50 Greatest Cartoon Movies

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airsofter7

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You've all read the 50 Greatest Cartoons by Jerry Beck (if not you should). For those who haven't read the book it compiles 50 cartoon shorts that animation professionals have selected to be the greatest. However no such list exists for animated movies, having tried ranking them myself I was curious of the opinions of others.

The rules in the book were that they all must be cel animated shorts from North America. However for this list they do not have to be cel animated, but they do have to have been released by a North American studio first (for simplicity's sake). Also please consider influence along with quality.

So have fun and have at it!
 
^ Eh... I personally think the list he posted could've spawned some discussion...

You could've at least not deleted his post.
 
Really... list threads like this should be fine.

It could've generated some discussion and other users could've added theirs, but that can't happen now.
 
I just can't see how this thread can even work if it's not a list thread. You can't honestly expect people to explain that many choices. I think list threads should be tolerated to a certain point. Silly list threads, such as the nonsense that started the "list thread rule" are one thing, but I think a complete and utter zero tolerance law is just plain silly.
 
And it can't because the thread has been dragged off topic. I removed a list post because it was a list that did not follow the rules for "list threads".

If this discussion is about what people feel are the 'Greatest Cartoon Movies', I would hope there would be reasons as to why something is listed as one of the 'greatest' animated movies, and not just a list.

End of discussion.
 
Sorry for all of the trouble. So no lists. What are movies that deserve to be included among the fifty greatest cartoon movies? I would say that ones included should be:

Beauty and the Beast (1991, Disney)- The high point of animated movies is here. The epitimy of what an animated movie can be is this. Songs and talking animals/things are not neccessary in an animated film, but this is how to do them. Beauty and the Beast is the sum of all of its parts and quality touched all of these parts. This film made critics take it seriously enough that it was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. It also let audiences enjoy themselves enough to assimilate the songs into our culture. Animation shouldn't be pure kiddie fare. Animation shouldn't be pure adult fare. Animation should be something all can take seriously and enjoy simultaneously.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937, Disney)- The Three Little Pigs cemented Disney's domination of animation. Snow White was the salt on the wound for the competition. The movie that is widely recognized as the first animated feature film was the perfect starting point for the animated film industry. This film not only shaped the industry, but my passion for film, story and animation; hence my bias of it.

Ratatouille (2007, Pixar)- I saw the first trailer and went ugh. Then a year later it was being hailed by critics as one of the greatest movies of all time. Then it hit theatres and I saw for myself that it was. Of course it was Brad Bird's greatest movie yet. And if a movie can top both Iron Giant and the Incredibles, it has to be good. Perfect sight gags and visuals (The sewer scene imparticular). Those who thought that computer animation was ruining the industry had to close their mouths.

Pinocchio (1940, Disney)- A movie everybody can relate to. The fact that you had to do something, screwed up and now had to fix it is something anybody can deal with. Pinnochio as a puppet embodies all of the traits of a real boy. Also Jiminy Cricket is one of the most clever characters ever created. Charming characters often dull, but due to Ward Kimball's liveliness and Cliff Edward's vocal skills you never tire of him. He also sings one of the greatest songs ever written (I won't say the name, you all know it). Everybody from Jerry Beck to Entertainment Weekly recognize this as one of the highest points in animation.

Toy Story (1995, Pixar)- Toy Story changed an industry. Studios longed for the witty dialogue, the all star cast and the sleek modern appearance. Toy Story was Snow White to computer animated films. It is not a bad movie either.

The Little Mermaid (1989, Disney)- After buildup of Secret of NIMH, DuckTales, Mighty Mouse: the New Adventures and Who Framed Roger Rabbit both audiences and animation had come of age and were ready for change. The Little Mermaid officially changed the norm. Animation quality, characters, music, story and originality became a law after this.

Fantasia (1940, Disney)- The only successful movie to really ever break away from the narrative form. Fantasia represents one of the best qualities in animation, the ability to do something drastically different. The likes of Beethoven and Bach have never been so enhanced in their existence. In my opinion the flagship scene, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, is the pinacle of animation and makes a tough character work.

