Movie Topic #3: Best Animated Movie

[Vance]

Debate Topic #3:
What is the best animated movie of all time - when you combine the two primary factors of animation quality (traditional, computer, or combination) and plot?

INVALID ARGUMENTS:
NO HENTAI! Movies must be G, PG, PG-13 or R

Founding argument to contest:

Because I love animated movies so much I can't offer a single top movie - so here are my top 3, in no particular order I'm going to admit to:

The Iron Giant
A story close to my heart and childhood that spans generations of those of us who grew up under the shadow of a mushroom cloud... and our father's generation... and our children's too because it's just a damn good story with brilliant animation.

Brad Bird KILLED IT with this movie top to bottom...
Screw the box office - this movie isn't just worth watching on Netflix or On Demand - it's worthy of OWNING! This is one of my go-to movies when I am bored with whatever is on the tube.

Akira
THE Anime film that defines and all others must be graded against. Ghost in the Shell to Bubblegum Crisis to anything new - everything must pay homage to Akira first, and expect to be compared to it over and over again - even as old as it is relatively speaking.

From the motorcycle that ANY true geek would want to own (and a lot of motorcycle enthusiasts too) to the subtle perfect hand drawn way a chain link fence bends under a person's weight this movie goes beyond legendary anime to the ranks of the pantheon of ANY animated feature as far as I'm concerned.

Oh - and don't watch the American re-edit put out in the late 90's / early 00's that they show on Encore and Starz occassionally --- if you're going to watch it, watch the original dubbed version from roughly 91.

and finally:
I was really torn on this one because for me to narrow it down to a top 3 in this catagory is REALLY difficult... I own a lot of animation. There's tons more I wish I owned... but trying to be polite and keep it to a limit of 3 I had to go with:

UP
I will admit it - there are a few movies that make me cry, approximately 5 that can do it consistently - and this is one of them. The first 10 minutes tell a more powerful story without dialogue than the entire Twilight Saga ever will, hell - it tells a more powerful heart wrenching story than MOST rom-coms, chick flicks, and sappy Nicholas Sparks movies ever will COMBINED. The first 10 minutes makes me cry. I will admit that gladly.

The rest of the movie is pretty damn solid too! I have no complaints about any aspect of the ... SQUIRREL! ... ummm... movie. Yeah, sorry.

This movie didn't just deserve it's Best Picture nomination at the Oscars - it fucking deserved to WIN. Fuck Avatar. Fuck The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds and District 9 - all of which I love. UP was the most original, emotional, beautiful movie made that year of those nominees.

Watch that first 10 minutes with just your S.O. or alone, without kids of any age, and tell me you don't well up at least a little!

What say you?

To quote the Joker: "And... here... we... GO!"

[Ghosty]

Can't pick just one category, plus I haven't seen a ton that I still need to...

For Manga/Anime: Akira was my very first Japanese Anime. First time was in the mid 80's, before anyone even knew what this genre was, beyond Battle of the Planets and a few other TV series. We couldn't believe there were "cartoons" that existed like this! Ghost in the Shell and Ninja Scroll are my two favorites though. Akira third. All three are ridiculously sick epic productions, imo. Side-note: Battle of the Planets was my favorite childhood TV cartoon ever, that and Johnny Quest, lol.

Heavy Metal (1981) will be my favorite big animated movie of all time, the stories are incredible, even if the animation is outdated. Totally adult sci-fi (like the magazine obviously), and risque', it was the pinnacle at that time, and had serious impact. Todays kids would probably laugh at it. Fantasia was epic. There's a reason college kids still take mushrooms and go so it when it makes it to arthouse theaters infrequently.

Titan A.E. & Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within were awesome. I can still watch those today and enjoy. Still need to see Iron Giant, Grave of the Fireflies, Princess Mononoke, Coraline, Fist of the North Star, and a hundred others. Others: Animatrix, Wall-E, Monsters Inc., Nemo, lol.

This movie didn't just deserve it's Best Picture nomination at the Oscars - it fucking deserved to WIN. Fuck Avatar. Fuck The Hurt Locker, Inglorious Basterds and District 9 - all of which I love. UP was the most original, emotional, beautiful movie made that year of those nominees."

Wow, I guess I really need to see Up now!

[mdub]

Two that I like are Fist of The NorthStar and Heavy Metal. The graphics of brutality for the time was impressive. But as you go back to view in comparison to today's technology, you wish they would do a remake.

[~Barn~]

Animalympics
[/Thread]

The Secret of NIMH would also be acceptable as First Runner-up.

[Ghosty]

...you wish they would do a remake.

Was HeavyMetal 2000 any good? I don't even remember if I've seen it.

[mdub]

Not a remake. it was not done well, hence no one remembers.

[cptschlongenheimer]

Titan AE
One of the best hand drawn animated films of all time.

[Ghosty]

Forgot to mention a lot of the short films in the Animatrix compilation, KILLER! Or how about the original 1978 Lord of the Rings, even though it was just the first two books. Ralph Bakshi did some cool animation effects by using live-action Rotoscope technique:

[Zach929rr]

Some great ones already mentioned here.

