The Captain's Top Ten Computer Animated Movies
Feb 09 '08 (Updated Oct 10 '09)
The Bottom Line My Top Ten (okay, Twelve) Computer-Animated Movies...
With most of the animated movies coming out these days being computer-animated, it seemed logical to do a Top Ten Computer-Animated Movies list now. This list (initially at least) includes movies released up to the end of 2007. Well, actually it’s ended up being my Top Twelve, as I just couldn’t leave any of these movies out!
The list will be, predictably, dominated by PIXAR movies, but there are certainly some others in here.
Toy Story - The granddaddy of computer-generated animated movies, Toy Story proved that it was possible to have a full-length CGI movie with an involving storyline and engaging characters. I’m not sure if it was the first ever full-length computer-animated movie, but it was certainly the first commercially successful one, and the one that brought the genre into the public consciousness. The adventures of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Mr Potato Head and chums is still a highly enjoyable movie today, despite looking slightly dated (already!!).
Toy Story 2 The idea of a sequel to that granddaddy (which would make it the daddy?!?!) might have sounded a sure-fire commercial hit but I doubt if may people were too optimistic about it actually being any good. Though there are some who still prefer the original (I actually like the sequel slightly more myself), I don’t think many people could have failed to enjoy this one immensely. Full of movie parodies as well (including the wonderful scene with Buzz’s father!), it introduced a few new characters while keeping the original loveable toys that won our hearts in the first Toy Story.
Ice Age was a tremendous animated tale from Twentieth Century Fox, who staked their claim in the genre strongly here. This chilly prehistoric tale was every bit as engaging as the best real-life movies, and a good deal more accessible for younger ones. As with all the best CGI movies, it was also great fun for adults to watch. The The sequel was also well worth watching.
Antz - For me the socio-political satire was its strongest aspect, which actually made this one of the few that in many ways are more targeted towards adults than children. However the kiddies will enjoy the slapstick elements enough for them not to notice a good deal of the dialogue going way over their heads. A modern-day Animal Farm, if you will.
A Bug’s Life - has a similar sort of setting… well, at least it’s insects.. This one is much more kiddie-friendly but still enjoyable for adults. There are all sorts of pop culture references that youngsters will probably enjoy too.
Finding Nemo - an over-protective father, a rescue spanning the oceans, and many adorable or hilarious characters make Finding Nemo one of my all-time favourites. Great visuals and voice acting help enormously, too.
Shrek - Much better then the awful sequel and average third movie, Shrek is a fairy tale gone very wrong - with the result that a tremendous movie is born, and with it Dreamworks breakthrough computer-generated animated movie. Funny and, although a little predictable, it still has a good storyline.
The Wild is quite possibly Disney’s best CGI movie to date. Though the storyline is again very typical Disney fare - a father-son relationship gone wrong and a great rescue needed - the zoo animals finding out what life is like in the wild is great entertainment.
Cars - Rookie sensation Lightning McQueen finds out that there's more to life than just racing! With a well-observed contrast between competitive city life and the effects of industrialisation on small towns is wrapped up with a simple but effective plot, and one of the best end sequences of any animated movie ever.
When Aardman Animation, the company behind Wallace and Gromitt, teamed up with Dreamworks to produce my favourite film of 2006 - Flushed Away. What made this special is that, for the first time, a major CGI movie was made with a British sense of humour! Needless to say, it was very funny and extremely enjoyable as a result.
Sony Animations have on several times tried and failed to match up to the Big Three in computer animated movies (PIXAR, Dreamworks and Disney - in that order, at least to my mind). However in 2007 they finally did it with one refreshingly different movie - Surf's Up. This one didn’t appeal to kids as much (at least, not all kids), but it’s documentary style and wry humour made it a real winner for me. Penguins surfing is something that shouldn’t really work, but here it certainly does.
Finally, though not my favourite PIXAR movie by any means (after all they have set themselves impossibly high standards!), it was impossible to leave out their most recent effort Ratatouille. With a good storyline, some smart humour and superb animation, it doesn’t exactly make you want to invite rats into your kitchen (though sales of pet rats soared in the UK after its release here!), but you’ll certainly enjoy watching them - even if the sight of hundreds of animated rats might still look repulsive!
UPDATE
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WALL-E - PIXAR's 2008 release is even better than Finding Nemo!! My new no.1 - a charming, wonderful movie from beginning to end.
Monsters vs Aliens - Dreamwork's 2009 offering is superb, not quite as good as WALL-E but well worth watching, especially if you like sci-fi.
Up - PIXAR manage, somehow, to even exceed Wall-E's brilliance in 2009.
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Other Top Ten Lists:
Animated Movies (many of the movies in mentioned here are also in this list, but there are others in the animated movie top ten and mentions for anime and claymation,)
The Top Ten Movies of All Time (updated 5th February 2008)
Romantic Comedies
Science Fiction Films
Top Ten Spoof Movies
Top Ten Musicals
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