Blog Talkback: Toons of the 2000s: Top 5 Animated Features

Seen all of them except Idiots and Angels. All great choices, though I'd probably put Persepolis ahead of Bashir on the grounds that Persepolis is actually rewatchable (Bashir was just too painful to sit through again) as well as being better animated. The Incredibles would be in my Top 5, but I remember Raven saying he only wanted one Pixar movie on the list for the sake of variety so Wall-E's the better choice.
 
I worked on this project, I'm pleased with how it turned out. Radical Raven did a great job ensuring that the films that made the list were diverse, fair, and enjoyable. It's refreshing to see a list that isn't just four Pixar movies and Spirited Away.

Personally I prefer Up to Wall-E, but just barely. Nearly all of the Pixar movies made this decade deserve to make the list (I'll exclude Cars).

I wrote the listing for Waltz With Bashir. I scanned Rotten Tomatoes reviews of this movie when I was writing it and I saw a phrase that sums my view of the film up perfectly. "It's not an easy film to watch, but it is a film worth watching." It earns its R rating and it's the strongest content I've ever seen in an animated product to date... but it's a masterfully done film.
 
You know, I appreciate The Incredibles and what it accomplished technically, but I never liked it all that much. I also preferred Ratatouille to Wall-E. I've seen Waltz with Bashir twice now and may go back for a third. I don't think it should be discounted because it contains strong material that is difficult to process emotionally. The whole point of it is that the horrors committed were difficult to process emotionally. It succeeds in its anti-war message without being preachy. I would love to see more stories of this depth told in animation. Were it my personal list, that would've been my first pick.
 
Of all the Pixar films, Wall?E is definitely not the best. Its a really great film, and I love it, but I felt that UP is not only the best Pixar film, or one of the best animated films, but one of the best films of the decade, period.

But, everyone has their favorites, and not everyone's favorites can go up there. I'd like to see Waltz with Bashir, sounds awesome.
 
"Clone Wars" absolutely deserves a mention in the list, so does "Titan AE". I'd also put "Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles" and "Justice Leage: Starlost" up for at least the Top 10.
 
Starcrossed was 3 TV episodes, not a theatrical movie. 3 great episodes, but still doesn't count.

As for Clone Wars...
250px-Ziro.jpg

I believe this abomination unto humanity hurt its chances greatly.
 
Return of the Joker was never released in theaters, and it made the list. Starcrossed was first released as a single movie, so I think it should count.
 
That's a fair question. A lot of those films I haven't seen, and (based on the description) I probably wouldn't want to see.

As a roundabout way of answering your question, I'll give you my top five of the decade (in rough order):

5. Titan AE
4. Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles
3. Clone Wars
2. The Incredibles
1. Justice Leage: Starcrossed

If we include OVAs, my top 5 would be:

5. Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles
4. Clone Wars
3. The Incredibles
2. Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
1. Justice League: Starcrossed

Titan AE would drop several places (at least to #8) because I'd put Ultimate Avengers/UA2 and Green Lantern: First Flight ahead of it.
 
Hey man, I like Ziro. =/

And tbqh, I liked the movie, but I don't think it's one of 'the best'. The cartoon show (esp. the second season which, so far, has rivaled most anime I've been forced to watch) has gotten a lot better and the animation has greatly improved over the movie.
 
I adore Titan A.E., but I still wouldn't include it on that list. Good idea, poorly voice-acted and executed. There are several songs on the movie's soundtrack that I still listen to, with my favorite being Electrasy's Cosmic Castaway.

So, far as Clone Wars goes, we're in disagreement there. I think it really only has lasting appeal to staunchly committed fans of the franchise. If the latest live-action trilogy hadn't done enough to chase me away, the Clone Wars film and show drove a permanent wedge between us.
 
Coming in late on this one, but I haven't really had time for fan forums this year.

It's funny -- I questioned some titles included as "honorable mentions" but didn't question any of the top 5. But of the top 5, I've only seen Spirited Away anyway. I'm so ashamed! :o I've missed out on a lot of animation in this decade due to life stuff, and I haven't seen more than half of the films that made this list.

But of those I have seen, here's some I don't feel should have been honorable mentions:

- Treasure Planet
While it's a great visual spectacle, that's exactly what I feel caused the film to lose its focus. The core of the story is Jim Hawkins and his adventure, and his relationship with Long John Silver. But it seems Disney got sidetracked during production on this film. First, they became enamored with their new toys -- advances in computer-animation (and an attempt to compete with then-rival Pixar). These "toys" seemed used just because they could (like making Silver a 2D/3D hybrid). It also appeared as though Disney got caught up in trying to make the film *epic* in a sci-fi spin on a classic adventure story and make Silver an even larger-than-life and more outrageous character than he was in the original.

In the process, I feel Disney lost sight of the heart of Stevenson's story and what makes it memorable and timeless.

- Atlantis: The Lost Empire
The boy in me wants to love this film, but the animation critic in me refuses because it's just too flawed. It had many good things going for it, but it fell apart in the execution.

- Meet The Robinsons
This movie is like watching a mash-up of three different films, and what takes place in the middle is a smattering of quirky characters (which is what the book originally was) rapidly introduced but they don't help to advance the plot. They're more of a diversionary time-filler. And sadly, that's actually the most interesting part of the film.

And this movie is also something of an odd duck for Disney since it was in production during the Disney/Pixar merger, which brought in John Lasseter as producer. If it had been released without Lasseter's involvement (he helped change more than half the film), it could very well have been a much different film and possibly a complete box office flop for Disney.

And while the movie has some redeemable qualities and charm, overall it's just weak -- especially when compared with Pixar's films and even some of Dreamwork's better CG-features. And thus it bothers me that it's considered a "Walt Disney Animated Classic".

(And don't even get me started on "Chicken Little.")

- The Road to El Dorado
Just mediocre overall. And proof that celebrity voice casting does not automatically equal big box office returns. The film's budget was $95 mil, and it only made $75 mil total worldwide. Even after home video release, it barely broke even.

- The Simpsons Movie
It just wasn't very memorable for me. Perhaps if it had been produced earlier in the Simpsons' history (like 15 years earlier) before most of the best gags had already been done on the show, I might have enjoyed it more. Also, I'm sick of animated entertainment (esp. primetime animation) being continually used as a platform for proselytizing and affirmative action. And the anti-political subtext of this film was an annoying distraction.


I for two agree with you.

Only if this list were made by Star Wars fans. But the Clone Wars feature film was largely panned by critics and animation fans. Heck, there were a lot of SW fans who didn't like it either. There have been single episodes of the TV series that were better than the feature film.

And I really enjoyed Titan A.E. too, but Harley nailed everything that's right and wrong with it. I don't think it deserved to make the list either.

That is a valid point. Also, Hellboy: Blood and Iron was a D2V release.
 
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