An Eye for Arovision - Issue 14

What to watch on Welly’s local streaming service 

This week's focus: animation! Though this genre has become somewhat synonymous with family-friendly films (which do deserve credit themselves—The LEGO Batman Movie (2017) is in my top 4, after all), animation can also feature adult themes for older audiences such as yourselves to enjoy. This doesn’t necessarily mean sexy stuff—theres plenty of melancholia to go around. Arovision has a lovely selection of artsy animation, so go to ondemand.arovideo.co.nz and get watching!

My Life as a Zucchini  (2016) — $5

dir. Claude Barras, France

“lumps of clay that speak french made me cry?????” — deathproof, Letterboxd

You know I had to feature some claymation in here. This movie opens with a kid drawing on a kite while sitting on a beer cans strewn floor, which pretty much sets you up for the emotional punches packed. My Life as a Zucchini follows the blue-haired namesake character who, after accidentally killing his alcoholic mother at minute five, is sent to a home for abandoned children. There, he meets a cast of other troubled but loving kids who welcome him into their little found family. Despite the traumatic backstories of these characters, this is a really wholesome movie—actually, the most wholesome movie I’ve seen in a while. You’ll end up feeling all warm and fuzzy, promise. At only an hour and five minutes, it’s a really nice bite-sized watch. And you’ll get to see a claymation redhead do a moonwalk, which is pretty cool. My biggest rec this week. 

Robot Dreams (2023) — $5

dir. Pablo Berger, Spain

“The bittersweet romance of waiting. The aching reality of big city solitude. The damn good jams of Earth Wind & Fire.” — ggnz, Letterboxd

A lovely dialogue-less film about a lonely dog and his mail-order robot friend. The combo of ambient noise and jazzy soundtrack make for a really relaxing watch—this movie’s a great way to reset your cortisol levels. The plot manages to stay super wholesome while teetering over the edge pervasive loneliness. Its bright colours and cutesy animation style lets Robot Dreams remain lighthearted even in moments of deep introspection. Some Letterboxd reviewers like to draw parallels to another 2023 film, Celine Song’s Past Lives (also on my top 4!). I’ll welcome this comparison; both are great movies in their own right. Do watch Past Lives if you haven't already—it's also streaming on Aro!

Fantastic Planet (1973) — $6

dir. René Laloux, France

“exactly how i imagined french people” — mycatsbirthday, Letterboxd

Crazy stuff. This was released in ‘73, meaning the animation is all done by hand. Fantastic Planet was made by meticulously moving hand-drawn paper figures and cross-hatched illustrations to create each individual frame. Besides its visual appeal (which is major), the story itself is just great sci-fi. The film’s world surrounds the dynamic between two species sharing an alien planet; the tiny humanoid Oms, and the massive, blue, super-intelligent Draags. The little Oms are oppressed by the Draags, until Om Terr escapes from his owner's home with her telepathic learning headband. You can never really tell where this movie is going next. Also, the score is awesome. If you’re not going to watch it, at least listen to that. 

Rango (2011) — $6

dir. Gore Verbinski, USA

“everyone in this movie is so ugly i love it” — adambolt, Letterboxd

Had to include a classic crowd-pleaser, and what better way to go than RANGO! Arguably a perfect modern western. I saw this at the cinemas when I was seven and then completely forgot about it. Upon a rewatch with my flat earlier this year, I realised just how much this went over my head as a kid. First of all, I definitely did not appreciate the animation. The use of lighting, the ugly character design, the way POV moves through action sequences… that wagon chase scene really scratches my itch for high-octane country-western. This was made by the guy who did Pirates of the Carribean, so you just know the world of Rango is incredible in detail and design. Also, there's a good moral to be found. This film is super funny, a little freaky, and really worth a watch. 

Honorable Mentions 

Memoir of a Snail (2024) is such a feat of stop-motion animation. I got to see the sets for this in a museum once and I still can’t get my head around how they made these movies. So many hours… This is such a beautiful work, but it is a bit sad so I’ve chosen not to give it a formal rec this week. Too early in the trimester for that. 

You’ve likely already seen Flow (2024) floating around—it’s rightfully received its fair share of internet recognition after taking out the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2025. This is another silent animal animation, following Cat as it navigates a world devastated by flooding. If you’ve been meaning to watch this, here's your reminder. If you haven't heard of it, now you have.

I love Charlie Kaufman, so I’ll also tell you to watch Anomalisa (2015). Just as a bonus.