WEEKLY DISCUSSION: Your favorite animated film • Page 4

The Lion King, The Toy Story Trilogy(I loved all three) and Wall-E are definitely at the top of my list. Same with Princess Mononke. I'm surprised no one has mentioned Batman: Mask of the Phantasm yet. Not only is that one of my favorite animated movies, it's probably one of my favorite Batman movies.

 

Nice avatar! And thanks for bringing Phantasm up! I know my brother would love this thread, his top two are Phantasm and A Goofy Movie. I'm with you on the TS trilogy, too, they're all masterpieces and hardly to be topped by Pixar's other masterpieces. It's like god v god pitting Wall-E up against Finding Nemo and Ratatouille, and debatably now Inside Out, haha.

 

So I mentioned my choices earlier but now I'll expound on why.

Favorite traditionally animated film: Whisper of the Heart

While this thread is filled to the brim with Pixar and Ghibli films, we've mostly been seeing films by Miyazaki, with maybe a few from Takahata. But as both have been aging, they thought they'd found the man who would take their throne(s). Unfortunately, this man made only one film before dying of a premature, stress-related heart attack. The one film he gave us was the oft-overlooked Whisper of the Heart, one of the quietest, slowest, and least-fantastic of Ghibli's films. Ignore the cheesy title. The film is a pitch-perfect look at the lives of two teenagers who inspire each other while struggling with their respective arts, one an aspiring novelist and the other a violin-maker-in-training. Personally, this is one of the most inspiring films I've ever seen, and while its childish humor and gentle pace makes it wholesomely likable for anyone, I'd highly recommend it to artists in particular, especially if you're in a season of writer's block. (And don't worry, the movie features a few classical Ghibli fantasy scenes, too.)

Favorite computer animated film: Ratatouille

The first time I saw Ratatouille in theaters, I thought it was fine. It was good, not great, and certainly not as funny as what I normally expected from the team at Pixar. But when a friend came into town and wanted to see the movie again, a second viewing proved the film to be far more than I'd first noticed: a subtle display of the brilliance of art, the power of symbiotic teamwork, and the challenges of criticism. With such a poetic display of art and criticism, the movie was nearly critic-proof, explaining why the film has an unprecedented 96 on Metacritic, along with a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes (with 100% from the "top critics"). These statistics are well-deserved though, and Ratatouille set in motion what I refer to as Pixar's Golden Age from 2007-2010, where the studio released debatably its four greatest artistic achievements. Obviously, from these two choices, I have a special connection with films that show artists creating, artists overcoming obstacles, and artists triumphing over criticisms. Ratatouille became a particularly special film for me, though, when during my freshman year of college, it became one of three films that I'd play in the background almost daily while working on my homework. (The other films were Up and Ponyo.) Through these repeat viewings, I began to see how effortlessly charming, well-characterized, and increasingly hilarious the movie is. Add in the pitch-perfect voice acting from Patton Oswalt and the detailed animation that has aged like a fine wine, this film's a classic that too many people have ignored or misunderstood simply because it's about a rat. Those people have doubly missed the "point" of this incredible movie.

 

The Secret of Nimh by far. It was an incredibly well done almost "adult" story for me to see as a child that holds up well even today. It's also by far Don Bluth's best.

 

Akira is my favorite movie not named Airplane! so it'd have to be my pick. Second is A Bug's Life. Been meaning to watch Princess Mononoke though.

 

I'm pretty sure my answer is Wall-E. At least, I can't think of anything I like more at the moment. It's a pretty astounding piece of cinema.

 

Toy Story 3 first, then 5 Centimeters Per Second. Both for the relatability. The former hit me really hard since I was 17, approaching the official end of my childhood. I've been in a hardcore nostalgia mode since 2008, to be honest... The latter is like an animated version of my favorite movies (Lost In Translation, Her, Chungking Express) since it explores the angst of transient and ephemeral connections against the backdrop of colorful and vibrant cities. WALL·E also fits that description, I just didn't love it as much.

Top 10:

1. Toy Story 3
2. 5 Centimeters Per Second
3. Waking Life
4. WALL·E
5. Inside Out
6. Spirited Away
7. The Lego Movie
8. Ponyo
9. Perfect Blue
10. Finding Nemo

 

probably Spirited Away, I need to watch that one again asap

 

Transformers the movie. Terrific soundtrack.

 

All of the Studio Ghibli movies are great. Those are some of my favorite animated films. Especially Ponyo and Spirited Away

 

Definitely toy story for me. I remember watching it on repeat sun up to sun down one day.

 

Tough but I'd have to say Yellow Submarine & Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Was about to go into a whole thing but I don't think I can pick my favorites of all the new animated movies they have all been so great from Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., & Toy Story, to Wall-E, Cloudy With a Chance, Ratatoullie, & How to Train Your Dragon. Those are prob my favorite of the bunch but I'm sure I'm missing some. Also excited for Sausage Party to come out!!

South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut shouldn't be dismissed either.

 

Frozen is a worse version of Tangled

 

currently my favorite animated film is Big Hero 6

 

seconded! Frozen did nothing for me but I remember watching Tangled and being like am I allowed to tell people how much I enjoyed this?

 

My very short answer is Its a Beautiful Day. Masterpiece.

 

Oh myyyyyy goooosssshhhh I completely forgot about 5cm per Second!!! I'll have to revisit that for sure. I need to see Waking Life too, ironically I own it on VHS, but I love Linklater's films across the board. Love your list. The inclusion of Ponyo and Perfect Blue just seals the deal

 

Nahhh my favorite animated film is The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. Revenge of the Fallen would be a close second tho

 

The Lion King is my favorite of all time followed closely by Toy Story. The Brave Little Toaster was another one of my favorites as a kid, I haven't seen it in a very long time but I seem to remember some parts of it making me feel uneasy? I'll have to rewatch soon

 

My Neighbour Totoro, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Chicken Run, Toy Story

 

I gotta say, my favorite is probably Inside Out. For the longest time it was Monsters Inc, but I love how Inside Out carries a different weight depending on where you are in life. As a kid you see the emotions and how they interact, and it's more of an immediate meaning. As an adult w/o kids you see it and remember what it was like grappling with different emotions, and how complex they become. Then if you're a parent, it adds another layer of the challenges to come, seeing your kids grow and combat your parenting. All in all, pretty awesome.

 

Are you just not that old to remember it?

 

Oh! Hilarious. I loved that movie. I thought you were making a joke about the Michael Bay films being animated films, so I followed with a joke about Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy being animated films.

 

Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit

Ratatouille

Beavis and Butthead Do America

Wreck It Ralph

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Team America World Police

 

Ratatouille is SO underrated. Favs off the top of my head:

Ratatouille
Shaun The Sheep
Inside Out
Up
Spirited Away
Coraline
Mary and Max
Wreck It Ralph
Big Hero 6
Fantastic Mr Fox