Top 10 Animated Movies
With Spring supposedly on the way, we look forward to finally feeling warm and fuzzy again. It seems such a distant memory as it's been cold for so long; feels almost nostalgic. Know what else feels warm, fuzzy and nostalgic? You guessed it. Animated movies. And what a better spot than to spill out a predictable top animated movies list? You guessed it again! An irrelevant blog where we can talk movies and entertainment ALL day son. All DAY.
Be on the lookout for co-blogger-friends with THEIR lists because we're all SO hip that we're doing these rankings together
Mickey's
Tom's
HOORAY BLOGS
The rules and requirements:
Strictly 100% animated. No Roger Rabbit. Avatar doesn't count since it pretends to be live-action.
We will only be ranking 10 movies which is damn-near impossible without the list being almost entirely Disney but it only goes to show Disney just seems to be impossible to dethrone.
I also personally will not be including any sequels.
For those of you who take the time, thank you as always.
Now let's getrockin' rankin'!
*Just missed the mark*
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Because it's phenomenal.
10) Shrek
No surprise that everyone's favorite ogre would make the list but strip away all the sequels and spinoffs (Shrek 2 and a surprising Puss in Boots are the only worthy follow-ups) and you may have forgotten just how brilliant the original 2001 box office smash was.
Save for the fact that this is only one of two non-Disney flicks on the list, the film is not only laugh-out-loud hilarious but it's also a brilliant take on the fairy tale universe. Within mere opening minutes of the film, Shrek takes everything you know and love about the magical fantasy world of Mother Goose and takes a huge dump on the mythology. It may seem dated and very culturally influenced at the time, but even today, there's something about watching a disgusting creature with no dignity bathe himself in mud and slime to Smashmouth's All Star as he puts classic storybook characters to shame that make us realize we're not about to watch a Disney movie.
And throughout the next 90 minutes, Shrek breaks every rule in the storybook; every nursery rhyme. With cynical humor both for rambunctious children and sarcastic adults, the film is unapologetic as a merry gathering of unlikely heroes (featuring an obnoxious talking donkey flawlessly voiced by Eddie Murphy) make their way to lampoon their own fairy tale that puts a whole new spin on the cliche's of a prince saving a princess from a dragon in a land far, far away.
The movie has clearly had a drastic influence, not just on audiences (like I said, sequels and spin-offs galore) but on animation, making filmmakers feel confident enough to come out of their non-Disney closets an say "hey, it's okay that my movie's not Disney! I'm gonna let it go--aw ****" and thus, the world was given remarkable gems such as Kung Fu Panda, How To Train Your Dragon, Rango and Despicable Me all of which had it in them to be cynical, hilarious and willing to be phenomenal films all on their own.
9) The Incredibles
Truly a remarkable picture and one that should be ranked higher on the list, but yeah I try and play fair and not give Pixar too much benefit of the doubt, The Incredibles is as brilliant as Shrek and probably even more brilliant because it does to superheroes what Shrek did to fairytales, though being less cynical and more embracing of the genre, The Incredibles sits on a pedestal that literally makes it incredible. The film LITERALLY has it all; it's a family drama, it's an action adventure, it's a funny and insightful look at ironies and importances of being who you are, ALL while being a phenomenal lampoon of a comic book movie while being a comic book movie all on its own... Without being based on any comic book.
What makes The Incredibles truly not just incredible but remarkable is that it takes the cliche of all the source material that has laid the ground work before it. Smack in the middle of "the age of the cinematic super hero,"Pixar produces something that this generation was calling for: more superheroes. And by ripping a page out of every DC and Marvel comic book, Brad Bird (the man who would turn Mission Impossible into a super-series of its own with the phenomenal Ghost Protocol) dished out a superhero movie that both felt like a true spoof and a remarkable homage-paid super-sized story that was heartfelt and hilarious.
The film is genius and there's no denying it. Not Pixar's best effort but a true top favorite and one that will go down in super hero history more than most comic book movies that come out.
8) The Iron Giant
One of two non-Disney flicks to be mentioned, HOW can one not mention The Iron Giant? Where most of you are probably going "Oh YEAH, I forgot about that movie!" others have dug deeper to discover that another earlier classic by Brad Bird is not only so much more than the movie we remember as kids but is a significant entry in animated film and one that is truly way more remarkable than it gets credit for.
One notable thing about animated movies is that the BEST ones; the ones that are constantly remembered; nearly EVERY Pixar movie, are the ones that stand the test of time as great stories with three-dimensional characters for both children and adults alike and The Iron Giant is surprisingly one of the most adult kids movies I've ever seen.
