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Part of the reason "The Simpsons" has become the longest-running primetime scripted series is because it appeals to pretty much every demographic. As Charles Soloman, former LA Times animation critic, said during the documentary "The Simpsons: America's First Family," the show "reminded us that something that's really family entertainment will appeal to the least sophisticated member of the audience and the most sophisticated member of the audience on different levels." If you were an adult, you appreciated the sharp satire and the often strikingly emotional storylines that typically made for some of the best episodes of "The Simpsons." If you were a kid, you loved Bart's irreverence and anti-establishment antics, as well as Homer's dimwittedness.

An added bonus of being a kid and watching "The Simpsons," however, was that its humor often made you feel smarter. You didn't always get the references to "H.M.S. Pinafore" or the...

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“Little Nicolas,” the nostalgic, hand-drawn ode to the popular French children’s book series and its creators — René Goscinny (“Asterix”) and the late illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempé — won the Grand Prize at the fifth annual Animation Is Film Festival (Aif), held last weekend at the Tcl Chinese 6 Theaters in Hollywood. This should help the France-Luxembourg release from directors Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre secure U.S. distribution.

“My Father’s Dragon” (Cartoon Saloon/Netflix), the 2D adaptation of Ruth Stiles Gannett’s classic children’s book, from Oscar-nominated director Nora Twomey (“The Breadwinner”), took home the Special Jury prize. This provides some heat as Cartoon Saloon chases its fifth Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination.

The Audience Award went to “Aurora’s Sunrise,” the animated documentary from director Inna Sahakyan, which tells the remarkable story of Aurora Mardiganian, who survived the Armenian genocide as a teenager, and came to America, where she...