The list of must-see events in April

A personal story with global appeal: In February, Danish director Jonah Poher Rasmussen To run away set a new precedent for animated film recognition, scoring an Oscar nomination hat trick with nods in the Animation, Documentary and International Feature Film categories. Critics and festival juries around the world have adored this powerful true story of an Afghan refugee confronting his trauma and his identity, which in the English version stars Riz Ahmed and Nicolaj Coster-Waldau. The Blu-ray release includes a Q&A with the director at the New York Film Festival. Available March 1. (Decal/NEON, $15)
Ode to the Spectacular Stage: Soar on fancy wire rigs animated with Illumination’s latest blockbuster, Sing 2. Directed again by Garth Jennings, the sequel follows Buster (Matthew McConaughey) and his cast in an entertainment mecca of Las Vegas, where they must convince a reclusive rock star (Bono) to join their ambitious new show. The star-studded cast and soundtrack of wall-to-wall hits are only eclipsed by the sparkling CG animation, rendering a menagerie of animals in elaborate scene numbers or surprisingly subtle and emotional moments. (Universal, DVD $35 | Comics $40 | 4K $50)
Retro Romanian: Mircea Toia and Călin Cazan’s Wildly Surreal Sci-Fi Adventure Delta space mission (1984) is ready to delight a new generation of viewers in the United States, thanks to a new 4K polish from Deaf Crocodile Films. Set in the year 3084, this blacklight poster-colored adventure follows an alien reporter named Alma who becomes the unwitting love interest of the AI who runs a state-of-the-art spacecraft – with disastrous results. A heavy metalA mash-up of modern art, Eurodisco and Saturday morning cartoons, the Blu-ray release includes a new interview with Cazan, an essay by comic/film historian Stephen Bissette and two (even rarer) cartoons from DSM series of short films. (Grasshopper Movies | $30)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: 85th Anniversary Edition
Disney Movie Club Exclusive, with a new featurette 10 Ways Snow White Changed Animation Forever (DMC | $25).
Skull-face Librarian Honda-san: Complete Series
Honestly, I’m a little offended that no one told me about this slice-of-life comedy among the manga shelves sooner.すごい!(discotek | $40)
Oversized creativity: Awkward adolescence never looked better than in the fluffy and bright new Pixar feature from Oscar winner Domee Shi (Bao). The art of turning red dives into the making of this deeply personal photo, which is both a terrifying reflection of coming of age and an ode to camaraderie and the special joys of growing up in the 90s. The 160-page hardcover is packed with character designs, storyboards, color scripts, exclusive interviews and a dizzying array of inspirational eye candy. Studio head Pete Docter wrote the intro. (Books of chronicles | $43)
Oceans of History: As a great illustrious man once said, “I am what I am,” and author Fred M. Grandinetti is certainly one of the greatest Popeye connoisseurs on deck. His latest book, Popeye the Sailor: Cartoons of the 1960s, picks up the story of EC Segar’s beloved character as the popularity of his theatrical shorts blossomed into television superstardom with King Features and Paramount Cartoon Studios. This 230-page story covers the iconic animators who brought all 220 toons, characters, voice artists, spinoffs and more to life, including an episode guide organized by producer. What else would you expect from the co-founder of the official Popeye fan club? ! (BearManor Media | ebook $10, paperback $25)
Celebrate your favorite Disney earworm of the year with this fun, horror-inspired retro. Vintage Bruno T-shirtinspired by Encanto. (TeePublic | 10 color choices | $20)
Take off with the new BD event in two issues, radio astronaut – a standalone steampunk space adventure of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and Black cloud artist Greg Hinkle. Monsters! Mystery! Excessive cogwheels! In the space! (March 2 and April 6 | Black Horse | $4 each)
Stuff We Love is now the monthly must-have list. To find previous reviews of the print edition of Animation Magazine, use the tag below or type “Stuff We Love” in the AnimationMagazine.net search bar.