Hello everyone!
   
   Just to give you the skinny here: I am writing a 7-8 page paper on foreign animated (family) films and their impact on US culture, so to speak (it is a little more complicated than that, but this is the gist).

   This is where you guys come in: I want to generate a serious discussion, meaning scholarly language/thoughts/ideas in response to each other and the questions I will post here. Please be courteous and do not just put 'I agree' or 'I disagree' as this will not help at all. So, without further ado;
1. What is your favorite foreign animated film (any countries outside the US) and why? Please list the title, year, and country of origin!
2.Do you feel this film you chose needs more recognition?
3. What are the benefits to watching foreign films in general?

   I think I'll leave it there for now and hopefully more questions may be generated! Thank you for all who decide to participate in this discussion, I can't thank you enough. The discussion will end on June 21st, 2014.

For me....it would be Japan. I love the way how thy contrast their films in both anime and live action as well. I find it enjoyable because of how their voice portrays. As it makes it something different to other countries. And it brings life to whatever they do, and how they do things in their culture, because that is how Japan is.

Mine would have to be studio ghlibi films. Because it is full if a lot of emotions excitement and more. Most films are good while some sadly are not, but they are still great films. The benefits of it is that you will like it. Try and see for yourself if you like it or not. I am sure studio ghlibi first started around like in the 80's. Yep it did. I hope I answered your questions. Please say if I have not and then I will edit my post. ^-^

Thank you for your post! The answers do help, even they aren't exactly what I meant. I love studio Ghibli myself and I am studying to become a animator. As for the benefits of watching these films, what kind of cultural benefits would you gain? As a result of watching these movies, do you have a better sense of Japanese culture? How about a different perspective of the world as a whole? Once again, thank you for answering and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Shatatomyo : Japanese people have a lot of pride and honor and this is often seen in anime and video games they make and it's usually a trait every character has. It also shows it some shows the sometimes simple life of some Japanese people just putting on their business suit, going to work and eating some sushi for lunch and then going back home to their building unit. Japanese people make the best anime and video games due to their great illustrations and addictive plots they come up with.   

Thank you for your comment! You are right that Japanese people do have pride and they should: they have a long and rich history that influences many things, the entertainment industry being one of them. How about other countries? I just got done watching a promising French film called Ernest and Celestine and it had a lot to say about racial differences and even points, in some cases, to the fact that despite how we look on the outside, we really are the same. The scene where there are two identical court cases are being held. The similarities between the mice and the bears' justice system lead both judges to let Ernest and Celestine go unpunished, in a sense. This is more of a world rather than a cultural lesson, but the fact that it applies to pretty much anyone would probably knock the socks off of some people who hold blind fear and hatred toward another race/culture. The U.S. and Iraq come to mind in particular. 

Generally speaking, the majority of I watch comes from Japan, but I will be more specific, and answer your questions, assuming this is still relevant to you. 

1. The Man From Nowhere - 2010, South Korea. 
2. I feel as if the film needs more recognition, due to the excellence of the film, but it has done exceptionally well, as far as foreign films go. It even has succeeded in only claiming positive reviews from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. I am not really sure if that counts, but it's something, right? It also made more $500K in US theaters (not sure if totally accurate), so that has to be another thing going for it, especially considering it only opened in 19 theaters (again, not sure if totally accurate). 
3. You get to experience different cultures. Generally speaking, when you only watch films from your country of residence, you see similar perspectives, and the movies showcase those perspectives, but if you see a movie from a different country, the odds are, they have different perspectives, and cultural aspects to your own. It will give you a sense of difference, and you might find that you actually like how they think more than your country's culture. Along with various other cultural effects on the movies themselves. 

I'm rather tired, so I am not sure if that actually made any sense, or I just think it did. Either way, hope it helps, I suppose.