Over the years I've gone through a phase where as an adult I go back and watch childhood cartoons whether I'm excitedly showing my nieces and nephews for the first time, whether I'm a nostalgist and just want to revisit the past or whether I'm just a kid who will never grow up and enjoys popping in old VHS tapes to get a kick out of what makes these movies tick and it's funny (and I could write a whole essay on this) because one thing you always fail to realize as a kid is that these movies you remember being three-hour epics usually end up being subpar 75 minute time-passers.
Now that's not to say I haven't enjoyed these movies as an adult. I actually prefer when a kids movie from back in the day can get real emotional and raw and not sugarcoat the realities of real-world issues. And save for the exception of Don Bluth's really dark movies (All Dogs go to Heaven and Secret of Nim to say the least), no kids movie was every really ballsy enough to hit you in the core; right in the feels, and stop treating the entire audience like children and really pack a punch with a raw heartfelt story with real-life emotions. But The Iron Giant does just that.
By taking a really racy theme of a 1950s war background, the film dives into the realities of political topics; armies, weapons, government tactics and it was really cool how our young lead Hogarth discovers his new giant robot ally in the wake of such popular topics were he some kind of extraterrestrial from the stars (and wouldn't ya know it, that's exactly where he's from) and as a moviegoer, I truly respect Bird for not shying away from the themes of war and global catastrophe amidst the inevitable themes of friendship.
Save for the fact that it consists of one of the most dramatic, heart breaking endings to ever be put in an animated film, it's truly a mature effort and may possibly be the most underrated animated movie of all time.
7) Hercules
It's going to be hard for me to keep the list short from here on out because there's an infinite amount of things to say about each of the following but I can keep it short because these movies are just so damn good there's not much to say about them that hasn't been said already. But I don't think anyone's talked about Hercules in a little while. Let's talk about Hercules for a minute.
Starting with The Little Mermaid, Disney began what is now known as "The Disney Renaissance" AKA Disney's strongest era for movies. With follow ups like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King there was literally no where to go but up, with each film Disney was getting bigger and bolder. Then The Hunchback of Notre Dame happened. And things got REAL dark REAL fast (arguably Disney's most mature, adult, dark and heart breaking animated picture). People didn't know how to react. The big musical numbers were present, the goofy sidekicks were there, the story was heartfelt but the characters were so flawed. The world was so broken. The motives were so cruel and punishing. It was a world of Victor Hugo that children were too young to absorb. It wasn't a movie, it was a film. And make no mistake, it's brilliant, but it LITERALLY left Disney in the dark ages (but not compared to it's post-Tarzan pre-Princess and the Frog dark ages where most of their movies got lost in mediocrity). So how does Disney respond? With the complete opposite.
Cue the bright lights, the bouncy animation, the phenomenally catchy tunes and the butchering of Greek god's greatest hero. As the droll narrator opens "it's the story of Hercules," our lead narrator vase-women interrupt him that "they'll take it from here honey" (my personal view of Disney passing the dark torch of Hunchback to a brightly lit Olympus of Hercules) and honestly, as goofy, flat-out funny and absurd as Hercules gets, it's sheer brilliant from beginning to finish. The movie is a comedy above all else. It never once loses it's humor. But the humor doesn't feel forced or irrelevant. Even the dastardly dark villain of Hades was a likable bastard brilliantly voiced by a pre-Family Guy'd James Woods. With exceptional characters, from the Danny Devito clone of Phil to Rip Torn's dry-humor'd Zeus, the film is pure ecstasy of joy and broke the mold with three-headed Hydra sword fights to a clash of titans that was more satisfying than any live-action adaptation of their godly story. With timeless musical numbers, likable characters and an ending that packs a punch all the way down to the underworld, Hercules gets dark but never too overwhelming. It's arguably and ironically the most likable Disney movie and one that time has been incredibly kind to. It's a film as heroic as its hero and one that will continue to sit on the throne of animation.
6) Aladdin
Another early chapter in the Renaissance, Aladdin is another where there's not much to say at all. Adapting another classic tale as all the great Disney stories do, Aladdin takes a leap bringing an ordinary poor thief from Agrabah and brings him on a remarkable magic carpet ride, with a lovable Genie (not just one of Robin Williams' most memorable works but one of Disney's best sidekicks), a beautiful princess and a wicked sorcerer looking to rule the palace... or the world.
Everything about Aladdin is perfect, from all of its details and set pieces; a talking cave of wonders to a magical lamp, to its climactic ending amidst a battle against a giant villain-turned-snake. Every musical number is better than the last and it's a classic tale told in a unique fashion. It's possibly one of Disney's most fun movies but one animation's best nevertheless. The characters are fantastic, the setting is enormous and the story is an epic sweep of bold proportions. It's funny and heartfelt and worthy of taking its audience young and old on a magic carpet ride through timeless animation.
5) Monsters Inc.
A crutch for me, Monsters Inc. is just simply not one of Pixar's best movies but one of animation's most crucial. With arguably Pixar's most genius concept, Disney opens the closet door of every kid's bedroom and gives a whole new meaning to the world of monsters.
