Animated movies can do everything live action movies can do -- make us laugh, make us cry, make us go agape at the sheer wonder of it all.Actually, they can do all those things better than live action movies can, sometimes -- because they're drawn, which makes them that much more, you know, impressive. Check out these 25 awesome animated treats and see if you don't agree.
-- By Glenn Kenny
25. 'The Simpsons Movie' (2007)There are some who complain that this long-awaited feature is not much more than three TV episodes of 'The Simpsons' strung together and livened up with widescreen picture and some fancy effects. And their point is? We don't know. The movie, with its entirely nude Bart, Springfield-under-a-dome, and President Ahnuld, rules.
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24. 'Dumbo' (1941)This Disney classic has it all -- a story line to tug at the heartstrings (try not to cry when the big-eared pachyderm is rocked to sleep by his mom), surreal humor that's ahead of its time (it doesn't get any more bizarre than the 'Pink Elephants on Parade' bit) and a rousingly redemptive climax. Not to mention the most improbably cute young hero in all of cartoons.
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23. 'The Triplets of Belleville' (2003)An innovative, eerie, almost all visuals-and-music tale of bicyclists, washed-up singing sisters, and chronically farting pooches, this French-produced 2003 Oscar nominee is one of the most curious animated features ever produced. The kids might not get it -- in fact, 'Belleville' may flat-out weird them out -- but adult fans with a taste for the outré will want to lap it up three times.
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22. 'Lady and the Tramp' (1955)Sometimes a simple love story of a well-brought-up maiden and an incorrigible but good-hearted ne'er-do-well is just the romance you want to watch on a Friday night. There are plenty of live-action options, but rare is the endearing cartoon version. This 1955 Disney perennial, with its enchanting bow-wow interaction and fabulous Italian restaurant scene, is, as they say, the pup of the walk.
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21. 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' (1993)Stop-motion animation was never as creepily hilarious as it is here. Cinematic misfit Tim Burton concocted this twisted tale of a Halloween maven who wants to expand the holiday franchise and knock over old St. Nick. With the help of animator/director Henry Selick and prodigious composer Danny Elfman, this 'Nightmare' dazzles and delights, making the macabre seem, well, kind of cozy.
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Reader Comments (271)
gina at 8:12AM on Jun 13th 2008
i dunno what #1 is yet, but it should be finding nemo!
lyn at 3:16PM on May 28th 2009
beauty and the beast should definitely be higher up on the list.
M. Arlene C. at 3:52PM on Jun 19th 2008
Some of the movies (I think) were a bit better than others. But all of them were great choices to put on the list!
I really appreciate you guys doing this becasue I love animation very much and I'm currently majoring in it as well :)
coconut24 at 11:27PM on Jun 18th 2008
Aladdin should of definetly been on this list
tracy starmer at 12:05PM on Jun 19th 2008
top five should read 1bambi 2 cinderella 3 cars 4 lion king 5 snow white
Tom at 6:56PM on Jun 19th 2008
We have stupid wallace and grommet but we don't have lilo and stitch, blasphemy
Beverly at 7:33PM on Jun 19th 2008
yah, aladdin is one of my favorites..why was Toy Story on there twice and Aladdin not on at all?
rob at 4:03PM on Jun 4th 2009
bcause toy story 2 wuz there and toy story [original] wuz there also
andy at 4:32AM on Jun 20th 2008
Hello, sleeping beauty!!! mulan!!!
AlanSanborn at 1:10PM on Jun 20th 2008
Fantasia is the alltime animation masterpiece and should have been Number 1! The Simpsons Movie and South Park don't really belong on the list. And, while Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast are brilliant (Beast should have been much higher), the omissions of Aladdin, Poccahontas, and, yes, the maginificent Hunchback of Notre Dame are unfortunate.
victoria at 5:01PM on Jun 20th 2008
aladdin makes my life worth living
detr0itsbabygirl at 5:23PM on Jun 20th 2008
um yeah where the hell is MULAN???
and ALLADIN should have been on this no DOUBT
its something against minorities!! (just kidding... no but seriously)
David Balam at 8:50PM on Jun 20th 2008
I can honestly not even take this list seriously because Aladdin should be in the top five. It is an atrocity that someone would comply a list of this nature and not even put it in the top 25... ridiculous!
Lights-camera-jackson at 12:02AM on Jul 4th 2009
Nice to see "The Incredibles" in the top 10. "Cars" needs to be in there as well. And "Beauty and the Beast" should be #1, hands down. It got it's Best Picture nomination for a reason...and it inspired all of the great animanted films that followed.
Honorable mention top 25: the first "Ice Age" and "The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie."
Adam at 12:07AM on Jun 21st 2008
Is it just me, or does anyone else think Don Bluth's THE SECRET OF NIMH is one of the best (and sadly overlooked) animated films of the last forty years?
Bo1bo2bo3 at 9:11PM on Jun 22nd 2008
i think the lineup is pretty accurate except that rattatouie chould be removed completely and alladin ahould be put as #1 pushing everything else down a number
urthcreature at 5:45PM on Jun 21st 2008
Kung Fu Panda, Ratatouille, Surf's Up, and Lilo and Stitch are a few gorgeous recent ones that come to mind. Also Happy Feet. Stitch's facial expressions in Lilo and Stitch were amazing. That recent Peter and the Wolf that won all the awards was incredible, but it's not drawn animation, it's more like puppetry.
urthcreature at 5:53PM on Jun 21st 2008
Kung Fu Panda, Ratatouille, Surf's Up, Lilo and Stitch spring to mind immediately. They were all so gorgeous. Stitch's facial expressions were so incredible. Also Happy Feet.
I'm always amazed how much more emotive and lifelike the eyes are in these drawn animations than in that weird kind they have now where the figures are robotic with the expressionless eyes, the computer generated kind. Those are supposed to be more lifelike but the eyes are never right, they have that dead, robotic look. Creepy. The drawn animations in these other movies are so full of expression. The eyes especially. That recent Peter and the Wolf that won all the awards was incredible, too. And there are so many others, lots of great oldies.
Atari at 7:55PM on Jun 21st 2008
How the heck do you not have Aladdin on this list...
I Agree wholeheartedly with anyone saying it should have been TOP 5!
but to not have it in the top 25, utterly ridiculous!
That's like not including Bambi, little mermaid, snow white, beauty and the beast, Cinderella!
I can excuse exclusions like 101 Dalmatians that should be here...but Aladdin, NO WAY!
please refrain from making anymore lists, thank you.
mamamiasweetpeaches at 8:31AM on Jun 23rd 2008
Its all matter of piion (some of themoves o this ist ILOVED, others....not so much.
By the way, where is MONSTERS INC?