Hanuman

The kiddos and I had been looking for South Asian animation, and I happily stumbled upon this DVD. The animation has a bit of an 80s feel to it, but in a good way. It tells the story of the playful monkey (demi-)god Hanuman, a divine incarnation of Shiva (equal parts Christ and Hercules) who loses his way and has to find himself through service to Ram, and, more generally, the battle against the demons who threaten to take over the earth (but who present mostly as humans). The creators did not shy away with telling this epic story (from the Ramayana, I think) in all its paradox and tradition, and the result is a fascinating one, with a mix of light humor, fantasy, and battle (usually not too gruesome) which will appeal to many children.