View Full Version : jal90's 50 favorite animated films
"Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images to create an illusion of movement." --Wikipedia dixit.
This will be the first time I try something like this, and I decided to pick animation not only because of how much it has meant in my whole film watching experience, but also because it had a relatively recent growth on me, so I can feel more easily attached to the stuff I comment and not simply talk from vague memories of my childhood and teen years. Of course, there are some choices that belong to those periods of my life, and those will probably be more difficult for me to talk about.
Animation has just happened to become the mean of artistic expression I've grown more attached to during these years; I am not one to defend if it is better or worse than other forms of art, including live action films. In fact I stand for the total integration of it in the category of cinema, without any sort of external consideration. Just an alternative way of expressing a narrative audiovisually, equally valid and with the same potential to bring the best or the worst and the exact same range of feelings.
That said, I find the idea of the creative process involving any piece of animation specially fascinating, how it brings to life things that are lifeless by definition. Sticking around this point of view I have explored many different styles. Based on that question, too, I have to put emphasis once again on the question about the identity of animation. Regardless of it being considered a genre or a medium, one has to make clear what do any of these words mean; animation will never be a genre as it is commonly defined, simply because this definition is thematical and driven by the content, and as well as any other forms of art, there are no limits to it. In my list there will be absurd comedies, brutal tragedies and psycho-thrillers as well as subtle character dramas and fantasies. And they will be directed towards children, teenagers or adult audiences.
On how am I going to organize this, my idea is making an entry per post. This is not conceived as an attempt to increase my postcount, but rather a way to obligate me to put more detail into my comments. Some of these comments will be longer than other ones, simply because I have been exposed to them more recently or because due to their nature I can talk about them more freely. But I think it is a good way to spread my efforts through the movies of the list. Also, it will be better if I can focus on one work each time.
My content will be exclusively full-length films. That is, short films are a great source and I enjoy many of them, but I have always had the impulse of separating them. There are some movies with a structural division in episodes, I will consider them full-length for the sake of this thread, if there is a common storyline among them.
So that's all, sorry for the absurdly long intro, and I am going to start right now.
http://i.imgur.com/QMP4aUG.jpg?1
50. Tangled
Nathan Greno & Byron Howard, 2010
Disney's position in the animation industry became increasingly damaged after its rise at the 90s; the appearance of new studios with fresh ideas on how to treat animation for kids made its formula grow stagnant and overall less interesting. The studio showed its problems to adapt its style to the new generations while keeping its seal.
And then, Tangled came. Admittedly, The princess and the frog was sold before as the necessary update of the studio, but I couldn't come to enjoy this one that much; it tried to recover the old Disney traits and give them a fresh breath, but its ambition only covered the stylistic approach to the typical fairytale, the setting and some minor traits.
On the contrary, Tangled makes a better example of the definitive "bang the table" moment of Disney. Based on a rather well-known fairytale, following the classic structure of the old princess movies the studio has always been known for, and adding the character focus and emotional growth of Pixar, the comedic timing of Dreamworks and the dark imagery of the old 40s' Disney.
It is simple in its narrative, but also very, astoundingly powerful in its delivery. The 3D animation, which seemed to be a con to get back this "classic" feel, works perfectly well at this story, which of course is also a consequence of this studio having enough budget to make everything look incredibly fluid.
As a result of these qualities, Tangled stands as the best sample of how Disney can still work, update its discourse in order to adapt itself to the new century, but still be and feel like Disney. I don't know how will the time treat this film, but for me it is already a well-deserving classic.
http://i.imgur.com/cm77ax2.png
49. The girl who leapt through time
Mamoru Hosoda, 2006
Time travelling is a very common trope in science fiction, and The girl who leapt through time doesn't seem to add anything of substance to the nature of this concept, if anything the incredibly risky and crazy way that drives this ability.
I believe that the real qualities of this movie don't come just due to the, already fascinating, idea of time travelling, but to the portrayal Hosoda makes of a daily high school life and how this new element completely disrupts it. I don't know how many times has this done exactly, but at the time it surprised me because it brought a rather negative perspective to the skill. It is increasingly clear as the movie goes on and Makoto almost unconsciously ends up creating a serious mess. And as she tries to change things for good, it only serves to make them worse.
Probably the most effective trait of this depiction is how what starts as a game with a very basic structure and objectives, ends up having consequences that Makoto can't dominate; not because of her bad use of the ability specifically, but due to her inability to keep herself in a real context and think about what is bound to happen if she changes the structure of her world, regardless of simple event associations.
The depiction of the school, friends and family life of Makoto is very competent and helps to build the context and develop the characters, making for a great piece of slice-of-life feel that contrasts with the extraordinary nature of the storyline.
The drawing and character design is quite simple, but I found the animation to be incredibly fluid for anime standards, which made a very pleasant surprise. One way or the other, this is not a specially outstanding work in its art, but in its writing.
My only complaint comes with the events of the last half hour, which feel like a gratuitous deus ex machina to change the path of the storyline and reach a different ending than the one that seemed to flow naturally. That ending is, by itself, pretty good and effective, but not as a part of this story.
Cobpyth
04-21-13, 12:51 PM
Interesting list. I also really like that you give a short review of each film. I'm looking forward to the rest of your list!
I already watched Tangled and I also think it's a pretty good movie with beautiful animation and some cool characters.
Haven't seen the other one yet.
jiraffejustin
04-21-13, 12:58 PM
Tangled is enjoyable enough, if I were to put together a top 50 it probably wouldn't make the cut though. I still need to see TGWLTT, it looks fascinating.
I think you should do a separate list for animated shorts, because animated shorts are awesome. Have you seen King-Size Canary?
