This past weekend, three out of the top four movies at the North American box office - THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE, THE INCREDIBLES, THE POLAR EXPRESS - were animated films. I’m too lazy to do research, but I’d be willing to bet that this is the first time it’s ever happened. Meanwhile, in Japan this past weekend, Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated film HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE set a new Japanese box office record for an opening weekend, taking in 1.5 billion yen ($14.6 million).