At the birth of any new art form, there is a period of flux before all the basic standards have been set and the major forms have been devised. During this period, a few individuals who happen to be in the right place at the right time can have a decisive influence on all the future directions that the new medium can take. The good news is, in the case of American live-action filmmaking, this person was D. W. Griffith (who discovered that you can actually cut from one shot to the next to establish rhythm and meaning in a scene, instead of just capturing everything in a single static shot, like it was happening on a stage). The bad news is that, in the case of American animation, this person was Walt Disney.

How many people will actually admit to admiring a Disney movie? A lot of families enjoy them, many have been greatly praised -- particularly some of the recent ones (Beauty and the Beast comes to mind) -- and even a dud like The Black Cauldron represents a lot of toil and expense. But admire? They're for kids, right? They're disposable. What's to admire?

And that's the problem: beginning with Steamboat Willie, and going right through Ice Age and beyond, the prevailing assumption among American audiences has been that animated movies are for kids -- not only that, but that they can never be anything but essentially childish. Yes, there have been counterexamples like Heavy Metal and Fritz the Cat, but for the most part, efforts like these have come across more as sophomoric jokes, using sex and bad language to mock audience expectations, than as serious attempts to break out of the kid-movie ghetto.

Which is why what happened last week at the Oscars was such good news. Spirited Away is one of the most creative and charming movies I've seen in years, and the visual imagination on display is nothing short of eye-popping. And now, because of the Oscar win, we all get another chance to see it in theaters. Those of you who are in Windsor can see it at Devonshire after you get your shopping done. Those elsewhere, check local listings. And run, don't walk - you probably won't get another chance to see it on a big screen.