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(Welcome to Animation Celebration, a recurring feature where we explore the limitless possibilities of animation as a medium. In this edition: "Tokyo Godfathers.")

In Satoshi Kon's fantastic holiday fable, an unruly alcoholic named Gin, an angry and rebellious runaway teen named Miyuki, and a stoic albeit lonely trans woman named Hana are all surviving their Christmas Eve on the streets of Tokyo as a makeshift, houseless family. As the three dumpster dive to try and find something good to eat, they come across an abandoned newborn baby in the trash. With little to no information on the baby's identity, this ragtag trio spends their night desperately trying to find the parents of the infant and return the baby to safety.

If the premise of "Tokyo Godfathers" sounds vaguely familiar, it's because Kon was inspired by the John Ford western, "3 Godfathers," which starred John Wayne and was based on Peter B. Kyne...