Top 10, err… 12 best animated movies

Paul Peterson

So I have this little review for Madagascar 3. The stars are getting bigger, but the story line is shrinking. It’s funny, and cute and the audience liked it. Does it need to be more than that? Not really. I like the penguins because attitude is everything and those little flipper dudes have a worldwide web worth of ‘tude.
The first Madagascar was fresh but these are getting a little thin for me. However, I understand that they’re not made for me.
Some were though, and this brought me to a new Top 10 column, my top 12 animated features.
Ya, that’s right, I couldn’t get it to 10 so there’s 12.
Here’s the criteria. For me, it’s what movies do I want my grandkids to see? If I’m babysitting and I want to share that experience with them, what would I rent?
Also if one of these films comes on TV, would I Stop watching Duck Dynasty and flip over to catch this film?
Finally, is there something iconic about the film that helps it leap over the rest of the pack into the Top 12?
So, with a noble assist from my daughter Hollie, here’s the list and a short justification for why it’s on here and the position it occupies.
12 Fern Gulley – This movie was green before green was cool, and it’s really sweet tale of peaceful creatures trying to save their home struck a nerve. Voices included Christian Slater and Robin Williams.

11 The Little Mermaid. Before there was the bedspread curtains and every flavor of the licensing rainbow, there was a movie about a mermaid and it charmed all of us. Definitely more for the ladies than the fellers but it still had some crossover interest and by that I mean I liked it.

10 The Jungle Book. OK Disney gave us one of the great cartoon songs of all time with The Bear Necessities. I dare you to not sing along. There are a lot of Disney classic films that didn’t make this list, but I had to put this in.

9 How To Train Your Dragon. Sweet, clever, and with a lot of modern sensibility this film really was a feature film, and while it featured spectacular animation it had a great story line.

8 Monsters Inc. I love this film John Goodman and Billy Crystal provide the voices of the workingman monsters collecting the dreams of the kids and it was so creative and so remarkable in terms of story and animation. It also had real heart. This is definitely not just for kids.

7 Finding Nemo. It’s such a great story and incredibly beautiful. I think it might be more for the kids, certainly it doesn’t have the same off the wall humour some of my top 5 possess but Nemo is iconic and his courage in the face of his dad’s unending angst is one for the ages. This could have fit in anywhere in the Top 5 but it didn’t because there were six I liked better.

6 Toy Story. We all have at one time or another imagined that our toys lead a secret life when we aren’t around. Pixar brought Woody and Buzz to life and breathed new life into Mr. and Mrs Potato Head and along the way made a remarkable little film. Forget the product placement and the stars this is all about the toys. I suspect a lot of people who are of an age might have this as their number 1 but it just lacked the adult fun I love.

5 Beauty and The Beast. Enough said. The story is classic and it’s Dinsey. I watched it so many times when the kids were little I would catch my lips moving with the dialogue. Song as old as time indeed.

4 Aladdin. Strong female lead, bumbling male antihero, wisecracking genie(once again Robin Williams) and a monkey. What’s not to love with again Dinsey reinventing the classic tale.

3 Despicable Me. Just a sweet story, with great voices that were relevant and not all famous, but really a story with heart. Also those funny little yellow guys who kill me.

2 The Incredibles. There’s so much to like in this film The heros, the mom, the messed up baby and his babysitter, and of course the shriveled up little old lady who teaches us all about capes. It’s a blast and I watch this everytime it’s on.

1 Shrek. This movie was so funny and so subversive and made fun of Disney and just about everyone else and has gone on to give us Tom Waits and an academy award for Counting Crows and just every flavor of the fun rainbow. This is not your parent’s cartoon extravaganza and thank god for that.

So thats my list. Honorable mention goes to Team America but that’s a touch inapprorpiate.
As always, other opinions are welcome, but wrong. That’s it for this week. The cheque’s in the mail and I’m outta here. Paul