarming and more than earned the right to be labelled as a modern classic, I think it's one of Satoshi Kon's greatest projects that he's ever worked on. To me, this film exemplifies his filmography the best and shows how an artist really can create something that is stunning, beautiful and eerie all at the same time. He has a perfect filmography. Let us never forget.

The biggest mistake is that anime, in general, is often misunderstood. It has created timeless adult masterpieces.