2 Animated Movies

[Lyric Maro]

Ifor one, love a good animated movie perhaps even more than I love most live-action films. Sure, there are bad animated features, just like there are bad live-action ones. But when an animated film is made well, it gives off a magical, comforting sort of quality. Watching a solid animated feature for the first time feels like finding something I didn't know I'd lost. Going back to it feels like holding a pet or drinking a warm cup of tea. And while I have many personal reasons to be so fond of animated films, there are also plenty of objective advantages they have over the average live-action picture. Let's look at a few of these now, shall we?

The clearest divide between a live-action film and an animated one? How they visually present themselves, of course. While there are many pretty and even stylistically groundbreaking movies in both categories, those that are animated have a distinct edge because they are not limited by the bounds of reality. Creators of live-action films might be able to build impressive scenes by using flawless sets and costumes, but they'll never have the same complete control as those who work with a fully animated world.

Take Sony's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018), for example. The superhero film, which has a Brooklyn teenager developing spider-like powers and discovering a multiverse of others like him, looks like it was ripped out of a comic book. We've seen many live-action Spider-Man movies before; we know they work. Yet none of them have a design that's as dynamic and easily recognizable.

Or consider The Lego Movie (2014), which has an average construction worker accidentally getting looped into a world-saving adventure. It doesn't just fill its world with Legos for fun; it uses them to tell a greater story in which a father and son struggle to connect in the real world. Santa Claus origin story Klaus (2019), on the other hand, uses traditional hand-drawn animation techniques to create a 3D look. This gives it a warm, nostalgic Christmasy feel as well as an appearance comparable to other modern animations, which helped it keep up with movies released around the same time, like Disney's Frozen II and Dreamworks' Abominable.

Dreamworks' How to Train Your Dragon franchise features an exotic range of winged creatures that would have been costly to add to a live-action world. Disney's Sleeping Beauty (1959) is painted throughout in an enchanting green-and-purple color palette that flawlessly fits its moody narrative. Studio Ghibli films, such as Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) and The Wind Rises (2013), are loaded with charming towns and magical flying scenes that have a storybook-like quality. This is all owed to animation, which allows everything the creators dreamed up to look precise.

Even when a studio's budget is unlimited, and the format of a movie doesn't affect the story, some things still just look better animated. Compare Disney's vibrantly animated classics to their live-action remakes, for example. Let's focus on The Lion King.

While animated films have more visual freedom than live-action movies, they also have more narrative freedom. As mentioned, not every animated film had to be animated, but there are many times it wouldn't make sense any other way.

Pixar's Ratatouille (2007), for example, tells of a rat named Remy who wants to become a chef even though it goes against his animal nature. To achieve his dreams, Remy teams up with a bad but well-meaning young cook at a gourmet restaurant in Paris, hiding under his hat and pulling on his hair to make him move like a puppet and create delicious dishes.

Animation is what allows us to care about the life cycle of a toy in Pixar's Toy Story (1995). It helps us believe that a girl can stumble into an old theme park filled with outlandish supernatural beings in Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away (2001). And it leaves us with no choice but to cheer on the love story between two robots recovering from a climate-changed reality, despite there being little dialogue between the pair, in Pixar's Wall-E (2008).

The best kids' movies are the ones aimed in part at adults but packaged in vivid colors and grabbing storylines. No, I'm talking about films like Bee Movie (2007) or Shark Tale (2004), which famously thought they could keep mature audience members engaged by putting in cheap pop-culture jokes and big-name celebs. I'm talking about the animated movies that put great care into their plots to attract viewers of all ages but emotionally affect adults the most once they're sitting in front of the screen.

Director Brad Bird has long been a champion of the idea that animation is an art form rather than a genre. This has led him to weave stirring adult themes into his films including the aforementioned Ratatouille, The Iron Giant (1999), and Pixar's The Incredibles (2004).

