30 Animated Movies That Are Not for Children

Aussie stop-motion $9.99 takes on the grand theme of the meaning of life, but does so in such an everyday way that it’s easy to forget you are watching an animation at times - until something weird comes out of left field and sets you right again.

The film begins with an unnamed homeless man shooting himself dead when Jim, a harried businessman, refuses to shell out a dollar. This sets Jim on an existential crisis, and sets the tone for the movie. $9.99 focuses on an array of interconnected characters, each with their own trials and quest for meaning: Dave is looking for his meaning in a $9.99 book, rather than out in a world that doesn’t really want to employ him; Albert, who finds himself ignored and alone after the death of his wife; Dave's brother Lenny, whose affair with a local supermodel consumes his life; and the homeless man himself, who returns as an angel but doesn’t know why.

The humour is sharp as a tack, and a who’s who of noughties Australian talent are on voice duties, including Geoffrey Rush, Joel Edgerton, and Ben Mendelsohn. While there are no direct answers to most of the characters’ questions by the end of the film, each finds meaning in their own way, shining a light on how the meaning we seek is often right in front of us in a different form.