BAM Is Hosting an 'Animated Block Party' This Weekend

FORT GREENE, BROOKLYN — Fans of animation are experiencing something of a renaissance in 2016, and nowhere will this be more obvious than at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's (BAM) 13th annual Animation Block Party this weekend.

Like in years past, the East Coast's top animated film festival will bring luminaries and visionaries, young and old, from across genres — and the world — to BAM's Rose Cinematek on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, in order to celebrate the medium and inspire a new crop of animators.

This year's program is especially diverse. Here are some highlights (or browse the full lineup here):

A Friday screening called "NYC Animated Ads," dedicated to ads about (or animated in) New York City from the '30s up until today, will be followed by two international programs on Saturday and Sunday, showcasing the best modern animation from around the world.

The young and up-and-coming animators of tomorrow will then have their moment to shine during student film screenings — as will indie animators, during a special slot for experimental shorts.

Kids will love the weekend-long series of family-friendly shorts from major studios and festival winners. And big kids will go bonkers on Friday for a screening of 1986's seminal Transformers: The Movie in glorious 35 mm.

A couple throwbacks are also on the bill: BAM will be screening the Space Western cult classic Cowboy Bebop: The Movie on Saturday, and some old Pink Panther animated shorts on Sunday.

The BAM Animation Block Party will be held from July 29 through July 31. Tickets for events and screenings can be purchased here.