We’re going to go ahead and assume that a lot of you are fans of anime and almost all of your are animated film fans. So are we.
That’s why we took notice when film enthusiast website Total Film put together a list of the 75 greatest animated films of all time.
We’ve decided to share the list with you, with our own commentary on some of the films (the ones we’ve actually seen, anyway). Note that the films don’t come in any particular order; it’s just a mishmash, since it’s hard to put an order to such a fantastic mix of cinema history.
Also remember that these are animated films only – no animated series (if those were included, Duck Tales would obviously be number one).
Here’s the extensive list, and keep an eye out for our commentary and clips we’ve included where possible:
75. Chico and Rita
74. The Land Before Time
73. American Pop
72. Antz
71. Waking Life
70. The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons’ long-awaited film couldn’t have come at a better time. The show had been experiencing abysmal ratings and critical panning for almost a decade, leading many to believe the world’s longest-running prime time cartoon was finally heading for the chopping block. This film’s clever writing reminded us all of why we loved The Simpsons so much in the first place, while the polished visuals and high production values put it a clear cut above the TV series.
69. A Cat in Paris
68. Tokyo Godfathers
67. The Secret of NIMH
I remember my parents leaving me alone to watch this when I was kid, figuring a fantasy story about rodents couldn’t possibly have any kind of negative impact on a child’s supple, impressionable young mind. I carry the scars with me to this day.
66. Heavy Metal
65. My Dog Tulip
64. The Wind Rises
Despite having only just hit Western shores, Hayao Miyazaki’s latest (and possibly, but probably not really, last) actually has a good many detractors in Japan, primarily for the film’s convoluted anti-war message that angered left-wing and right-wing alike and came just as the idea of Japan revising its constitution to allow the country to have a more aggressive military came into vogue.
63. Millennium Actress
62. Kung Fu Panda 2
61. Wreck-it Ralph
The sheer number of video game character cameos and classic gaming easter eggs – some of which doubtlessly have yet to be found – make this already compelling adventure even better for nostalgic gamers.
60. Metropolis
As one of my personal all-time favorites, Metropolis holds a special place in my heart. Despite being released in 2001, it’s based on a 1949 manga, which gives it a surreal old-meets-new steampunk vibe that probably couldn’t be replicated in today’s market.
59. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
58. Despicable Me
57. Barefoot Gen
(NSFW)
While a certain better-known anime film about the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan may enjoy a bigger fan base and a higher place on this list, Barefoot Gen‘s haunting sequence of the actual bomb drop is one of the most harrowing scenes in cinema history.
56. Lady and the Tramp
55. From Up on Poppy Hill
54. Fritz the Cat
53. Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
52. The LEGO Movie
51. The Illusionist
50. Howl’s Moving Castle
In my opinion one of Miyazaki’s weakest works, this film nevertheless captures a living, breathing fantasy world in a way only the veteran animator can.
49. Toy Story 3
48. Mary Poppins
47. Up
It’s been said enough times before to make it cliche, but the first eight minutes of this brilliant Pixar film surely moved more people to tears than all other films released in the 2000s combined.
46. Bambi
45. Mary and Max
44. The Little Mermaid
43. Yellow Submarine
42. Pinocchio
41. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
Although its title is a mouthful, this – one of Miyazaki’s first – is one of the greatest fantasy films of all time, animated or not.
40. Ratatouille
39. Ghost in the Shell
Heralded as one of the most mature, progressive anime feature films of its time, this movie also has a special place in my heart. It may or may not be the film that introduced my childhood self to boobs, too…
38. Robin Hood
37. When the Wind Blows
36. How to Train Your Dragon
35. Belleville Rendezvous
34. The Secret of Kells
33. Monsters, Inc.
32. Sleeping Beauty
31. Wallace and Gromit in: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
I’ve never actually seen this film, but it doesn’t mean I don’t love the Wallace and Gromit series – which taught me from childhood that dogs are awesome and adults are bumbling idiots – any less.
30. Fantastic Mr. Fox
A modern classic that proved stop-motion is still a viable animation tool.
29. Toy Story 2
28. Persepolis
27. Shrek
While the series has obviously overstayed its welcome, the original Shrek remains a hilarious homage to fantasy film and fairy tales (and probably Mike Myers’ last great performance outside of standing next to Kanye West when he said George Bush doesn’t care about black people).
26. Princess Mononoke
I can thank this film directly for sparking my interest in anime and Japan in general. The sweeping, dark fantasy narrative about nature striking back against humanity also particularly rang with my angsty teen self.
25. Perfect Blue
24. A Scanner Darkly
23. Shrek 2
22. Dumbo
21. Finding Nemo
20. The Iron Giant
(Spoilers!)
Another modern animation tear-jerker, The Iron Giant invokes animated classics while employing modern techniques like CGI. For some reason, this film reminds me a lot of the narrative and animation style of The Brave Little Toaster – though Wikipedia doesn’t seem to turn up any connections between the two films.
19. Watership Down
18. Fantasia
17. The Nightmare Before Christmas
While admittedly a lot higher on the list than I personally would have put it, The Nightmare Before Christmas is still a classic and, as an added bonus, is one of the few – if any – holiday films you can enjoy twice a year (clever marketing ploy?).
16. Wall-E
Wall-E remains my all-time favorite Pixar film and I will forever be jealous of my co-worker who has a sweet to-scale replica of the titular robot on his desk.
15. Aladdin
14. Fantastic Planet
13. Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Never mind what I said about The Ghost in the Shell earlier. This is the film that actually introduced me to boobs. Coincidentally, again of the animated variety.
12. The Lion King
11. Grave of the Fireflies
Oh, I’m sorry, you thought animation is supposed to be fun and uplifting?
10. The Jungle Book
Let’s just leave this one here…
9. Waltz with Bashir
8. The Incredibles
7. South Park: Bigger, Louder and Uncut
6. My Neighbor Totoro
Everyone knew this one would be on the list. By far Miyazaki’s most beloved film in Japan, My Neighbor Totoro manages to capture so many emotions in one package as two little girls cope with the uncertainty of their mother’s illness by interacting with fantastical creatures that may be real or may be imagined.
5. Akira
Duh.
4. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
3. Beauty and the Beast
2. Spirited Away
1. Toy Story
Think Total Film missed one of your favorites? We felt the list did a good job of covering mainstream entries and more obscure titles alike, but we’re sure there’s a few classics missing. Let us know in the comments!
Source: Total Film
Leave a Reply