Animation "look" references

 I really like the combination of messy lines and the amount of detail in this film. I'm also planning on using the background to really inform the lighting and mood of the scene as in this movie. (Triplets of Belleville)

 This is another good example of how light effects really push the mood of the scene. I also like the idea of having scenes where Matilda is feeling comfortable (reading books or spending time with Miss Honey) there will be a much less detailed sort of washed out backgrounds which will become a secondary focus to the characters and be kind of washed out. (Photo from Ernest and Celestine)

 Photo from Triplets of Belleville
While I probably won't do this level of caricature as far as stylized character look, I like the contrast of the highly detailed background with the fairly simple characters that look present in the scene largely because of the light effects acting on the characters as well as the background.

Ideally I'd like to have the level of realism of the characters some where between this photo (from Arriety) and the previous photo (from the Illusionist). I like the amount of expression that the second style allows the characters to have, but I also like how the characters in the first photo really fits in with the environment  (especially with the fog effects overlapping the man)