15+1 Great Animation Movies from S. Korea

6. I’ll Just Live in Bando (Lee Yong-sun, 2017)

We all have dreams, but often we give them up to provide for our family or because we are convinced that they are just not going to come true. This is also the case for actor Oh Jun-gu, the protagonist of “I’ll just live in Bando”. But then on the very day that he is offered a stable job as a professor, he also lands an audition for a lead role in a drama, putting him at the crossroads of pursuing his own dreams or those of his family. In this low budget production, director Lee Yong-sun prime focus was the script, which give us an engaging central character. Although the backgrounds, character design body movements are kept very basic, Lee manages to visualize the internal struggles of his leading man by putting emphasis on his facial expressions and emotions. This combination of style and story makes “I’ll just live in Bando” a very mature film primarily aiming at adult viewers, deserving of a wider audience than those interested in animation. (Nancy Fornoville)

7. The King of Pigs (Yeon Sang-ho, 2011)

Yeon Sang-ho (who is responsible for the direction, script, editing, character design and key animation, among others) uses the school environment to make a very harsh remark about a number of aspects of Korean society. The racism in school, where all students are classified according to the wealth of their families, who even give money to the school for their children to receive special treatment, is a main point of focus, as it highlights the concept of class warfare. The privileged are known as “dogs,” while the bottom ones, as the three protagonists, are known as “pigs.” The subsequent bullying that ensues from top to bottom is another key element of the film, as is the social injustice involved, with the teachers pretending not to realize what is going on, and always turning on the “pigs”. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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8. Love at crossroads (Choi Hee-sung, 2019)

With a creative mix of paper cutouts interwoven into slick watercolor backgrounds, Choi Hee-seung’s “Love at Crossroads” spins the shoujo tropes into an all-too-familiar love triangle: the choice between Dreams or Reality. Winner of the Audience Award at last year’s Animafest Zagreb and Indie-Anifest, this laugh-out-loud short is sure to please. (Grace Han)

9. Man on the Chair (Jeong Da-hee, 2014)

Jeong Da-hee’s acclaimed (Annecy Cristal-winning!) “Man on the Chair” is, in a word, poetic. As a man wanders through his wonderings, his existential ponderings guide him. This metapicture – or rather, series of metapictures – presents a delightful mediation on the act of artistic creation. (No wonder why Jeong Da-hee is a favorite at Cannes! (Grace Han)

10. My Beautiful Girl, Mari (Lee Sung-gang, 2002)

“My Beautiful Girl, Mari” is a rare sort of Korean animation, focusing more of the surreal and fantastical than being grounded in realism. Reality and dreams often merge in this imaginative feature to create a beautiful world filled with fluffy mountains and fanciful creatures to tell a coming-of-age tale unlike any other. It is also one of the rare animated features from the country to feature big-name voice talents, with Lee Byung-hun and veteran actors Ahn Sung-ki and Na Moon-hee all lending their voices for key characters. (Rhythm Zaveri)

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