Save for the fact that Billy Crystal and John Goodman are flawlessly cast as best buds Mike and Sully, Monsters Inc. brings this enormous universe of scary monsters to an entirely new level of heartfelt emotions with only one little near-wordless child, who we only know as "Boo."
Within a short amount of time we watch the big and scary James P. Sullivan turn into a lovable kitty, as he is won over, as is the rest of the audience, by a sweet little innocent child who seems totally fearless, a brilliant irony since she is a human child and humans are supposedly the most deadly, toxic beings to the monster world. And as we watch Mike and Sully hide this child in the scare factory, we see a big adventure take place in a never-ending world of monsters that thin the line between human and monster and what really makes monsters seem truly human as opposed to the monsters that actually seem as monstrous as their appearance. Steve Buscemi and other phenomenal cameos show that while monsters can be scary with their grim intentions, it's the seemingly scariest ones that happen to have the biggest human hearts.
It's one that not just showcases a large adventure of epic proportions but it also one of the most heartfelt and flat-out-funniest. It may bring a tear to your eye by the end but one that will scare up all the feels in every bad bone of your body.
4) Finding Nemo
Quite possibly one of the most cliche Pixar movies to be a fan of, one can't deny the sheer brilliance of the world of undersea creatures that puts Ariel and Sebastian to shame (yeah I said it).
Nemo does what every great film, period, does. It takes a simple story between two or more characters and throws them into a world of gigantic, unpredictable proportions and Nemo dishes out every proportion from every end of the East Australian Current. With nearly every character as good as they are (including a groundbreaking Ellen Degeneres as a simple fish suffering short term memory loss), the film has no problem swimming along in a long journey of finding the core of a father and son relationship and it's one that's sheer timeless.
The idea of Marlin (brilliantly cast as Albert Brooks), a simple clown fish, being able to take on three sharks, a mean-spirited angler fish, a sea of life-threatening jelly fish, a horde of dangerously stupid seagulls and the inevitable world of fish-killing humans, is remarkable alone. Pair him up with a simplistic blue fish, and you've got a class Pixar pair that offers some of the best on-screen chemistry that animation has ever seen.
The film is phenomenally funny from start to finish but it's also a journey-movie and more than just a journey across the ocean. It hits the heart of everyone young and old bringing the best out of everyone who's as fierce as a great white or as pathetic as a star fish. It makes one feel thankful for having parents who care (thanks Disney) and blessed to have animation that's simply this good. It's cliche to say you love Finding Nemo, but it's impossible to disagree with why.
3) Beauty and the Beast
Here we are. The big three. These three will all be expected but each in their own right and everything I can say about the following will sound as repetitive as this list but instead of repeating how the following are hilarious as they are heartfelt, I will specifically analyze what makes each of these work.
Beauty and the Beast is straight up classic. You may have just become numb to the idea of it being so talked about amongst Disney's best but there's a reason it was nominated for Best Picture in a day and age where there were only 5 Best Pic nominees and the Best Animated category was non-existent. The film is a remarkable feat not just in Disney but in animation. The metaphors in the man vs. beast category are too numerous to count and were stamped here long before Mike and Sully ever scared up the Pixar floor.
The characters are perfect, from its two star-crossed lovers to the wicked villain, to the bumbling single parent to every single living, breathing inanimate object that sings and dances for our leading lady in an enchanted castle deep within the woods. The songs are groundbreaking (Be Our Guest being potentially one of the best Disney songs period), the jokes are wickedly funny (points to the typical comical reliefs, here played flawlessly by a candle stick and a clock) and the story is as moving as Shakespeare. Of course if you've ever picked up a book you know how the story is going to end before you ever watch it but you don't watch Beauty and the Beast to know the ending, you watch it for the journey; a tale as old as time and this tale is sheer timeless. It consistently gets better with age and will be guaranteed to go down in history as one of animation's best films of all time.
2) The Lion King
Now, if saying Finding Nemo is good is cliche, then there's no phrase for what Lion King's status is. Arguably the most talked about animated movie, Lion King breaks the mold literally and delivers what is probably animation's most satisfying picture.
This time taking the classic story of Hamlet, Lion King dishes out one of the most powerful themes of "taking your place in life's circle" and performs it better than most live-action adaptations of the actual Shakespearian story. Between running away from your past and facing your future, the story creates building blocks of answering life's call and with a story this good, it doesn't need to try hard in order to be great. Luckily for animation, this is a Disney movie and a Disney movie in a time where Disney movies were in top form as this is arguably the peak of the Walt Disney empire that had been building for six decades. If there's one movie that would have made Walt proud of his empire; one movie to show him the powerful impact he had on animation's history, if it's not Beauty and the Beast, it's The Lion King. With characters as unreal as Timon and Pumba (arguably Disney's best comic reliefs) to music as enchanting and memorable as Elton John and Tim Rice's, the film doesn't even begin to scrape the surface as to what makes it so good.
