By Brian Lafferty

February 24, 2012 (San Diego) – Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro. Sylvain Chomet’s The Illusionist. Javier Mariscal and Fernando Trueba’s Chico & Rita. These are three vastly different animated films from three different countries, but they share a trait rarely seen in animated films: they live and breathe humanism and portray close, heartfelt relationships.