‘Cryptozoo’ proves that cartoons are for adults, too Sundance Institute/Courtesy Last Updated February 5, 2021 Grade: 4.0/5.0 Dash Shaw’s “Cryptozoo” is like “Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends” on acid and capitalism. Premiering as one of the only feature-length animated films at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, this movie is a hand-drawn dive into the world of cartoons meant primarily for adults. This film won the festival’s NEXT Innovator Award, and “innovative” is definitely one of many ways to describe the fever dream that is “Cryptozoo.” “Cryptozoo” follows an ensemble of characters and their encounters with “cryptids,” or animals assumed to be mythical. The story’s creatures and humanoids — griffins, a real Medusa, Dobby-esque trolls — are ostracized from society, forced to live out their days in a special zoo that faces a threat of military takeover.