With heartbreaking moments (Mufasa's death [sad face]) to redemptive moments (Hakuna Matata!), to romantic moments (I think we can all feel the love tonight) to vengeful moments (the final battle against Scar atop Pride Rock), the movie is a powerhouse of story and theme and the animation of the African kingdom is more than fitting for what is arguable Disney's best movie.
1) Toy Story
And honestly, is anyone surprised? With Pixar's breakout hit, Toy Story just might be the most nostalgic movie of all time. There are no words to describe this empire of Andy's toy chest. With characters this good and this realistic (and all made of plastic), Disney gave kids an entirely new meaning to playing with toys and adults an entirely new meaning of enjoying the past (its sequels do an even better job at this [curse you Pixar for making me cry]). There is literally nothing to say about Toy Story that can accurately describe why it's so good. For one of the first times in animation history, film gives us characters as three-dimensional and realistic as any live-action movie aimed at adults. Pixar showed signs of brilliance from an early age, but Toy Story broke the mold of all its plastic. For once, an animated movie wasn't sugar coating its audience. They didn't sprinkle sweet cookie-cutter characters that entertained children and put adults to sleep (not saying former animated movies did put adults to sleep but even the best animated movies were often a little too sugary for some cynical adults). Toy Story was real. And it was raw (and by 2010's end it made us all weep like babies). It gave us characters that we could see passing down the street... Were they made of plastic and sat about four inches off the ground. It was amazing. It was hilarious and it gave us all the heart without having its characters breakout into inevitable song (though Randy Newman's tragic vocals overlaying a sad, sad Buzz Lightyear falling to the ground realizing he is in fact a toy was more moving than it had any right being), Toy Story was not just a buddy-comedy (Woody and Buzz have unreal chemistry thanks to Tom Hanks and Tim Allen) and it was not only laugh-out-loud funny (some moments even today have me cracking up to tears) but it was moving and memorable to infinity and beyond (some moments even today have me hold back the tears). Though the sequels got bigger and arguably better (Toy Story 3 is one of the most fitting final chapters in a trilogy), it is this first peek into the toy box that will forever have me nostalgic and for that it is, to me, probably the most important animated movie of all time.
*Honorable Mention*
A Goofy Movie
Now I understand that this is a "Top Animated Movies" list and to call A Goofy Movie one of the best animated movies of all time is a real stretch to anyone, I can't have it unmentioned in a best animated movies list because A) When will I get the right opportunity to express this love again? and B) me being me, how can I NOT mention it as, if you know me, then you know that A Goofy Movie is arguably my favorite animated movie of them all.
Now let's get one thing straight. This a movie is a VERY heartwarming tale that represents the bond between father and son (a formula that would later be perfected with Finding Nemo) and that gets to me and hits me to the core but it's not like I have a reason for it to resonate with me the way it does based on that father-son aspect (I have a very loving relationship with my father but it's not a hard topic for me to dwell on or anything). No, the reason I love A Goofy Movie so much is because it's just got SO much character and heart but it's also one of the funniest animated movies I've ever seen (save for The Emperor's [brilliant] New Groove. Another lost, underrated gem).
With the inevitable high school-teen-attitude of Max, a guy who just wants to get the girl (and who DIDN'T want to be Max when he performed his Powerline rendition in front of the whole school? C'mon now), the movie is FILLED with extraordinary characters we all relate to in high school and as a stated nostalgist, I love these characters. From the reliable best bud, PJ to clearly-a-stoner Bobby to the dreamy, ideal woman (to a high school kid) Roxanne, the characters of the kids are relatable, but the adults win me over just as much. To the rambunctious neighbor, Pete to the one and only Goofy, a guy with a huge heart but also arguably Disney's most clumsy, bumbling, foolish buffoon, one can't help but smile and be heartbroken by the dude who just wants to hold on to his son as he's the only one he's got.
Perhaps it's the themes of heartbreak that get me but Max and Goofy's relationship just rings so true to me, from the rebellious attitude of the stubborn hormonal teen (stupid Max, your dad just wants to LOVE YOU) to the father of Goofy (who JUST wants to take his boy on a damn fishing trip), the film is a wild bond of zany proportions. Between a perfectly captured possum-show that showcases the ideal idea of every parent wanting to impress their kid with some sort of lame show that won them over by THEIR parents when THEY were kids, to the failed fishing trip that ends with a showdown from Bigfoot (who's clearly stayin' alive), to the heartbreaking fight to the climactic climax of a waterfall (and the perfect cast [weeping face]) to of the most satisfying final musical number from aMichael Jackson Bruno Mars Powerline concert, the movie showcases that we can't always give our kids what we want and need to let them be who they are and we need to let them go in order for them to come back to us so we can bond as the family we need to be, it proudly presents kid-to-parent relationship in ways that showcases the stubbornness of teens to the failed nostalgia of parents to the awesomeness that is Powerline (still waiting on that album), but also goes as being a movie that is in fact goofy. It may not be by the books the best but for me, for whatever strange hypnotic reason, it has some of the best replay value of any animated movie and it gets me right in the feels.