An even starker example of an animated feature that tackles adult themes is Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), which tells of a disfigured bell-ringer who attempts to keep a Romani girl on the run, Esmerelda, safe from the evil Frollo. The musical deals with themes like genocide and damnation and gives its villain an entire song in which he wishes Esmerelda would burn in hell so that he no longer lusts after her. (Seriously, this film getting a G-rating is the eighth wonder of the world.) While Hunchback has its flaws, it serves as proof that animated films can confront dark subjects while still attracting general audiences.

All this goes to say, animated films aren't just for kids. Let's say that again, this time a little louder for everyone in the back: Animated films aren't just for kids. If you skip over an entire selection of movies just because you don't think you're in the target audience, you'll be missing out on a world of wonderful, nuanced stories that could leave you with a deeper understanding of life.

Animated films aren't just for kids. Animation comes in many genres, from family-friendly to comedy to action to horror. However, the best animated movies are not just great films but also art pieces. Whether it's stop-motion, cartoon or CGI, the best animated films of all time bring the viewer into new imaginative worlds. This list features both the top animated family films and those for older audiences. So please note that not all of these films are appropriate for kids. However, all of these films deliver great storytelling, beautiful visuals and a showcase of the best animation has to offer.

This list features films from 1940 to 2021. However, animation has been around since at least the late 1800s. While animated shorts have been a staple of the genre, only full-length films are included on this list. Notably, the first full-length animated film was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937.

Studios featured prominently on this list include Disney, Studio Ghibli and Pixar. However, this list also features films from Laika, DreamWorks and independent productions. While the two highest-grossing animated films (controversially), The Lion King (2019) and Frozen II, do not appear on this list, many of the following have seen widespread success both critically and commercially. This list also includes many animation types, including stop-motion, traditional animation and CGI. However, all of them are great animated films.

Starring Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy, Shrek tells the story of an ogre forced to help rescue a princess. The film was based on the book Shrek! by William Steig. Shrek has three sequels and two spin-off films, including most recently, the well-received Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. In 2020, Shrek became the first animated film of the 21st century to be chosen for preservation at the Library of Congress. Shrek is currently available on Peacock and fuboTV.

The Prince of Egypt may just seem like a bible retelling, but it stands out not only for its lush visuals but also for its iconic soundtrack. The film has a score composed by Hans Zimmer and songs by Mariah Carey and Whitney Huston. It also features performances by Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock, Jeff Goldblum, Danny Glover, Patrick Stewart, Helen Mirren, Steve Martin and Martin Short.

The film follows the story of the book of Exodus and Moses. It won an Oscar for Best Original Song, making it the first non-Disney/Pixar animated film to win an Academy Award. In recent years, many have called for the film to be enshrined as an iconic animated film. The Prince of Egypt is available to rent on YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play and Apple TV.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is one of two stop-motion animated films directed by Wes Anderson. Based on the Roald Dahl story of the same name and co-written by Noah Baumbach, Fantastic Mr. Fox follows the adventures of a fox who breaks a promise to his pregnant wife.

The film features the voice talents of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Owen Wilson and Bill Murray. It underperformed at the box office but was met with critical praise. It holds a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. Fantastic Mr. Fox is currently available to stream on Max.

The Last Unicorn is a fantasy adventure film by the legendary Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass. The movie follows a unicorn forced to take human form to save her from the genocide of her kind by an unloving king. The film is dark in tone and style. Somewhat dissonantly, it features music from the band America and the London Symphony Orchestra.

The Thief and The Cobbler is a hard film to describe. The movie itself has issues, the largest being the appropriation and exoticism of Middle Eastern cultures. However, its long and complicated production has given it a cult following. The film is unfinished and started production in the 1960s.

Based on the novel of the same name, Paprika is an R-rated animated Japanese psychological thriller. Paprika was the last film directed by acclaimed anime filmmaker Satoshi Kon. It follows a dream detective on the trail of a terrorist who steals a device that can influence people's dreams.

The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Many have cited Paprika as a possible influence for Inception as the movies share many plot elements and themes. However, Christopher Nolan has not supported these claims. The film is highly creative and highly visually stimulating. Paprika currently holds an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes and is currently streaming on Tubi.

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