My Top 10 Animated Movies
I think animation is a beautiful form of art. I am a firm believer that animation isn’t solely for kids, and even animation that is aimed at kids can be enjoyed by adults. There are a ton of animated movies I love, some I watched for the first time as a kid, and others more recently. I do want to apologize that I’m about to just say ‘the voice cast was so good, shoutout XYZ’ over and over again. I’ll list my top 10 in alphabetical order, but do want to honorably mention some honorable mentions first: ‘The Lego Movie,’ ‘Tarzan,’ ‘The Grinch,’ ‘Sing,’ ‘Kung Fu Panda,’ ‘The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,’ ‘Inside Out,’ ‘Shrek 2,’ ‘Cars,’ ‘Moana,’ ‘Lilo & Stitch,' ‘Wreck-It Ralph,’ & ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.’
Arthur Christmas- My favorite Christmas movie just because of how sweet it is. It’s perfect for the holidays, but I could watch it anytime of year. James McAvoy voices such a pure, sweet-hearted protagonist and the supporting cast of Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Jim Broadbent, & Ashley Jensen all bring their characters to life so well. I also just think the concept and execution of how they handle Santa in this film is elite.
Coco- Such a good example of how beautiful animation can be. The Land of the Dead is so stunning in this film, the soundtrack is so good (Remember Me & Un Poco Loco are both active in my playlists), and the voice acting (Benjamin Bratt, Gael Garcia Bernal, & Anthony Gonzalez) is also wonderful.
Encanto- Another wonderful Disney film about family with songs that go way harder than they need to. Stephanie Beatriz is so good as Mirabel and I do want to talk about Bruno (haha get it?). John Leguizamo is hilarious as the reclusive uncle and I think the execution of dynamics of the whole Madrigal family is very relatable.
Frozen- I remember so vividly when this movie came out when I was in middle school and I had no interest in it whatsoever. We ended up going to see it for one of my best friend’s birthday like two months after it came out and I loved it so much. I’ve watched it countless times sense and I think ‘Let It Go’ may be the best song to come out of a Disney film. Also, Olaf has got to be the best Disney sidekick there is.
Monsters University- I know this is a weird one, but this is actually my favorite Pixar movie. I was 12 when it came out, so maybe a little older than the target audience (though like I said, any movie can be enjoyed by any person), but it’s so nostalgic for me. I just remember watching it over and over and loving it. I think it greatly improves the already great friendship of Mike & Sulley. I think Sulley is a great character, but for whatever reason I enjoy Mike more as the primary protagonist. I think the design of all the different monsters are really cool, the college setting is fun, and the concept of the ‘Scare Games’ is entertaining. Also, shoutout to my nephew, Tripp, because he is obsessed with this movie at the moment.
Pokémon: The First Movie- Switching gears from the Disney train, this one is the nostalgia. I’m going to expose my true nerdiness here and admit that I really didn’t get into Pokémon until high school (I’m still a huge Pokéfan) in the terms of games, shows, and cards. When I was a kid though I had a few toys that I loved, a book I read constantly, and my brother & I watched this movie often. That combined with my new love for the franchise results in this movie being on this list. I think it is quite easily the best Pokémon movie and it has some extremely emotional moments and cool battles.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse- This movie took everything from the already great first film and, in my opinion, improved upon it. It also added some new things in terms of characters, traveling to new universes, and dynamics. I think the growth of Miles wanting to be part of the Spider-people to him being the outlier is really well done, and I can’t wait for the next installment.
Tangled- Rapunzel is hands down my favorite Disney princess and she’s such a sweet character. Her interest in just normal life and wanting to experience new things is extremely refreshing. I think her sidekicks in Pascal and Maximus are both great comedic relief and I’m also a huge fan of Flynn Rider (Rider being my middle name and now my son’s name).
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem- One of my all-time favorite movies, this one is so nostalgic for me even though the movie itself is so new. The main cast (Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicholas Cantu, Brady Noon, & Ayo Edebiri) perfectly brings to life the character I always pretended to be as a kid. They focus on the teenage and mutant dynamics and execute both extremely well. The supporting cast is absolutely STACKED (Jackie Chan, Maya Rudolph, Ice Cube, Seth Rogen, John Cena, Rose Byrne, Giancarlo Esposito, Paul Rudd, Post Malone, & Hannibal Buress) and the humor hits to a tee.
Toy Story 3- The first time I remember crying in the movie theater was during this movie. It takes you on an emotional ride from minute 1 through minute 103. I would imagine the whole idea of growing up and out-growing your childhood toys, and everything that represents, is relatable for everyone (it definitely is for me). It builds on an already great cast (Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Estelle Harris, Wallace Shawn, Blake Clark, & John Ratzenberger) and adds in some major hitters (Ned Beatty, Michael Keaton, Jodi Benson, Whoopi Goldberg, Timothy Dalton, Bonnie Hunt, Kristen Schaal, & Jeff Garlin).
