Over 2,200 votes were cast in our Animated Movies poll asking “What is your favourite animated movie of all time?”. Here are New Zealand’s Top 20…
20. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut
1999 | Comedy Central | Watch trailer
When a popular cartoon series makes its feature-length debut, it’s usually pretty underwhelming. But Matt Stone and Trey Parker defied the convention, using their crass humour, crude animation and masterful song-writing ability to hilarious effect. Bigger Longer & Uncut isn’t just a great animated movie, it’s a brilliant musical.
19. The Triplets of Belleville
2003 | Co-production | Watch trailer
To describe The Triplets of Belleville would be like describing a temporal enigma in time and space. However, the film’s peculiarity is its greatest strength, locking your attention with its exaggerated caricatures, other-worldly vibrancy and fluid hand-drawn animation. Plus, the Oscar-nominated song will stay in your head for years.
18. Akira
1988 | TMS Entertainment | Watch trailer
What some may call “the animated Blade Runner,” Akira demonstrates the best of what anime can offer: deep characters, a complex world, face-meltingly fluid animation and an absorbing edginess. Let’s hope the Hollywood remake can achieve at least a fifth of that.
17. My Neighbour Totoro
1988 | Studio Ghibli | Watch trailer
Studio Ghibli’s an animated storytelling force, and Totoro’s their shining badge of honour. When it comes to affecting your audience, big adorable cats have an unfair advantage. However, Totoro holds you in with its beautiful tale of loneliness and uncertainty. Plus, there’s a cat bus.
16. Dumbo
1941 | Disney | Watch trailer
With his studio struggling financially, Disney made Dumbo cheaply and quickly. Ditching the detail of Snow White and Pinnochio, a more simplistic, character-driven approach was employed and the result was a beautiful water colour pallete, economical storytelling and charming characters. Still a remarkable watch, 70 years on, it’s simple themes of friendship, loneliness and fulfilling one’s potential can’t help but leave a smile on your face (as well as pink elephants in your nightmares).
15. The Iron Giant
1999 | Warner Bros. | Watch trailer
Sometimes, you don’t need a musical number to express a point. The Iron Giant isn’t just Vin Diesel’s greatest acting performance ever, it’s a wonderfully realised story of alienation, friendship, ignorance and understanding, tugging at the heartstrings in every beautiful and devastating way. “Superman…” *sniff*
14. Aladdin
1992 | Disney | Watch trailer
If you’re going to retell a timeless tale, you’ll want to do it with flare. For Aladdin, that equated to some splendid song-writing, gorgeous art direction and five mouthfuls of Robin Williams. The end result: a wildly enjoyable film that recaptured the wonder of its source material.
13. The Incredibles
2004 | Disney, Pixar | Watch the trailer
Pixar’s scene-bursting attempt at a superhero film could’ve been straightforward and derivative. Instead, with the guidance of Brad Bird (The Simpsons, The Incredibles), they weaved their usual visual lolly scramble with an impressively intricate story that wasn’t afraid to get its hands dirty. And that end battle scene? Incredible. Like, actually.
12. Fantastic Mr. Fox
2009 | 20th Century Fox | Watch the trailer
Out of nowhere came Wes Anderson with his stop-frame animated adaptation of Roald Dahl. With its witty script, (genuine) all-star cast and low-fi, rag doll animation, Fantastic Mr. Fox is cooler than Clooney’s swagger (even with the annoying click click whistle thing).
11. WALL·E
2008 | Disney, Pixar | Watch trailer
The opening 20 minutes of 2008’s Oscar winner needed no dialog to set the scene. That’s animated storytelling at its finest. While the visuals were typically spectacular, it’s the film’s humanity that sets it apart. WALL·E is one part romance, one part environmental statement and a whole load of greatness.
10. Footrot Flats: The Dog’s Tale
1986 | Magpie Productions, Kerridge-Odeon | Watch trailer
New Zealand’s animated slice of awesomeness released (and will re-release) the tiny town of Raupo to cinemas. Though the rest of the world’s devoid of recognising its charm, Footrot Flats’ brilliance lies within its cheeky commentary on kiwi culture, both mockingly and lovingly.
9. The Nightmare Before Christmas
1993 | Skellington Productions, Touchstone | Watch trailer
You’ve got to wonder how Selick and Burton pitched the idea of this stop-mo Halloween Christmas musical hybrid. We’re glad they did though. The Nightmare Before Christmas successfully shaped a generation through its infectious music, its vibrant characters and its uniquely gothic charm.
8. Up
2009 | Disney, Pixar | Watch trailer
The first 10 minutes of Up were enough to secure it the 2009 Oscar, gently guiding the audience through the lives of Carl and his love Ellie, from childhood till death parted them. What proceeded was a film that was often harrowing, funny and always full of heart.
7. Spirited Away
2001 | Studio Ghibli | Watch trailer
For a Miyazaki film, Spirited Away is pretty tame on the story front, choosing instead to overload the occipital lobe with sublime animation, contained within an infinitely fascinating world. Every minute of the film puts your imagination to shame.
6. Beauty and the Beast
1991 | Disney | Watch trailer
As the first animated movie to be nominated for Best Picture by the Academy, Beauty and the Beast is a typical fairytale love story of two social outcasts. However, it’s the film’s dynamic art direction, memorable characters, wonderful music and awe-inspiring hand-drawn animation that cements its classic status.
5. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1937 | Disney | Watch trailer
The original Disney classic still shines with the quality of its contemporary animated counterparts. Walt’s wondrous adaptation laid the fundamentals of animated storytelling, some of which the majority still cannot grasp. With its recent Blu-ray transfer, Snow White remains as stunning as it did in 1937.
4. Finding Nemo
2003 | Disney, Pixar | Watch trailer
For animated flicks, father-son relationships are rarely expressed in depth, but Pixar took it to the seabed with a pursuit story that transcends the Pacific. Alongside Pixar’s typical visual TLC, Brooks, DeGeneres and the co-cast’s phenomenal performances sell the film’s tender tale of hope, love and determination.
3. Shrek
2001 | DreamWorks Animation | Watch trailer
Whether you favour the sequels or not, the original story of a seemingly apathetic ogre’s discovery of contradictory love in a fairytale world stands as a classic. DreamWorks combined gorgeous CG with a witty script and an ending that twisted ye ol’ ideals in a charming and surprisingly thought-provoking way.
2. Toy Story
1995 | Disney, Pixar | Watch trailer
As the first fully CG feature-length film, Pixar left a monstrous impression on cinema. Not just visually however, but also by endearing audiences with characters that tap into the best moments of our childhood. Followed by two equally memorable sequels, Toy Story stands as an extraordinary mark on animated cinema.
1. The Lion King
1994 | Disney | Watch trailer
Everybody loves The Lion King. The coming-of-age story of a cub and his kingdom is told with originality, visual flare, humour, romanticism and moments of tear-inducing sadness, all accompanied by an astonishing soundtrack. Many animated movies excel in a particular number of qualities. The Lion King shoots for the moon and achieves it all.
-words by Liam Maguren
