If I had a nickel for every 2026 movie with voiceover work from Bryan Cranston and Julia-Louis Dreyfuss that made me cry, I would have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice. The first movie was The Sheep Detectives, the surprisingly successful talking animals detective comedy in the vein of Knives Out. The other, and arguably superior film, is Tangles, a breathtaking animated family drama that delves into a tragedy that very few films attempt to cover.

The film follows Sarah (Abbi Jacobson), a young queer artist who works for a Magazine company in late 1990s San Francisco. Attempting to figure her life out and balancing her career with a new romantic relationship, her life suddenly changes when she discovers that her mother, Midge (Dreyfuss) is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Traveling back and forth from her childhood home on the other side of the country, not only does Sarah struggle to cope with her mom’s new illness, but also on self-identity.

Most filmmakers tend to sway away from flashy visuals when making a family drama as it would otherwise risk the chance of tonal juxtaposition. Tangles takes this risk, but finds a way to come out on top. Based on the graphic memoir Tangles: A Story of Alzheimer’s by the film’s co-writer Sarah Leavitt, the movie successfully takes her signature art style and translates it into film form. The film has a black and white, punk-rock aesthetic that matches Sarah’s personality, with her dark and sexually explicit artwork coming to life in a slew of hilarious sequences that is never overly gratuitous. With visuals of gambling that represent Sarah’s worries of the world to a television crew showcasing Sarah’s hope of her mom’s disease being fake, the visuals find a way to enhance the viewing experience while still allowing the human moments to shine.

Animated movies have an immediate target on their back in terms of making a grounded family drama: there are no real humans on screen. Watching actual beings interact with one another naturally makes for a more sympathetic viewing experience. Funnily enough, Tangles not only finds a way to stay as grounded as live-action films, but finds more humanity than many in its genre. It does so through excellent character work and development. Sarah’s drive to care for her mom and passion she has toward everything she puts her mind to makes for an extremely compelling protagonist. Like most humans, she showcases moments of weakness at times, but never in a way where you stop rooting for her. Sarah’s father, Rob (Cranston), while more of a reserved, positive character, has his moments of complexity that makes for a lovable figure. Arguably the strongest supporting character is Sarah’s sister, Hannah (Beanie Feldstein), who initially appears as a stuck-up younger sister, but is revealed to be a more tragic character as the film progresses. Not only are the characters given rich depth, but the actors’ chemistry with one another make for a well realized family that’s easy to fall in love with.

In movies focusing on an illness, it is easy for them to only use the illness as a way to elicit emotion. While Tangles attempts to use the sickness to provoke empathy, there are other things going on to keep the viewer attached. Sarah’s newfound relationship with Donimo(Samira Riley) is endearing, jumping into the honeymoon phase within minutes of meeting each other. Starting their relationship on such a high made it hurt even more when Midge’s illness began to divide them. So not only are you hoping for the best with Midge, but for Sarah and Donimo as well, which added an extra layer to the screenplay.

Bringing in celebrity voice actors can sometimes deter a film, and while Tangles is mostly distraction-free, there was one actor who caused minor issues: Seth Rogen. Rogen’s role as Hannah’s boyfriend is meant to be laid-back goof, which fits who Rogen is in real life, but his voice is so recognizable that it became distracting in moments. While the other voice actors and filmmaking were clearly operating to tell a specific family’s story, Rogen’s inclusion ruined the immersion in certain moments.

Visually inventive and emotionally grueling yet satisfying, Tangles is an all around winner. Telling someone else’s story is a daunting task, and although Rogen’s inclusion sometimes removed that individuality, the film still managed to feel personal while allowing the viewer to insert their own experiences. Even if you’ve never experienced what living with Alzheimer’s is like, it finds more than enough ways to be relatable. If all of Julia-Louis Dreyfuss and Bryan Cranston’s collaborations have been as good as their last two, we may have the next great duo on our hands.

Tangles premiered as a Spotlight Screening at the 35th Heartland International Film Festival. The Independent Film Company will release the film later this year

OSCAR POTENTIAL:

• With a relatable story and A-list cast, this will likely be a big contender for Best Animated Feature. While IFC movies don’t usually perform well when it comes to winning the category, a nomination is more than likely.