Stay beautiful America. Take yourself to Toon Town and enjoy the day.
May the Lord be with you.
Be on the lookout for co-blogger-friends with THEIR lists because we're all SO hip that we're doing these rankings together
Mickey's
Tom's
HOORAY BLOGS
The rules and requirements:
Strictly 100% animated. No Roger Rabbit. Avatar doesn't count since it pretends to be live-action.
We will only be ranking 10 movies which is damn-near impossible without the list being almost entirely Disney but it only goes to show Disney just seems to be impossible to dethrone.
I also personally will not be including any sequels.
For those of you who take the time, thank you as always.
Now let's get
*Just missed the mark*
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Because it's phenomenal.
10) Shrek
No surprise that everyone's favorite ogre would make the list but strip away all the sequels and spinoffs (Shrek 2 and a surprising Puss in Boots are the only worthy follow-ups) and you may have forgotten just how brilliant the original 2001 box office smash was.
Save for the fact that this is only one of two non-Disney flicks on the list, the film is not only laugh-out-loud hilarious but it's also a brilliant take on the fairy tale universe. Within mere opening minutes of the film, Shrek takes everything you know and love about the magical fantasy world of Mother Goose and takes a huge dump on the mythology. It may seem dated and very culturally influenced at the time, but even today, there's something about watching a disgusting creature with no dignity bathe himself in mud and slime to Smashmouth's All Star as he puts classic storybook characters to shame that make us realize we're not about to watch a Disney movie.
And throughout the next 90 minutes, Shrek breaks every rule in the storybook; every nursery rhyme. With cynical humor both for rambunctious children and sarcastic adults, the film is unapologetic as a merry gathering of unlikely heroes (featuring an obnoxious talking donkey flawlessly voiced by Eddie Murphy) make their way to lampoon their own fairy tale that puts a whole new spin on the cliche's of a prince saving a princess from a dragon in a land far, far away.
The movie has clearly had a drastic influence, not just on audiences (like I said, sequels and spin-offs galore) but on animation, making filmmakers feel confident enough to come out of their non-Disney closets an say "hey, it's okay that my movie's not Disney! I'm gonna let it go--aw ****" and thus, the world was given remarkable gems such as Kung Fu Panda, How To Train Your Dragon, Rango and Despicable Me all of which had it in them to be cynical, hilarious and willing to be phenomenal films all on their own.
9) The Incredibles
Truly a remarkable picture and one that should be ranked higher on the list, but yeah I try and play fair and not give Pixar too much benefit of the doubt, The Incredibles is as brilliant as Shrek and probably even more brilliant because it does to superheroes what Shrek did to fairytales, though being less cynical and more embracing of the genre, The Incredibles sits on a pedestal that literally makes it incredible. The film LITERALLY has it all; it's a family drama, it's an action adventure, it's a funny and insightful look at ironies and importances of being who you are, ALL while being a phenomenal lampoon of a comic book movie while being a comic book movie all on its own... Without being based on any comic book.
What makes The Incredibles truly not just incredible but remarkable is that it takes the cliche of all the source material that has laid the ground work before it. Smack in the middle of "the age of the cinematic super hero,"Pixar produces something that this generation was calling for: more superheroes. And by ripping a page out of every DC and Marvel comic book, Brad Bird (the man who would turn Mission Impossible into a super-series of its own with the phenomenal Ghost Protocol) dished out a superhero movie that both felt like a true spoof and a remarkable homage-paid super-sized story that was heartfelt and hilarious.
The film is genius and there's no denying it. Not Pixar's best effort but a true top favorite and one that will go down in super hero history more than most comic book movies that come out.
8) The Iron Giant
One of two non-Disney flicks to be mentioned, HOW can one not mention The Iron Giant? Where most of you are probably going "Oh YEAH, I forgot about that movie!" others have dug deeper to discover that another earlier classic by Brad Bird is not only so much more than the movie we remember as kids but is a significant entry in animated film and one that is truly way more remarkable than it gets credit for.
One notable thing about animated movies is that the BEST ones; the ones that are constantly remembered; nearly EVERY Pixar movie, are the ones that stand the test of time as great stories with three-dimensional characters for both children and adults alike and The Iron Giant is surprisingly one of the most adult kids movies I've ever seen.
