The Sunday Telegraph's Top 10 Animation Movies

H

Heidi A

New member
The Sunday Telegraph announced their Top 100 movies today, they did it by making Top 10 lists in ten genres, of which one was animation.

Here's the list:

1. Dimensions of Dialogue (1982)
2. The Jungle Book (1967)
3. Spirited Away (2001)
4. Toy Story (1995)
5. Komposition in Blau (1935)
6. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
7. The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb (1993)
8. Finding Nemo (2003)
9. Perfect Blue (1998)
10. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Personally, I would have probably picked Pinocchio over either The Jungle Book or Snow White. I've not seen half of these so it is difficult to comment beyond that.

Put your reactions here.
 
For someone who like Miyazaki, I'm surprised that two of his films are on his list. Also, where's the love for more CGI films like Toy Story: heartfelt, inspiring to take the craft of animation to new heights, and is better than some of the other CGI films that we have out here in this world today?
 
What are these?



Only one is on the list. Grave of the Fireflies he worked on a bit, but Isao Takahatta was the director.
 
Oh man, I squeed when I read this. Finally we get something besides Pixar, Disney, Ghibli and the Iron Giant getting the limelight.



Dimensions of Dialogue is a stop motion film by the Czech surrealist Jan Svankmajer consisting of three sections meditating on human communication (or, lack thereof). Composition in Blue is one of Oskar Fischinger's abstract films, while Tom Thumb is a British movie consisting mainly of pixilation (stop-motion with actors).
 
AH, old Jan Svankmajer. You never expect anyone to bring him up in a mainstream animation forum. What's the name of that film where the food based being, the technology based being, and the written word based being eat each other and vomit up claymation human? I keep forgetting the name of that exact piece, but I knows it all well.

This is definately the list of an animation student or something, and not, "Here's a bunch of Disney movies I like" listed.
 
Someone who made this list has odd taste. Jungle Book and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves being the best Disney films? Perculiar choices if you ask me. IMO,Dumbo,Alice in Wonderland and Pinnochio are the best animated features,period.
 
I think the reasoning behind Snow White and Jungle Book being picked to represent Disney is that they were the first and last animated movies that Walt worked on - the alpha and omega of his work, if you will.

Another factor might be that The Jungle Book seems to be surprisingly well regarded in the UK. That's what I've noticed, anyway - it tends to do well in these lists over here, while American critics often overlook it. Dunno why this is, just something I've seen.
 
While I think Snow White was an important film to cartoon history (being the first animated feature) I don't think it can even compare to what they did in the 40's.
As for Jungle Book, it's been years since I've seen it, so I can't judge. :sweat:
 
Hey Jerry, I know it's a little OT, but is there any chance you could post the other nine lists? The Telegraph website doesn't seem to have this feature...
 
They're not "weird" choices. They're more worldly than we are here in the US. Frankly this nation is too self-absorbed. We tend to be isolationists when it comes to arts and culture (and everything else really). I'd wager over 90% of the American populace would never consider watching a foreign film because they're to lazy to read subtitles.
 
I'm not sure if that's really the case. Unless this list was compiled via some kind of reader survey, which I doubt, then it's not the view of the general British public, it's the view of a film critic - and there must be any number of American critics who have at least some knowledge of Svankmajer and Fischinger.

That said, I think Britain is a little more open to offbeat animation than America. I mean, I heard one of our most popular comedians casually using the term "Svankmajeresque" in an interview, which isn't something I'd expect from Jon Stewart...
 
Flaklypa Grand Prix Grand Prix, Comet in Moomin Land and Jungo Goes Bananas should had been on the list instead of Snow White, Spirited Away and Toy Story.
 
lol ... not tonight but maybe if I can't sleep one night.




About Jungle Book, they say this:

"As radical a film for Disney as Elvis was for popular music: ripping up the cutesy, picture-book approach, and, instead, going for something altogether more hip and swinging, Alongside Mary Poppins one of the most underrated musicals in film history"
 
WTF? I haven't heard of those films, but they'd have to be pretty freaking amazing to be more deserving than a masterpiece like Spirited Away and the undeniably significant Toy Story (I'd say Snow White as well, but despite its importance, it's not that great a movie).
 
I don't know about the other two, but Flaklypa Grand Prix (AKA Pinchcliffe Grand Prix) could well be a strong contender - it's been on IMDB's top 100 animated movies for as long as I can remember and is currently at #20, so making a top 10 isn't out of the question. Also, its director Ivo Caprino is apparently very well regarded in his native Norway, so I wouldn't be surprised if quite a few people would choose his work over Miyazaki's.

Snow White and Toy Story though... does it really have the historical significance to match those two?
 
Back
Top