Our friends at GKIDS are bringing back the 2012 Mamoru Hosoda (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Mirai) film Wolf Children, now restored in glorious 4K!
A luminous coming-of-age fable with a quietly devastating emotional core, Wolf Children is a triumph of animated storytelling. This bittersweet fantasy follows a young mother raising her half-wolf children in the wake of loss—balancing the wonder of childhood with the ache of letting go. Gently surreal and deeply human, it’s a film about love, resilience, and the wild, unknowable paths we all must take to become ourselves.
This film will be presented in its original Japanese language with English subtitles.
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Our 21st Century Cult series heads back down to Bikini Bottom as we present special matinee encores of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie from 2004!
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie takes our beloved underwater fry cook to new cinematic heights—on a quest to save Mr. Krabs, recover King Neptune’s stolen crown, and prove once and for all that being a “kid” doesn’t mean you can’t be a hero. Bursting with surreal gags, sea shanties, and a David Hasselhoff cameo, it’s a deliriously funny deep-sea odyssey that captures the show’s weird genius on a bigger, bolder scale. Goofy? Absolutely. Glorious? You bet your yellow sponge butt it is!
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See It On 16mm is back! And this time, they’re presenting a delirious blast of sex, sci-fi, and rock ’n’ roll excess–Heavy Metal!
The ultimate cult movie—Heavy Metal is a kaleidoscopic animated anthology where space zombies, warrior babes, and cosmic chaos, this is the perfect movie to re-visit on a new format! Fueled by a thundering soundtrack (Sabbath! Journey! Stevie Nicks!) and dripping with pulpy attitude, this cult classic is pure uncut ’80s counterculture—horny, violent, and gloriously insane.
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We have added encores of Howl’s Moving Castle, the acclaimed Studio Ghibli masterpiece, screening in its star-studded dubbed version!
The film follows Sophie (voiced by Emily Mortimer), a young woman who is mysteriously transformed into an elderly woman by a wicked witch’s curse. Seeking refuge, Sophie stumbles upon the magical, ever-moving castle of Howl (voiced by Christian Bale), a reclusive wizard with a troubled past. As Sophie and Howl grow closer, they must confront not only the forces of war that threaten their world but also the personal battles that keep them from fully embracing their own potential.
This film will be presented dubbed in the English language.
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We’ve added some encores to Howl’s Moving Castle, the acclaimed Studio Ghibli masterpiece, screening in its original Japanese language.
The film follows Sophie, a young woman who is mysteriously transformed into an elderly woman by a wicked witch’s curse. Seeking refuge, Sophie stumbles upon the magical, ever-moving castle of Howl, a reclusive wizard with a troubled past. As Sophie and Howl grow closer, they must confront not only the forces of war that threaten their world but also the personal battles that keep them from fully embracing their own potential.
With its masterful animation, imaginative world-building, and an all-star voice cast, Howl’s Moving Castle weaves themes of transformation, courage, and love into an unforgettable cinematic experience.
This film will be dubbed in its original Japanese language with English subtitles.
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Anime Expo Cinema Nights Presents special 40th anniversary screenings of the cult classic Vampire Hunter D!
In the year 12,090 AD, technology and the supernatural have overtaken the world, leaving the land desolate and despotic. The remnants of humanity are scattered into small communities and live in fear of vampires who compose the ruling Nobility. When Count Magnus Lee tastes the blood of Doris Lang, she is forcibly chosen to be his next wife. In an effort to escape her ill-gotten fate, she hires a mysterious vampire hunter known only as D, who comes from a peculiar lineage.
This screening will be presented dubbed in English.
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Anime Expo Cinema Nights Presents special 40th anniversary screenings of the cult classic Vampire Hunter D!
In the year 12,090 AD, technology and the supernatural have overtaken the world, leaving the land desolate and despotic. The remnants of humanity are scattered into small communities and live in fear of vampires who compose the ruling Nobility. When Count Magnus Lee tastes the blood of Doris Lang, she is forcibly chosen to be his next wife. In an effort to escape her ill-gotten fate, she hires a mysterious vampire hunter known only as D, who comes from a peculiar lineage.
This screening will be presented in its original Japanese language with English subtitles.
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Oscar-nominated animated film Memoir Of A Snail has finally slithered its way to The Frida Cinema! And after the film, stick around for a pre-recorded Q&A with filmmaker Adam Elliot & George Miller!
Grace Pudel is a lonely misfit with an affinity for collecting ornamental snails and an intense love for books. At a young age, when Grace is separated from her twin brother Gilbert, she falls into a spiral of anxiety and angst. Despite a continued series of hardships, inspiration and hope emerge when she strikes up an enduring friendship with an elderly eccentric woman named Pinky, who is full of grit and lust for life. Memoir of a Snail is a poignant, heartfelt, hilarious chronicle of the life of an outsider finding her confidence and silver linings amongst the clutter of everyday life.
Adam Elliot is an Academy Award winning independent animator and visual artist based in Melbourne Australia. His animated films and imagery are what he calls, Clayographies, clay animated biographies based on the bittersweet lives of his family and friends. He has created seven animated films including, Memoir of a Snail, Mary and Max, Harvie Krumpet, Ernie Biscuit, Brother, Cousin and Uncle.
Please note: Memoir Of A Snail is rated R for Restricted!
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The Frida Cinema’s In Defense Of… series for March circles all the way back to our Executive Director, Logan Crow, as he selects the 1992 Brad Pitt live action/cartoon hybrid Cool World!
A bizarre accident lands Frank Harris in Cool World, a realm of cartoons. Years later, cartoonist Jack Deebs, who’s been drawing Cool World, crosses over as well. He sets his lustful sights on animated femme fatale Holli Would, but she’s got plans of her own to become real, and it’s up to Frank to stop her.
Directed by legendary animator Ralph Bakshi, the film’s poor reception, coupled with its confusing narrative and mismatched tone, contributed to it being a major dud in the box office. While it has since gained a cult following (Logan included), general audiences still continue to reject it…until now!
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See the most-acclaimed animated shorts of the year as we present the 2025 Oscar® Nominated Short Films in the category of Animation!
Since 2006, ShortsTV has proudly brought the Oscar® Nominated Short Films to audiences across the globe. This special release features the year’s most spectacular animated short films and is available to watch on the big screen for a limited time. Program includes: Beautiful Men (Belgium/France/Netherlands, 18 min.), In the Shadow of the Cypress (Iran, 20 min.), Magic Candies (Japan, 21 min.), Wander to Wonder (Netherlands/Belgium/France/UK, 13 min.), and Yuck! (France, 13 min.)
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