10 Underrated Animated Movies You Have To See
8. Mary And Max (2009)
On the other side of the animated movie spectrum, there's a whole world of adult dramas out there waiting to be explored, and one of the all-time best is Adam Elliot's deeply moving dramedy Mary and Max.
The film follows Max (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a lonely man with Asperger's syndrome, who forms a connection with his young pen pal Mary (Toni Collette) just as the pair begin to run into a series of unfortunate personal struggles.
Mary and Max is a beautifully shot stop-motion feast, crafted with delicate care and designed with a gloomy but somehow hopeful aesthetic. The characters are brilliantly drawn and, despite the animated design, as human as the actors bringing them to life so well.
It's worth noting that Mary and Max is not an easy watch as a whole - there are moments guaranteed to make you cry tears of both sadness and joy - but the themes of friendship, second chances and isolation are so expertly constructed and life-affirming that all the emotional torment is more than worth it in the end.