Best Animated Movies of all time
The French introduced the world to animated films when Emile Cohl created the first standard animated film- Fantasmagorie. The world of animated films has come a really long way since then. Even now, with advancements in technology, every new animated film that comes out has that edge over the last one that came out, at least in terms of animation quality.
No matter how old we become, our love for our favorite animated films never dies. We can always watch those few animated films one more time; no matter how many previous we’ve watched them. Animated films also have a wider ranging audience than most feature films because everyone-children, adults and the elderly- love watching them.
Warner Bros. and Walt Disney Pictures (Pixar Animation Studios) are some of the studios that have emerged as big names in the field of animated feature films, in more recent years.
Some animated films go on to become timeless classics and often have a very few people dislike them. They manage to please everyone in the audience, including their critics. Some of the most loved and popular animated feature films include:
Shrek
The Shrek franchise has a total of four parts which include Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek The Third and Shrek Forever After, of which the first was released was released in 2001. The movies were released by Dreamworks Pictures. It is loosely adapted from William Steig’s fairy tale picture book Shrek! The films fall under the comedy genre. The films revolve around the life of an ogre named Shrek and his adventures. Other important characters in the films include Donkey and Princess Fiona. The films were very well received by audiences around the world and Shrek was also entered into the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, the first animated film to receive the honor since Disney’s Peter Pan.
The Incredible
The Incredibles was released in 2004 by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Brad Bird. The film is about a family of superheroes: The dad is this super strong man who can lift almost everything; the mom can stretch any part of her body to any extent; the son can run faster than light and the daughter can become invisible and possesses psychic powers. Although they are a family of superheroes, they live their life disguised as an ordinary suburban family. The dad, Mr. Incredible, is the kind of guy who likes to help people and this quality ultimately leads the family to fight and evil villain and his army of robots.
Beauty and the Beast
We have all listened to our mothers and fathers recite the classic tale of The Beauty and the Beast to us at bedtime but, in 1991, Walt Disney Feature Animation released an animated film portraying the same tale. It was the 30th film in the Walt Disney Animated Classic Series. For those of you who haven’t heard the tale, it is about the relationship between a Beast- a prince who was magically transformed into a monster as punishment for his arrogance and a princess named Belle who he imprisons in his castle. The turn of events makes the princess fall in love which the Beast who then transforms back to his human form and of course, they live happily ever after.
Rataouille
The film was produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures in the year 2007. The title refers to a French dish “Ratatouille”. The movie is a about a mouse, a mouse who has a passion for cooking. One day, he gets separated from his family and finds himself in Paris, right in front of his idol’s restaurant. He then befriends a human and through him (he controls him by pulling his hair) he begins working at one of the fanciest restaurants in Paris. The film gives the message that nothing is impossible if you are passionate enough about it.
Alladin
Alladin was released in 1992 by Walt Disney Pictures. It is also one of the classic animated features which are seen and loved by almost everyone. The story is about how poor petty thief, Alladin, who find a magical oil lamp in the Cave of Wonders. Inside the lamp, resides a Genie (voiced by Robin Williams) who grants people three wishes. Alladin, in his third wish, wishes of the freedom of the genie. Alladin and Genie then go on to have many adventures together with his monkey, Abu and Princess Jasmine.
WALL-E
WALL-E is an American computer animated science fiction romantic comedy film. It was produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released in 2008. It is a movie set far in the future, after the human race apparently lays Earth to waste. The movie is about a robot, Wall-E, who is designed to clean-up the waste covered planet and how he falls in love with another robot Eve and follows her into outer space, changing the destiny of both humans as well as robots. The story has a happy ending with humans trying to restore their home planet, and Eve falls in love with Wall-E.
How to Train Your Dragon
The How to Train Your Dragon franchise has two films, the second part of which was recently released this year. The first part has been released back in 2010 and was received with open arms by its audiences. The second part was just as, or probably more successful than the first one. The film is about Hiccup who is a young Viking teenager living in a village which is frequently invaded by dragons and who’s people slay dragons to protect their sheep and themselves. One day, Hiccup finds a dragon (Nightfury) injured and trapped. Instead of killing it, he chooses to befriend it and soon realizes that his people have been very wrong in judging dragons.
Kung Fu Panda
Kung Fu Panda was produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures in 2008. Set in a version of ancient inhabited by talking animals, the story revolves around a panda named Po, who dreams of becoming a kung fu master despite being aware of his limitations. His life takes an expected turn when he is ‘mistakenly’ chosen to be The Dragon Warrior. Po is then trained by Master Shifu who learns that anything is possible if one believes in it. With his help, Po goes on to learn kung fu and also master it, teaching us that if we believe in our dreams, they can come true.
Up
Up was released in 2009 by Walt Disney Pictures. The film tells the tale of an elderly widower by the name of Carl Fredricksen and a young Wilderness Explorer (Boy Scout), Russell. Together they set off to fulfill Mr. Fredricksen’s promise to his wife to see the wilds of South America. He transports his entire house by tying thousands of balloons to it and making it fly. On the way, Russell and Mr. Fredricksen encounter a villain with an army of dogs who plans to capture a colorful bird while they try to save him. Dealing with the problems, they finally manage to reach Paradise Falls and Carl completes the promise he made to his wife.
Toy Story
The Toy Story franchise has three parts, first of which was released by Walt Disney Pictures in 1995. The story follows a group of anthromorphic toys who appear to be lifeless in front of humans. The main characters in the story include a pull-string cowboy doll, Woody and an astronaut action figure, Buzz Lightyear. Although humans are unaware of it, these toys have many adventures together, fighting villains, saving their lives and watching each other’s backs. All three parts of this franchise are brilliantly written and produced.
Finding Nemo
Finding Nemo is a comedy-drama adventure film released in 2003 by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Andrew Stanton. The film tells the tale of a clownfish Marlin, whose son, Nemo gets captured by fishermen and separated from Marlin. Marlin then sets off to find his son and his accompanied by a fish, Dory, who has a bit of a memory problem. The films revolves around their journey across the oceans and their encounters with different characters. The movie received high critical acclaim and also won the Academy Award for the Best Animated Feature.
The Lion King
Probably the most watched and love animated feature of all time, The Lion King was released in 1994 by Walt Disney Feature Animation. The Lion Kings tell the story of Simba, a young lion whose father, Mufasa is betrayed by his own brother, Scar, Scar then tricks Simba into believing that he is to be blamed to his father death which fools poor Simba which forces him to flee into exile in shame and despair. Successful in his plan, Scar then goes on to becoming the new king. However, the events lead Simba to the truth about his father’s death and he comes back to confront Scar. The movie won two Academy Awards, one Golden Globe and several other awards and nominations.
