Animation celebration

Everybody loves cartoons - some of us just haven't realised it yet. Even if you don't do Disney, the annual London International Animation Festival could fire all kinds of imaginations, with a genre-splicing, big-screen bill over the next six days at Curzon Soho. And yes, the fun is for grown-ups - although the weekend has family-friendly fare over at East London's Rio Cinema.

At a first glance, the variety might seem like a colourful blur - luckily, the highlights come thick and fast, too. Tonight's launch programme (from 7pm) features a screening of Who I Am And What I Want, a recent collaboration between award-winning director and producer Chris Shepherd and the surreal genius of David Shrigley, whose deceptively simple sketches always prove provocative and emotive; there's also the Dalí homage Life In Transition.

A celebration of home-grown talent (Saturday, 9pm) includes music videos for the audio-visual-crazy Ninja Tune label. For even further-flung visions, weekend matinees focus on animation from Estonia (Saturday, 3pm) and Korea (Sunday, 3pm).

Established names (including V·clav Svankmajer, son of Czech pioneer Jan, who presents his stop-motion fantasy The Torchbearer in Friday's Long Shorts programme, 9pm) are presented alongside the raw talent of student showcases (Thursday and Friday, 5pm).

There's also abstract animation on Thursday (9pm), and the high-tech entertainment of the Digital Panorama on Saturday (7pm). Storylines span thrillers and romance to metropolitan sci-fi; there's even a strand of animated documentaries (Sunday, 5pm). That's a lot to choose from - it helps that the setting is a real pleasure, too. Enjoy the themed selections, then linger in the Curzon's convivial bar and draw your own conclusions. Arwa Haider

Tonight until Sun, Curzon Soho, 99 Shaftesbury Avenue W1, various times, £8.50, £5.50 concs (festival pass £40 to £70, £25 to £50 concs). Tel: 0870 756 4620. www.liaf.org.uk Tube: Leicester Square