Best Animation Movies of 1981

A glowing orb terrorizes a young girl with a collection of stories of dark fantasy, eroticism and horror.

The history of American popular music runs parallel with the history of a Russian Jewish immigrant family, with each male descendant possessing different musical abilities.

Bugs Bunny hosts an award show featuring several classic Looney Tunes shorts and characters. This movie was released in 1981 by Warner Bros. and was produced by Friz Freleng. New footage was one of the final productions done by DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (also known as Marvel Productions beginning in the 1980s) and the film was re-released in the USA on April 28, 2009 from Warner Home Video.

Enthralled with tales of the Great North Forest conveyed to him by friendly carrier pigeon Pippo, young chipmunk Glikko leaves the safety of his comfortable cage to explore the world. Stars Jim Backus and Orson Welles.

Unico the Unicorn has the amazing power to make anyone he meets happy. Whether it's because of his personality or the powers of his horn, no one knows. However, the gods become jealous of Unico, thinking that only they should be able to decide or allow people to be happy. Unico is banished to the Hill of Oblivion, and the West Wind is ordered to take him there. She can't stand giving this fate to Unico, so Unico's adventures begin, as the West Wind takes him from one place and time to the next, in a neverending journey to escape the wrath of the gods.

A superb visual trick that will mystify its audience, this animated film transforms the commonplace into magic.

The Trolls and the Christmas Express is an animated classic about six roguish trolls who are determined to sabotage Christmas by infiltrating Santa's village disguised as elves. After a week of wreaking havoc but still not completely ruining Christmas, they are about to give up when they get a devilishly clever idea. On the day before Christmas Eve they get the reindeer dancing and singing songs all night long. The poor reindeer are so tired the next day that they cannot find the energy to pull Santa's sleigh. Christmas looks like it has finally been ruined - but everyone knows you can't stop Christmas! The elves quickly devise a plan to link the train from Santa's village with tracks that travel all over the world. Santa can deliver the toys using the Christmas Express.

Charlie Brown suggests Snoopy go down to the library and take out some books. Snoopy gets there and finds only one book he likes; a book on magic. Upon learning enough, he builds a stage, and puts on a magic show as The Great Houndini, enlisting Marcie and Sally as assistants. Some tricks work and some don't (much to the delight of most of the audience either way), but the biggest surprise is when Charlie Brown is brought on-stage for the disappearing act...and the trick works. However, rain forces a sudden end to the show, and Charlie Brown is stuck invisible. Snoopy is now forced to figure out how to make him visible again. Meanwhile, as annoyed as Charlie Brown is at this predicament, he finds his chance to get back at Lucy for all the times she has pulled the football away from him.

Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City chronicles Strawberry Shortcake's trip to Big Apple City, so she can compete in a baking contest at "the little theater off Times Pear". Strawberry's journey, however, is in jeopardy due to the constant interference of the Peculiar Purple Pieman of Porcupine Peak, who is her only competition in the bake-off. The Pieman counts on his kohlrabi cookies and a little trickery to beat Strawberry and her famous shortcake.