Last year Persepolis gave Ratatouille some real competition for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. In the end, Pixar still came out on top, but it served as a reminder that animation is a very versatile medium that can do more than just tell stories aimed at kids. This year we have another foreign animated Oscar contender gaining momentum: Waltz with Bashir directed by Ari Folman. It’s going to be a long shot, but maybe, just maybe, it will have a chance at taking down Wall-E.

Waltz with Bashir tells the story of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon from the point of view of an Israeli soldier who has almost no memory of the events. He seeks out his fellow soldiers to help fill in the blanks, and the images of atrocities slowly start coming back to him. Artist Yoni Goodman created rotoscoped animation over top of real film footage, similar to Richard Linklater’s Waking Life. One thing’s for sure: Waltz with Bashir is not a movie for kids. Check out the trailer below to get a feel for the movie’s fascinating style. Sony Pictures Classics will release Waltz with Bashir in select theatres on December 26th.