10 Animated Films You May Not Have Seen (But Should)
3. American Pop (1981)
Ralph Bakshi's unique style of animation, which relies heavily on rotoscoping, is on full display in his 1981 classic, American Pop. The film is all about music, but more than that, it's about the American experience as it relates to music, which is something many can easily relate to.
The story follows the lives of an immigrant Jewish family from Russia who move to the United States in the late 19th century to flee the persecution of the Imperial Russian Cossacks. The mother and son, Zalmie, managed to escape while the father, a Rabbi, was struck down while praying in the synagogue.
Zalmie is quickly recruited to work in a burlesque house, which introduces him to musical performance, and he builds up a career as a singer. He even travels the globe performing during WWI but is injured and loses much of his voice. His son, Benny, grows up to become a piano player, and the love of music continues through the generations.
Eventually, Benny is killed in Germany fighting the Nazis, but his son goes on to find his own way into the world of rock and roll. By the end of the film, the family's struggles across the generations come full circle, and the audience is treated to a beautiful rendition of Bob Seger's "Night Moves" with a piano opening. The film's imagery and music combine to tell an amazing story in a way only animation could properly deliver.