Mithmeoi

My friend was showing me the top 50 list someone put together and it made me go … WHAT? So I decided to put together my own list of what I think are some of the best animated films. I will do 5 at a time so I don’t like make one gigantic entry.

20. The Cat Returns
This is a really neat movie. I’m not real big on anime but this one’s story was pretty intriguing and I wanted it to keep going after it had finished. It also helps that it was about cats too. The story follows a young girl, after she helps a stray cat, he vows to help her for her kindness. She is then swept off to the kingdom of cats. There she begins to transform into a cat and the king cat tries to force her into marrying his son. She then tries to make her escape with a few cat friends she has made on the trip before she forever remains a cat. That’s all I’ll give about the movie.

19. The Prince of Egypt
It was really over hyped, but for all that it was a very good movie. The animation, the story, the music, the acting. It was all very well done. I think it is the best Dreamworks 2D. They have yet to come up with another that was as groundbreaking or moving since then. I don’t have to say much about the story since most probably know, but it follows the story of Moses from the Old Testament. For a child’s movie, it follows the story pretty well. If you have not seen it check it out, I have talked to people who don’t even really know the story from the Bible and are not of any faith and they enjoyed it too. So it’s not just a “for Christians only ” movie.

18. Balto
Overshadowed by the Lion King and Toy Story, Balto came out at just the wrong time. It was one of those lesser knowns by Universal that was really pretty good. It is a shame it didn’t do better in the cinema. The story is interesting, the characters although a bit predictable are still fun, the acting is great, animation smooth, music is excellent. One thing I LOVED about this movie is none of the doggies broke into song like most “Disney-esque” movies, nor was the villain killed. It is based on a true story but really has absolutely nothing to do with it other than there was a race to save the children of Nome. It would have been nice to have seen it at least resemble the real story in more than just one way. Other than that downfall it is a good film. It’s been one of my favorites since I saw it back in December of ’95.

17. The Iron Giant
This is, again, one of those films that never got the credit it deserved. To be able to evoke an emotional response from the audience over a robot is pretty darn hard. The animation is amazing and the story is even better. Excellent casting, plot, music… I can’t really think of anything I didn’t like in this movie. It starts off with a boy who finds a giant robot during the height of the cold war. He tries to keep it secret because he doesn’t want the government to kill the robot. It follows his journey with the robot till the end where the robot sacrifices itself to save the whole town. Definitely one to check out if you haven’t seen it.

16. Aladdin
Again a favorite of mine since childhood. I have always loved it, the acting, the animation, the music. It doesn’t follow the “original” story that closely but meh I don’t care. It was a neat take on it all. It has a great balance of humor and seriousness. I don’t really think I need to explain the story since most everyone knows it. If you haven’t seen this one… I will ask what rock are you living under? Go see it!

15. The Land Before Time
The first, the original, Land Before Time, is really excellent. The story is very emotional and the music carries that so well. The animation is typical Don Bluth, a bit grungy and it fits so well. I always loved this movie since I was little. I also really appreciate that there is no singing dinos in this film. It starts off with Littlefoot and follows him through his journey to the Great Valley where he hopes to find his Grandparents after his mother dies. On the he meets with many other young dinosaurs also separated from their families. It’s a classic and if you haven’t seen it, do so! Avoid the sequels at all cost though, they are terrible and just put out to make more money off the franchise.