My Ten Most Liked Animated Films

Here I am again, doing another top-ten list for no special reason. I may be in my thirties, but I have yet to outgrow my liking for animated films (or at least adult-friendly ones). And I’d like to believe I’m not the only one. Below are the ones I like the most; what are yours?

Antz (1997). Hey, any film that can make Woody Allen’s trademark neurosis funnier than any of his post-Hannah and Her Sisters movies deserves to be in this list.

Beauty and the Beast (1991). Among Disney’s adaptations of fairy tales, this is my favorite. The reworked plot, the interesting characters, the memorable music—all these add up to an instant classic. Is it any wonder why it’s the only animated film nominated for a Best Picture Oscar?

Chicken Run (2000). Much as I like Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), I personally didn’t find it as entertaining as this stop-motion movie, the first full-length release from Britain’s Aadvard Studios, best known for its Wallace & Gromit shorts. Mel Gibson may be a hoot as the voice of Rocky, but it’s the plucky Ginger—and the plot—that shines the brightest here.

The Incredibles (2004). Brad Bird (who made 1999’s The Iron Giant) and Pixar Studios scored another blockbuster with this Oscar-winning feature, which also happens to be Pixar’s last film with Disney. Filled with hilarious lines (the repartée between Frozone and his wife is a classic), it also features, in my opinion, the most memorable cartoon character in recent years in the form of Edna Mode.

The Last Unicorn (1983). If I’m not mistaken, Rankin & Bass produced this cartoon, which used to be shown frequently over at the now-defunct UHF Channel 31. One of Joel’s poems in his winning collection this year mentions the film, and after reading that poem last summer it reminded me how effective the film was to me, even if it’s not as great as most of the movies in this list.

Princess Mononoke (1999). I became an instant Hayao Miyazaki admirer after watching this breathtaking film. So sophisticated, so remarkable, so refreshing, so Japanese.

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999). Who would’ve thought a couple of colorful and crude cut-out characters could be so funny? Trey Parker and Matt Stone poked nasty fun at everything, from America’s penchant for violence and the censoring V-chip to Saddam Hussein and Winona Ryder, in this politically incorrect, even gleefully subversive cartoon, with very good songs like “Blame Canada” and “Kyle’s Mom's a Bitch.” Definitely not for the kiddies.

Spirited Away (2002). Miyazaki topped himself—again—with this superb feature. It won, among other prizes, the Oscar for Best Animated Film over Ice Age and Lilo and Stitch. He’s truly one of the last living genuises of animation as an art form.

Toy Story 2 (1999). This film is one of those rare examples where a sequel is much better than the original. One unforgettable sequence, as Sarah McLachlan sings “When She Loved Me,” shows Jessie the Cowgirl (perfectly voiced by Joan Cusack) being gradually forgotten—and later donated to a charity organization—by Emily, her former owner as the latter becomes a teenager. So poignant.

The Triplets of Belleville (2003). This French-Canadian cartoon is an absolute charmer. Its refreshing plot focuses on a devoted mother on a quest to find and rescue her cyclist-son from his kidnappers, and along the way meets the elderly, impoverished title characters. You wouldn’t believe where the triplets get their food, as well as the reason the cyclist was kidnapped in the first place.