Maybe look up some Russian animation? Or eastern European animation in general, to see what/if the/re are any differences/similarities between American animation and Eastern European animation, maybe? I remember seeing one Russian cartoon based on the Jungle Book as a kid, which was more faithful to the original book than the Disney version.

Also, ericpowerup on That Guy With The Glasses posted a video about the oldest(that has survived, at least)animated movie, The Adventures Of Prince Achmed. It was made by a female German animator named Lotte Reiniger. You can check out the video of it if you'd like- you go too "videos", then "inked reality" then ericpowerup and then to "thoughts on film".

Not sure if this helped much, but best of luck on the movie viewing anyway :)