The latest from Cartoon Saloon points up one of the major differences between animation and cartoons. Hit Wile E. Coyote in the face, and by the next scene, all traces of a black eye have disappeared. But those regenerative powers don’t always apply to animated features, as when your lead character is an Afghan mother whose visible signs of maltreatment — she was beaten by the police for daring to leave home without a male escort — survive numerous fade-outs. Resolved to make it through, her 11-year-old daughter pulls a Yentl by cutting her hair and masquerading as a boy. The latest from director Nora Twomey (The Secret of Kells) is a gut-wrenching experience, and also, hands down, this year’s finest animated offering. It’s produced by Angelina Jolie, and damn if it isn’t the most unimpeachable project she’s been involved with since Original Sin. (2017) — Scott Marks
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