The Painting (Le tableau) by Jean-François Laguionie (France, 2011, 75 min.). A beautiful, animated tale, The Painting is set within the world of unfinished artwork and offers a powerful social critique. In the painter’s absence, the finished drawings (the “Alldunns”) become the painting’s ruling class, relegating the partially completed “Halfies” to second-class citizens and vowing to exterminate the thinly outlined “Sketchies.” But when an Alldunn, Halfie, and Sketchie wind up sharing a journey beyond the frame, they discover a world far richer and more diverse than they ever imagined.  In English.

Recommended ages: 7+