Since the early '00s and the big studios, such as Disney, sadly veering away from 2D animation, what seemed to be lost for appreciators of 2D animation for a few years, actually... if you look hard enough, not all is lost. Suddenly, every so often these independent animated films are coming out which use artistic, serious commentary, lighter - and darker - approaches and themes in their filmmaking, and just basically quite a variation to a lot of the bland CGI styles, lacklustre stories and childish humour coming from the 'Hollywood' studios.
The independent films that I've experienced tend to come from Europe, as a collaboration between smaller film and animation companies in a few different countries to help with the much lower budget they have. Of course other continents are also producing.
Has anyone else watched many of these independent films? A few that spring to mind are:
Fear(s) of the Dark - a collection of short 'dark' stories
Persepolis - based off a graphic novel
Waltz With Bashir - autobiographical film
The Illusionist - Sylvain Chromet film
The Secret of Kells - Light film set in Ireland
(Worst quick descriptions ever! I'll try and think of others to add.)
If you haven't seen many independent films, I'd definitely recommend if you enjoy animation done in a more artistic and/or thoughtful way.