Over the years I've gone through a phase where as an adult I go back and watch childhood cartoons whether I'm excitedly showing my nieces and nephews for the first time, whether I'm a nostalgist and just want to revisit the past or whether I'm just a kid who will never grow up and enjoys popping in old VHS tapes to get a kick out of what makes these movies tick and it's funny (and I could write a whole essay on this) because one thing you always fail to realize as a kid is that these movies you remember being three-hour epics usually end up being subpar 75 minute time-passers.
Now that's not to say I haven't enjoyed these movies as an adult. I actually prefer when a kids movie from back in the day can get real emotional and raw and not sugarcoat the realities of real-world issues. And save for the exception of Don Bluth's really dark movies (All Dogs go to Heaven and Secret of Nim to say the least), no kids movie was every really ballsy enough to hit you in the core; right in the feels, and stop treating the entire audience like children and really pack a punch with a raw heartfelt story with real-life emotions. But The Iron Giant does just that.
By taking a really racy theme of a 1950s war background, the film dives into the realities of political topics; armies, weapons, government tactics and it was really cool how our young lead Hogarth discovers his new giant robot ally in the wake of such popular topics were he some kind of extraterrestrial from the stars (and wouldn't ya know it, that's exactly where he's from) and as a moviegoer, I truly respect Bird for not shying away from the themes of war and global catastrophe amidst the inevitable themes of friendship.
Save for the fact that it consists of one of the most dramatic, heart breaking endings to ever be put in an animated film, it's truly a mature effort and may possibly be the most underrated animated movie of all time.
7) Hercules
It's going to be hard for me to keep the list short from here on out because there's an infinite amount of things to say about each of the following but I can keep it short because these movies are just so damn good there's not much to say about them that hasn't been said already. But I don't think anyone's talked about Hercules in a little while. Let's talk about Hercules for a minute.
Starting with The Little Mermaid, Disney began what is now known as "The Disney Renaissance" AKA Disney's strongest era for movies. With follow ups like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King there was literally no where to go but up, with each film Disney was getting bigger and bolder. Then The Hunchback of Notre Dame happened. And things got REAL dark REAL fast (arguably Disney's most mature, adult, dark and heart breaking animated picture). People didn't know how to react. The big musical numbers were present, the goofy sidekicks were there, the story was heartfelt but the characters were so flawed. The world was so broken. The motives were so cruel and punishing. It was a world of Victor Hugo that children were too young to absorb. It wasn't a movie, it was a film. And make no mistake, it's brilliant, but it LITERALLY left Disney in the dark ages (but not compared to it's post-Tarzan pre-Princess and the Frog dark ages where most of their movies got lost in mediocrity). So how does Disney respond? With the complete opposite.
Cue the bright lights, the bouncy animation, the phenomenally catchy tunes and the butchering of Greek god's greatest hero. As the droll narrator opens "it's the story of Hercules," our lead narrator vase-women interrupt him that "they'll take it from here honey" (my personal view of Disney passing the dark torch of Hunchback to a brightly lit Olympus of Hercules) and honestly, as goofy, flat-out funny and absurd as Hercules gets, it's sheer brilliant from beginning to finish. The movie is a comedy above all else. It never once loses it's humor. But the humor doesn't feel forced or irrelevant. Even the dastardly dark villain of Hades was a likable bastard brilliantly voiced by a pre-Family Guy'd James Woods. With exceptional characters, from the Danny Devito clone of Phil to Rip Torn's dry-humor'd Zeus, the film is pure ecstasy of joy and broke the mold with three-headed Hydra sword fights to a clash of titans that was more satisfying than any live-action adaptation of their godly story. With timeless musical numbers, likable characters and an ending that packs a punch all the way down to the underworld, Hercules gets dark but never too overwhelming. It's arguably and ironically the most likable Disney movie and one that time has been incredibly kind to. It's a film as heroic as its hero and one that will continue to sit on the throne of animation.
6) Aladdin
Another early chapter in the Renaissance, Aladdin is another where there's not much to say at all. Adapting another classic tale as all the great Disney stories do, Aladdin takes a leap bringing an ordinary poor thief from Agrabah and brings him on a remarkable magic carpet ride, with a lovable Genie (not just one of Robin Williams' most memorable works but one of Disney's best sidekicks), a beautiful princess and a wicked sorcerer looking to rule the palace... or the world.
Everything about Aladdin is perfect, from all of its details and set pieces; a talking cave of wonders to a magical lamp, to its climactic ending amidst a battle against a giant villain-turned-snake. Every musical number is better than the last and it's a classic tale told in a unique fashion. It's possibly one of Disney's most fun movies but one animation's best nevertheless. The characters are fantastic, the setting is enormous and the story is an epic sweep of bold proportions. It's funny and heartfelt and worthy of taking its audience young and old on a magic carpet ride through timeless animation.
5) Monsters Inc.
A crutch for me, Monsters Inc. is just simply not one of Pixar's best movies but one of animation's most crucial. With arguably Pixar's most genius concept, Disney opens the closet door of every kid's bedroom and gives a whole new meaning to the world of monsters.