Shrek (2001, Dreamworks)- Alright it is not the greatest animated movie of all time, it is included for its influence. While Toy Story had everything that studios wanted in an animated movie Shrek had everything studios copied. Audiences loved Shrek and Hollywood was eager to reproduce that love. Nearly every animated film that is being created is an offspring of Shrek. However Shrek is by no means a crappy movie. It was original at the time and it has two things that the non-Pixar CG films that followed didn't: a great story and musical score.

So what other films should be included in the 50 Greatest Cartoon Movies? Sorry for all of the trouble again.
 
I totally agree with you especially on these two films. While CG has brought us some weaker films-- Pixar has worked extremely hard to give us amazingly deep films that are well written and emotionally strong as well as extremely entertaining.
 
Fritz the Cat (1972) - A really controversial movie that had explicit sexual and violent content that was previously unheard of in animation. It was basically a satire about American culture during the 60's and 70's. It led up a lot of other movies that tried to imitate it, and also paved the way for a lot of new and interesting ideas of animation.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988) - I figured it would count since it was a great and somewhat influential movie that showed how great a blend of animation and live-action can coexist in the same film. The fact it had established characters from Disney and Warner Brothers made it stand out more than other movies with similar premises (Cool World, for example) And, of course, it featured one of the most popular animated women of all time. ;)
 
I agree with both of those. While I don't believe that sex and hardcore violence is a good match for animation (or film of any kind), Fritz did lead to a new way of thinking and doing films in a time when not much happened in animation. I never saw it and don't plan to, but it is a revolutionary film. Roger Rabbit on the other hand found a balance for entertaining kids and adults (however adults will appreciate it more). Nostalgia and humor just works for animation.
 
Off the top of my head:

Kirikou and the Sorceress (1998)
I really can't fault this one. Doesn't have much in the way of glitz or glamour, but pulls off a low-key approach perfectly. A charming, engaging, fully-formed fable that is unfortunately almost unknown in America.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)
Disney's influence on animated features has long been both a blessing and a curse, so it's refreshing to see an animated movie made 11 years before Snow White. An interesting historical document and a thoroughly enjoyable fairy tale.
 
The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Corpse Bride aren't perfect films by any stretch, but they have what a lot of animated films don't: a strong and unique artistic vision. The songs flow naturally and in Nightmare at least the characters are entertaining and memorable.

Brad Bird's films are masterpieces. Iron Giant is an interesting political twist on ET and The Incredibles is pure action-packed joy. Ratatouille didn't do it for me the same way the others did, but the detail put into it makes it seem like it'll hold up on repeat viewings.

I don't particularly like Disney's films, but Lilo and Stitch is an exception. There was some real depth to it and it was a comedy unashamed of being one.
 
The Lion King-I know it's the obvious choice, but I find this to be one of the greatest movies of all time animated or otherwise.(personally, I hate the segregation that animated films get from live action and almost see the best animated film category for the oscars as an insult and way of saying, "they'll never be best picture worthy). Everything about this movie is amazing from the songs and characters, to the plot and animation. It's a real treat and I think it's enjoyable for anyone of any age.

Curious George-The animation in this film is just so fun to watch and it's a real nice story. Im not saying it's definitively aweseme as far as animated movies go, but this is just something you should treat yourself to at least once. but this is also one of the only movies I love that seems almost exclusively for children and is not fit for everyone above the age of 3.

Whisper of the Heart-One of the most outstanding and inpspiring films I've ever seen. This is more proof that an animated movie doesn't have to be completely unrealistic and childish. With the exception of a sequence or two, this may have been live action, but I don't know if it would have been as effective. who knows, and it really doesn't matter. The themes and characters in this movie are so real and I think it's one of the most re-watchable of all the Ghibli films available. (I just decided to name this one, but Ghibli has never produced one bad movie in my opinion, but came close with Kiki's Delivery Service.)

Beauty and the Beast-I watched this movie for the first time in roughly 10 years, and was equally as amazed as I was when I was a kid. The animation seemed so much ahead of it's time and I forgot how dramatic the story seemed and I loved every minute of it. In my opinion, arguably the 2nd best disney feature ever.

As I close this post, I forgot to keep it to only American but I'll just keep that in mind for next time;) , in case no one here has seen it...because it's an essential. I'll probably add more in the future and heck maybe I'll reach 50.(highly doubt it)
 
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