The Painting

The Painting may be too mature for younger kids...[and] may also be too simple for grown-ups. But for those able to overlook the obviousness, The Painting is both beautiful and affecting.

A deeply allegorical work about coming to terms with a creator who may have left us behind but it's also just a delightful, romantic adventure with a visual palette far more engaging than most animated blockbusters this year.

With striking visuals reminiscent of Matisse and Chagall and a refreshingly (for domestic animation audiences) grown-up storyline, The Painting is almost reminiscent of, well, a work of art.

Le Tableau feels like Toy Story if it had been directed by Terrence Malick in an Italian opera that was written by William Shakespeare. It's so profound and moving that your heart fills to the brim with adoration and marvel.