Save for the fact that Billy Crystal and John Goodman are flawlessly cast as best buds Mike and Sully, Monsters Inc. brings this enormous universe of scary monsters to an entirely new level of heartfelt emotions with only one little near-wordless child, who we only know as "Boo."
Within a short amount of time we watch the big and scary James P. Sullivan turn into a lovable kitty, as he is won over, as is the rest of the audience, by a sweet little innocent child who seems totally fearless, a brilliant irony since she is a human child and humans are supposedly the most deadly, toxic beings to the monster world. And as we watch Mike and Sully hide this child in the scare factory, we see a big adventure take place in a never-ending world of monsters that thin the line between human and monster and what really makes monsters seem truly human as opposed to the monsters that actually seem as monstrous as their appearance. Steve Buscemi and other phenomenal cameos show that while monsters can be scary with their grim intentions, it's the seemingly scariest ones that happen to have the biggest human hearts.
It's one that not just showcases a large adventure of epic proportions but it also one of the most heartfelt and flat-out-funniest. It may bring a tear to your eye by the end but one that will scare up all the feels in every bad bone of your body.
4) Finding Nemo
Quite possibly one of the most cliche Pixar movies to be a fan of, one can't deny the sheer brilliance of the world of undersea creatures that puts Ariel and Sebastian to shame (yeah I said it).
Nemo does what every great film, period, does. It takes a simple story between two or more characters and throws them into a world of gigantic, unpredictable proportions and Nemo dishes out every proportion from every end of the East Australian Current. With nearly every character as good as they are (including a groundbreaking Ellen Degeneres as a simple fish suffering short term memory loss), the film has no problem swimming along in a long journey of finding the core of a father and son relationship and it's one that's sheer timeless.
The idea of Marlin (brilliantly cast as Albert Brooks), a simple clown fish, being able to take on three sharks, a mean-spirited angler fish, a sea of life-threatening jelly fish, a horde of dangerously stupid seagulls and the inevitable world of fish-killing humans, is remarkable alone. Pair him up with a simplistic blue fish, and you've got a class Pixar pair that offers some of the best on-screen chemistry that animation has ever seen.
The film is phenomenally funny from start to finish but it's also a journey-movie and more than just a journey across the ocean. It hits the heart of everyone young and old bringing the best out of everyone who's as fierce as a great white or as pathetic as a star fish. It makes one feel thankful for having parents who care (thanks Disney) and blessed to have animation that's simply this good. It's cliche to say you love Finding Nemo, but it's impossible to disagree with why.
3) Beauty and the Beast
Here we are. The big three. These three will all be expected but each in their own right and everything I can say about the following will sound as repetitive as this list but instead of repeating how the following are hilarious as they are heartfelt, I will specifically analyze what makes each of these work.
Beauty and the Beast is straight up classic. You may have just become numb to the idea of it being so talked about amongst Disney's best but there's a reason it was nominated for Best Picture in a day and age where there were only 5 Best Pic nominees and the Best Animated category was non-existent. The film is a remarkable feat not just in Disney but in animation. The metaphors in the man vs. beast category are too numerous to count and were stamped here long before Mike and Sully ever scared up the Pixar floor.
The characters are perfect, from its two star-crossed lovers to the wicked villain, to the bumbling single parent to every single living, breathing inanimate object that sings and dances for our leading lady in an enchanted castle deep within the woods. The songs are groundbreaking (Be Our Guest being potentially one of the best Disney songs period), the jokes are wickedly funny (points to the typical comical reliefs, here played flawlessly by a candle stick and a clock) and the story is as moving as Shakespeare. Of course if you've ever picked up a book you know how the story is going to end before you ever watch it but you don't watch Beauty and the Beast to know the ending, you watch it for the journey; a tale as old as time and this tale is sheer timeless. It consistently gets better with age and will be guaranteed to go down in history as one of animation's best films of all time.
2) The Lion King
Now, if saying Finding Nemo is good is cliche, then there's no phrase for what Lion King's status is. Arguably the most talked about animated movie, Lion King breaks the mold literally and delivers what is probably animation's most satisfying picture.
This time taking the classic story of Hamlet, Lion King dishes out one of the most powerful themes of "taking your place in life's circle" and performs it better than most live-action adaptations of the actual Shakespearian story. Between running away from your past and facing your future, the story creates building blocks of answering life's call and with a story this good, it doesn't need to try hard in order to be great. Luckily for animation, this is a Disney movie and a Disney movie in a time where Disney movies were in top form as this is arguably the peak of the Walt Disney empire that had been building for six decades. If there's one movie that would have made Walt proud of his empire; one movie to show him the powerful impact he had on animation's history, if it's not Beauty and the Beast, it's The Lion King. With characters as unreal as Timon and Pumba (arguably Disney's best comic reliefs) to music as enchanting and memorable as Elton John and Tim Rice's, the film doesn't even begin to scrape the surface as to what makes it so good.
