The Best (And Worst) Of 2008 In Animation

J

JayDax

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Since it's almost 2009 and I know I did the same thing since 2006 but I want to hear from you members what you think of this year about animation. We'll talk about the best and worst shows, episodes, episodes examples, writers, actors, news, and etcetera and/or tell me why. Neutral things in animation are accepted.
 
WALL-E...
CLEARLY THE BEST OF 2008.

Actually one of the best animated films ever. Ground Breaking in many ways: story, mood, technique, and so many others. A great film Yet strange and unsatisfying and that is the greatness.

This film leaves you uneasy, kinda like it didn't feel right. And that is what it is supposed to make you feel. Why? Because the problem that it discusses is unfinished, yet to be finished and one that we need to face and overcome.
 
It's officially 2009 now! And I'm late declaring my Best/Worst of 2008:

BEST ANIMATED FEATURES:

Wall-E- Pixar has another winner... what can I say?

Bolt- A step in the right direction for Disney.

The Tale of Despereaux- Was genuinely surprised at how good this film actually is despite it's troubled production. It's this year's "overlooked gem" film like Surf's Up in 2007.

Kung-Fu-Panda- A decent, but far from perfect, film from Dreamworks and a step in the right direction for them. Hopefully they keep it up!

Justice League: New Frontier- For a DTV release... this was pretty good. An improvement over Superman Doomsday (although I enjoyed that too) although I really wish they kept the character designs from the Justice League TV show... those were so much better.

WORST (Or worst looking) ANIMATED FEATURES:

Horton Hears a Who- A horror to sit through.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Film)- Stiff, expressionless animation.

Space Chimps- More crap from Vanguard.

Delgo- Ugliest character design award anyone?
 
I'm listing only the best, since I really don't see anything too bad this year for the worst.

Best Comedies:

-Total Drama Island: Very entertaining Canadian show. Smart, funny writing that may push the envelope, and characters that grow on you. There's a reason this show is breaking CN records.

-The Venture Brothers: At it's third season, this show never slows down on the parodies of DC, Marvel, spy thrillers, and sci-fi pastiches. A perfect combination of heavy continuity and smart humor. I can forgive the fact that we'll wait another whole year for the fourth season.

-Moral Orel: I wasn't originally a fan of this show when it first started. However, it went from parodying Davey and Goliath and becoming dependent on taking jabs at religion and shock value to actually having interesting stories with more humanized and real characters, deep and thoughtful writing, and interesting use of continuity. While the comedy started to lack towards the end, it was worth it for the interesting writing. You will be missed.

Best Action-Adventures:

-The Spectacular Spider-Man: I might as well declare this show Best Animated Show of 2008. Creative art and designs, smooth and fluid animation, breath-taking action sequences, surprising twists, intelligent writing, clever set-up for future stories, smart humor, characters that grow and mature, credible threats, and the most refreshing use of the Spider-Man mythos in a long time. Anything else?

-Avatar: The Last Airbender: Another great show that comes to a (mostly) satisfactory end. The animation and beautiful art made this show a treat to watch, and does a fine job balancing development for all of its main characters. The finale, especially, provides the ending Star Wars failed to do: A happy, optimistic ending, but with some loose ties, casualties, and no illogical "magical peace and harmony for everyone forever" garbage. I'll save my Aang/Katara complaints for another time...

-Batman: The Brave and the Bold: Refreshing art inspired by Batman artist Dick Sprang and fine voice acting were reasons for me to keep watching. But its the entertaining, unique portrayals of Batman and several B-list DC heroes and the amount of respect the creators pay to DC history that make it a must-watch.
 
I guess I'll join in the fun and voice my picks for best and worst of 2008:

Best Animated Movies:

WALL-E--fantastic movie! Pixar does NOT disappoint!!!:D
Bolt--I just saw it. Very enjoyable movie with nice animation and good story.:)
Kung Fu Panda--Jack Black was hilarious!:D
Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning--a nicely done prequel!:anime:
Batman: Gotham Knight--you can't go wrong with this one!;)
Barbie in A Christmas Carol--I felt this version about a stage actress with a swelled head was a nice touch.:anime:

Best Animated TV Shows:

Spectacular Spiderman--I've been a fan of the character since I saw eps of the 1967 version back in 1977 at age 5. This version is just as terrific! The animation's fantastic, the stories are great, and the action is superb!:D I can't wait to see Season 2 starting March, 2009 on DisneyXD!:D
Phineas & Ferb--I love this show! Especially Ashley Tisdale as Candace because I love her voice!:anime:
Total Drama Island--a terrific show that parodies reality shows. The stunts were hilarious, and the characters seemed to grow on you.:D
6Teen--I'm so happy this fantastic show has come back to America! It reminds me a little of Saved By The Bell.:anime:
Ben 10: Alien Force--I love this new version!!! Gwen looks so lovely as a teenager!:anime:
Secret Saturdays--enjoyable show. I'm happy Nicole Sullivan is still in the VA business. I'll always love her as Mira Nova & Shego!:anime:

Worst Animated Movies:

Space Chimps--very weak humor.:sad:

Worst Animated TV Shows:

Chowder--the animation looks awful!:(
Flapjack--same as Chowder.:(
GoGoRiki--this should have stayed in Moscow!:(

I think that's about it. Hope I did ok.:)
 
If anything, the animation is one of the strong points of Flapjack.:shrug:

Anyways, am I the only one who thought "Kung Fu Panda" was more entertaining than "Wall-E"? Don't get me wrong, I really liked "Wall-E" but in terms of sheer entertainment value, I thought "Kung Fu Panda" was fantastic.
 
Best Animated Movies:

Wall-E

(That's all I saw and I could care less about seeing Kung Fu Panda) :shrug:

Best shows:

1. Avatar- Amazing finale, best characters, gorgeous art and music. :D
2. Code Geass: R2- One of my fave shows. :D
3. TDI- Pretty good...

Worst shows:

Flapjack- Honestly, I don't like this show. And I have seen a lot of epis. The humor is not my cup of tea... But I do like the main character a bit...
Back at the Barnyard- Nick needs to get better shows...
Tons more...

:sweat:
 
i generally avoid animated movies.... because for the most part they disappoint me... but Wall-E was really good


good show wise:

Moral Orel - the show became less of a comedy show, and more of a serious show that tied up all of the knots...... Dino did a great job on this series and im sad to see it go... but happy once i get Moral Orel dvds

Chowder - didnt like this show at first..... but it grew on me...

Superjail! - the art style was awesome, the story lines are awesome... this whole show is awesome

bad show wise:
The Secret Saturdays.... its basically Johnny Quest..... but not as cool as it and for some reason

Batman: Bold and the Brave - the art style threw me off....... that plus Batman usually goes solo

Space Chimps - i already dislike animated movies... and this just help me grow even more hate for them
 
Well, I personally enjoy the cartoon for the following reasons:

  • An amazing homage to Hanna-Barbara action/adventure series such as Jonny Quest and The Herculoids.
  • Unlike other series, the villain actually wins quite a bit. A freshing change of pace.
  • The humor in the series is usually pretty good, and they can easily be serious when they need to.
  • It has a bunch of cryptids.
 
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