Some of the animated Final Fantasy films are really good.

One of my favorite animes is still Princess Mononoke.

[Mother Goose]

Land Before Time [/thread]








Sharp Tooth!!!

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Heavy Metal for sure my fave. Yeah, the animation is dated....NOW, but, it was meant to look like the magazine anyways (most of you kids have never seen it) way back in '79-ish when it came out. Great stuff with an awesome soundtrack and great cameo's by John Candy etc.

Titan A.E. is cool.

I saw Up with my kids, and it was a great movie.

Another oldie favorite from about '79: Wizards. GREAT movie.

Another good one: 10,000 Years.

[salsashark]

wow... I'm surprised to see so many Titan AE references... I figured I was the only one that had that one on dvd.

My personal favorites (which according to CSC by laws, means that they are the end all - be all of animated movies and everyone else's opinions can suck it):

Titan AE - everyting's been said that I would say

Despicable me: great character development, animation was a nice mix of modern digital and Tim Burton-esque obscure. But mostly because my nephew said that Gru reminded him of me...

Shrek: ONLY THE FIRST ONE... clever take on fairy tales, amazing animation. Great dual level comedy.

Oh, and I really dig Cars... I don't really know why, but I watch it whenever its on.



Since the Animatrix was mentioned, which I also really like, what about animated cut scenes in live action movies? I really dig some of the cut scenes in Natural Born Killers. The movie itself was awful, but some of the animation was really cool... same with Sin City. Oh, and The Wall... how could I forget that?!

[Matty]

Cars.

[Ghosty]

I need to see Wizards again, classic! What's 10,000 Years?

Anyone see "Rock & Rule" (1983)? Kinda Heavy Metal era and level of animation, but killer soundtrack and crazy story.

Since the Animatrix was mentioned, which I also really like, what about animated cut scenes in live action movies? I really dig some of the cut scenes in Natural Born Killers. The movie itself was awful, but some of the animation was really cool... same with Sin City.

Agree, good stuff. How bout the short Japanime' scene from Kill Bill? That was sick.

[asp_125]

Animatrix - The Matrix, with an anime feel.

Pixar's Cars and Cars 2 took animation to a new level with light mapping of the reflections in the chrome and shiny paint. Their attention to detail is apparent in the modeling of the bits of tire rubber and dust kicked up during the big race as the cars zoom past the camera. Somewhat predictable but enjoyable plot line for the kids in all of us.

Nightmare before Christmas - Tim Burton's dark comedy with stop motion animation is always a good way to spend christmas.

Jason & the Argonauts - Remember the fight scene with Jason's crew and the army of skeletons? This was before CGI, back in 1963 using stop motion figures. What a task it must've been to choreograph that sequence integrating live actors.

[Sleev]

the first two that popped into my mind were Akira and Toy Story. I was obssesed with the Akira graphic novels and japanese motorcycles, before the movie came out and got to see the original release in theaters.

I thought the story and aniamtion in Wall-E were very good.

someone else reminded me of how great Princess Mononoke was, I'll have to revisit that.

[Vance]

I need to see Wizards again, classic! What's 10,000 Years?

Anyone see "Rock & Rule" (1983)? Kinda Heavy Metal era and level of animation, but killer soundtrack and crazy story.




Agree, good stuff. How bout the short Japanime' scene from Kill Bill? That was sick.

I remember Rock & Rule - but do you remember "American Pop"? Came out almost immediately after Heavy Metal - REALLY interesting story telling along with another brilliant, eternally locked in litigation, soundtrack.

[Ghosty]

No shit, I WANT that Rock & Rule soundtrack, ugh. The Deborah Harry (Blondie) song in there is awesome. My roommate had it on VHS. I have the DVD, but might need to pick up that 2010 BluRay release and rip the songs to MP3?...

"My name is Mok, thanks a lot!", lol...

I'll check out American Pop, thanks!

[vort3xr6]

Wall-E. Love that damn robot.

[jbnwc]

As a parent of two kiddos, I've probably watched more animation in the last 3 years than non-parents would believe is possible in a lifetime. I keep going back to The Incredibles, How to Train Your Dragon, and Despicable Me. I don't mind Toy Story, either. My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake can die in a fire.

[Ghost]

Debate Topic #3:
What is the best animated movie of all time - when you combine the two primary factors of animation quality (traditional, computer, or combination) and plot?

Grave of the Fireflies.
Ebert named it one of the best war movies ever and put it on his list of Greatest Movies.


Transformers the Movie.
Because fuck you Shai Lebouf.


Sleeping Beauty (Disney)
Because Dragon

Black Cauldron
just because

Fantasia
Because amazing hand-drawn cels

[grim]

Toy Story was my all time favorite as a kid, and it is my kids favorite right now.

As for being an adult and enjoying watching animated movies with my kid i like watching Coraline the plot is somewhat creepy, the graphics are very good (it can be bought in 3D), and definitely reminds me of when i was a kid and how my imagination would run away from me, always looking for a secret passageway.

[CaptGoodvibes]

I can't narrow it down to less than 20 'best' animated films...

[Ghosty]

List your top-10 or 20 then, sounds good.