Top 10 Animated Features

Here at Channel24 we’ve put together a list of our top animated movies of all time. You're bound to disagree with some of our choices, so let us know what you think in the comments below. And the winners are…


10. Pinocchio (1940)

Essentially a morality play for young boys, Pinocchio stands out from early animated movies for having a main character who struggles constantly to do the right thing. This, of course, gets Pinocchio in a lot of trouble, but his escapades at the side of Jiminy Cricket (bless his soul), both inside and outside of a whale, stand the test of time.




9. The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

Although (mostly) inoffensive, The Triplets of Belleville isn’t exactly what you’d call a family movie. Its slow, dreamlike sequences are eye candy for experienced audiences while its subtle stabs at society might be lost on toddlers. But this French film about a kidnapped cyclist and his feisty grandmother’s attempt to rescue him offers eerie and amusing scenes that you simply can’t get anywhere else, and an addictive theme song to boot.




8. Finding Nemo (2003)

Perhaps the first big budget film to feature a disabled anthropomorphic fish as one of its main characters, Finding Nemo made a splash with irresistibly strong voice acting by a cast that included Ellen Degeneres, Willem Dafoe, Eric Bana, Geoffrey Rush and Alexander Gould (who did both Nemo’s voice and Bambi’s in Bambi 2). The lesson we learn? You can’t beat a bunch of Californian surfer-dude turtles for comic relief.




7. The Incredibles (2004)

The world doesn’t approve of superheroes anymore, but when a failed hero becomes the most dangerous villain on the planet, Bob Parr, aka Mr. Incredible and his family have to take action. The Incredibles is a winner because it does everything right: crisp voice acting, memorable one-liners and a strong "you can’t beat family" plot arch give us one of the most complete adventures of the last few years.




6. Shrek II (2004)

This one will divide movie fans right down the middle. The first Shrek had its charms, but there’s one simple reason that Shrek 2 should take its place on this list: it’s way funnier. This time, the oafish Shrek is turned into a human and must prevent Princess Fiona from being tricked into marriage by pretty boy Prince Charming. In one of the best spoof scenes ever, Shrek’s friends manage to escape by getting Pinocchio to lie which, as we know, makes his nose grow longer: "I most certainly am not [wearing ladies’ underwear]!" "It’s a thong!"
Hilarious.





5. Aladdin (1992)

Two words: Robin Williams. His very touch seems to make animated movies shine at the box office, and it all started with Aladdin. Williams’ hilarious turn as the Genie who helps Aladdin to woo Princess Jasmine is still the standout comic performance in the 70-odd year history of animated movies: "I'm history! No, I'm mythology! Nah, I don't care what I am, I'm free!"




4. The Lion King (1994)

“Life's greatest adventure is finding your place in the Circle of Life.”
The story that made every, and we mean every kid cry when a certain someone gets lightly trampled by a herd of a certain something. Besides the tears (and joy, lots of that too) The Lion King had one of the most memorable soundtracks of any animated musical and one of the all-time classic comedy duos, in the form of a wise-cracking meerkat and his flatulent warthog friend. Timon and Pumba’s popular catchphrase "Hakuna Matata" made them 90s icons on par with The Spice Girls.




3. Dumbo (1941)

Released during the Second World War, Dumbo must have been welcome relief for world-weary parents and their children when it first screened. Today, the story of the elephant whose ears were so big he could fly remains as entertaining as ever, containing one of the best (but forgotten) Disney songs of all time ("When I See An Elephant Fly"). Oddly, it also contains some of the dreamiest imagery ever seen in a Disney film, in a lengthy scene where Dumbo accidentally gulps down wine and begins to see dancing coloured elephants.




2. Spirited Away (2002)

No list of animated masterpieces is possible without including Hayao Miyazaki. Of all his films, including the acclaimed Princess Mononoke & Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away is the most powerful. A breathtaking spectacle of ghosts, gods and spirits, the film is not only beautiful but refuses to dally with traditional plot conventions.

Chihiro, a little girl forced to work in the spirit world to save her parents from being eaten, meets some of the strangest and menacing creatures ever seen on the silver screen, none of which are as “good” or “evil” as they seem. For its beautiful animation and complex characters, it belongs high, high up on our list.




1. Toy Story 2 (1999)

There’s no getting around the fact that the first Toy Story has had a greater impact on animation than anything since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. But if Toy Story 1 was an achievement, its follow-up was an honest-to-Bob masterpiece. "What happens when children outgrow their toys?" the movie asks, and the answer is: comedy gold!

It is a family movie, but for all its 3D pranks and one of the best Hollywood rivalries of all time (Tom Hanks’ Woody versus Tim Allen’s Buzz Lightyear), Toy Story 2 is the funniest, most heart-warming animated caper on our list.

Honorable mentions: Beauty & The Beast, Antz, Princess Mononoke, The Land Before Time

-Niel Bekker