  |
|
|
|
Ten movies that every animated film fan should know about.
Welcome to the source of all things animated. By way of introduction, here's a list of 10 movies that I feel are absolutely essential viewing to every fan of animated flicks. This list is in no particular order, and all comments are in my far-from-humble opinion. 10) The Incredibles (2004, dir: Brad Bird): Pixar's finest hour to date. This is a brilliant deconstruction of the super-hero myth, and a sidesplittingly funny movie to boot. It features well-rounded characters in well-realized situations: one empathizes with Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible's struggles to fit into ordinary society, while coming to terms with his need to help others. Bird's script even offers sympathy for geeky Buddy Pine, Mr. Incredible's "biggest fan." It's also proof that well-rendered (and voiced) cartoon characters can out-emote even their 'human' counterparts. Unlike far too many other family movies, it references everything from James Bond movies to Leave It to Beaver for laughs without bashing you over the head (what I call "the club moment"). It also demonstrates that no other North American studio even comes close to Pixar's mastery of computer generated (CG) animation. This DVD should be in every movie lover's collection. Favourite running joke: continual references to every villain's compulsive need to monologue. Most Hollywood scriptwriters should be wincing right now. 9) Whisper of the Heart (1995, dir: Yoshifumi Kondou): There will be a fair amount of Japanese anime showing up on this list, and for very good reason. Just like in car manufacturing, the Japanese are showing North America how animation should be done, and Whisper of the Heart is no exception. Hayao Miyazaki (remember the name) adapted the screenplay from Aoi Hiragi's comic about a 14-year-old girl's first love, and brings freshness and heart to the tired teen-romance genre. This movie even made me like the saccharine John Denver song 'Country Roads,' a major feat. This is also a historical curiosity, marking the first time that Studio Ghibli mixed CG with traditional cell animation. Unfortunately, this was Kondou's only directorial effort for Ghibli; he died of an aneurysm in 1998. Recommendation: as with most anime films, it's better to seek out the original Japanese version (with subtitles), rather than the dubbed English version. A lot of strange things can happen on the voyage between Japan and North America. Coming soon: numbers 8 and 7.
The copyright of the article Ten Essential Movies (1 of 5) in Animated Films is owned by Dominic von Riedemann. Permission to republish Ten Essential Movies (1 of 5) in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|
|
|