With heartbreaking moments (Mufasa's death [sad face]) to redemptive moments (Hakuna Matata!), to romantic moments (I think we can all feel the love tonight) to vengeful moments (the final battle against Scar atop Pride Rock), the movie is a powerhouse of story and theme and the animation of the African kingdom is more than fitting for what is arguable Disney's best movie.
1) Toy Story
And honestly, is anyone surprised? With Pixar's breakout hit, Toy Story just might be the most nostalgic movie of all time. There are no words to describe this empire of Andy's toy chest. With characters this good and this realistic (and all made of plastic), Disney gave kids an entirely new meaning to playing with toys and adults an entirely new meaning of enjoying the past (its sequels do an even better job at this [curse you Pixar for making me cry]). There is literally nothing to say about Toy Story that can accurately describe why it's so good. For one of the first times in animation history, film gives us characters as three-dimensional and realistic as any live-action movie aimed at adults. Pixar showed signs of brilliance from an early age, but Toy Story broke the mold of all its plastic. For once, an animated movie wasn't sugar coating its audience. They didn't sprinkle sweet cookie-cutter characters that entertained children and put adults to sleep (not saying former animated movies did put adults to sleep but even the best animated movies were often a little too sugary for some cynical adults). Toy Story was real. And it was raw (and by 2010's end it made us all weep like babies). It gave us characters that we could see passing down the street... Were they made of plastic and sat about four inches off the ground. It was amazing. It was hilarious and it gave us all the heart without having its characters breakout into inevitable song (though Randy Newman's tragic vocals overlaying a sad, sad Buzz Lightyear falling to the ground realizing he is in fact a toy was more moving than it had any right being), Toy Story was not just a buddy-comedy (Woody and Buzz have unreal chemistry thanks to Tom Hanks and Tim Allen) and it was not only laugh-out-loud funny (some moments even today have me cracking up to tears) but it was moving and memorable to infinity and beyond (some moments even today have me hold back the tears). Though the sequels got bigger and arguably better (Toy Story 3 is one of the most fitting final chapters in a trilogy), it is this first peek into the toy box that will forever have me nostalgic and for that it is, to me, probably the most important animated movie of all time.
*Honorable Mention*
A Goofy Movie
Now I understand that this is a "Top Animated Movies" list and to call A Goofy Movie one of the best animated movies of all time is a real stretch to anyone, I can't have it unmentioned in a best animated movies list because A) When will I get the right opportunity to express this love again? and B) me being me, how can I NOT mention it as, if you know me, then you know that A Goofy Movie is arguably my favorite animated movie of them all.
Now let's get one thing straight. This a movie is a VERY heartwarming tale that represents the bond between father and son (a formula that would later be perfected with Finding Nemo) and that gets to me and hits me to the core but it's not like I have a reason for it to resonate with me the way it does based on that father-son aspect (I have a very loving relationship with my father but it's not a hard topic for me to dwell on or anything). No, the reason I love A Goofy Movie so much is because it's just got SO much character and heart but it's also one of the funniest animated movies I've ever seen (save for The Emperor's [brilliant] New Groove. Another lost, underrated gem).
With the inevitable high school-teen-attitude of Max, a guy who just wants to get the girl (and who DIDN'T want to be Max when he performed his Powerline rendition in front of the whole school? C'mon now), the movie is FILLED with extraordinary characters we all relate to in high school and as a stated nostalgist, I love these characters. From the reliable best bud, PJ to clearly-a-stoner Bobby to the dreamy, ideal woman (to a high school kid) Roxanne, the characters of the kids are relatable, but the adults win me over just as much. To the rambunctious neighbor, Pete to the one and only Goofy, a guy with a huge heart but also arguably Disney's most clumsy, bumbling, foolish buffoon, one can't help but smile and be heartbroken by the dude who just wants to hold on to his son as he's the only one he's got.
Perhaps it's the themes of heartbreak that get me but Max and Goofy's relationship just rings so true to me, from the rebellious attitude of the stubborn hormonal teen (stupid Max, your dad just wants to LOVE YOU) to the father of Goofy (who JUST wants to take his boy on a damn fishing trip), the film is a wild bond of zany proportions. Between a perfectly captured possum-show that showcases the ideal idea of every parent wanting to impress their kid with some sort of lame show that won them over by THEIR parents when THEY were kids, to the failed fishing trip that ends with a showdown from Bigfoot (who's clearly stayin' alive), to the heartbreaking fight to the climactic climax of a waterfall (and the perfect cast [weeping face]) to of the most satisfying final musical number from a
Stay beautiful America. Take yourself to Toon Town and enjoy the day.
May the Lord be with you.