Yep, jiraffejustin, I have watched and loved King-Size Canary. My favorites are Disney's The old mill and Looney Tunes' Duck amuck, though. I will probably consider making another top for shorts someday, it's just that I am used to separating them.
Interesting list. I also really like that you give a short review of each film. I'm looking forward to the rest of your list!
I already watched Tangled and I also think it's a pretty good movie with beautiful animation and some cool character.
Haven't seen the other one yet.
Thanks for your words, Cobpyth :). I don't know if I'll be able to bring more or less structured reviews on everything I put here, but will try.
Tangled surprised me, even despite the good reviews I had read. It just works reasonably well in everything it tries. I wouldn't call it my favorite animated work but it's quite interesting taking into account how little has Disney stood out in the industry during the last decade.
Will continue with the list later.
jiraffejustin
04-21-13, 01:08 PM
That bit about standing out compared to Disney's recent output hits the nail on the head. Compared to the recent Disney output, Tangled is Citizen Kane.
http://i.imgur.com/o9cIKtd.jpg?1
48. Ponyo on the cliff by the sea
Hayao Miyazaki, 2008
This is the first of the many Ghiblies that will appear at this list, a movie that in the context of the director's work doesn't seem like anything special, however it is endlessly enjoyable and bordering excellence.
The film narrates the friendship between a little human boy, Sosuke, and fish child Ponyo, in a very stylized adaptation of Andersen's The little mermaid. It is clear that Miyazaki's narrative becomes very strong when he depicts children. He makes them feel lively, energetic, random; he understands their reactions quite well and they become easily believable. To a point this is one of the things I was most fond of when I became a fan of Ghibli, well-delivered kid characters who didn't fall in a plain stereotype nor seemed to care about performing a specific emotional mission.
The whole story doesn't seem to care about the major events that end up happening and tends to focus quite a lot on the scenes of their interaction and Sosuke's family life with Lisa, in a very charming portrayal of their routine with the right dose of innocent comedy. This will later become a con with a last act that is filled with rushed events to bring a conclusion to the story, but it's also the main reason why I enjoy Ponyo. It is just a little quiet and relaxing piece, filled with bright colours and cuteness, that always puts me in a very nice mood.
Although probably the most relevant aspect of this work comes from its production, as it was completely made with traditional animation. I read in Guaporense's top that it is one of the most expensive anime films ever made, and definitely one of the most thorough. The result is as eye-candy as it can get; in the same way as Disney's Lilo & Stitch, this film uses watercolor, which become specially sophistiquated at the incredibly beautiful scene of Ponyo's emersion in her newly acquired human shape, one of my favorite animated scenes ever made.
http://i.imgur.com/Ck0IpyH.png?1
47. One Piece: Episode of Nami
Katsumi Tokoro, 2012
I bet this will be one of the least popular choices of this thread, lol. Not only in its condition of a movie based on an insanely long series, that doesn't seem to fit the general tastes here, but in its added condition of being, besides, a recap.
So why am I putting it here? Well, first and firemost I will say that I happen to be a fan of One Piece; it was a series I discovered last August and from then on I have been watching and marathoning its almost 600 episodes (and still running). Episode of Nami is a recent TV-movie, it first aired more or less at the time I started watching the series, and its storyline is basically an alternative narration (in movie format) of an arc of this series.
Usually, I'm not that fond of recaps, but this arc happens to be my transitional phase at this series, the moment where I stopped being a casual watcher and became a fan. This was the arc that defined who would eventually become my favorite character, the first to strike me emotionally and make me realize how fond I would become of this show and characters.
Episode of Nami tells exactly the same story, which lasted 15 episodes in the series, during less than two hours. It does feel a little bit rushed at the action sequences; however the emotional ones are very well-respected and perfectly delivered, which surprised me given the compressed nature of this work. It is, above all, an improvement in animation quality, it looks pretty well and relatively fluid.
You have probably noticed that I didn't try to talk about its storyline in depth in this case; that's because the events that it narrates are tied to the main story of the series and talking about it would ruin with spoilers some of its moments. This is a movie directed at people who are familiar with the original source.
Guaporense
04-22-13, 02:28 AM
The Girl Who Leap Through Time is a remake of a 1980's live action movie. I found it to be excellent, just that little J-pop song near the end hurt the movie a little, as I find J-pop to be a bit too much heavy on the cheese.
The Girl Who Leap Through Time is generally regarded as one of the greatest animated films ever made. I had it much higher on my list. Ponyo was also much higher on my list of animations, though I am a big Miyazaki fanboy.
I haven't watched the other two. The One Piece: Episode of Nami appears to look good (so I gave + rep), I plan to watch it someday. The Disney one looks a bit sugary but since I have noticed it on several of these top animations lists I may try it sometimes.
The Girl Who Leap Through Time is generally regarded as one of the greatest animated films ever made. I had it much higher on my list.
Well, it's the first of three Hosoda works to appear here; I am very fond of this film, but find that the last 30 minutes are taken out of the natural flow of events. They don't seem to follow the same coherence than the rest of the story.
Ponyo was also much higher on my list of animations, though I am a big Miyazaki fanboy.
Miyazaki will be a rather common appearance in the first half of my list, he's probably my favorite overall director.
I haven't watched the other two. The One Piece: Episode of Nami appears to look good (so I gave + rep), I plan to watch it someday.
Well, in this case this needs to be asked before. Do you watch, or have followed, One Piece?
The cases of a movie based on a series require having this into account usually; but I emphasize that in the case of One Piece because it is very progressive in its plot, it doesn't have an episodic nature or isolated arcs (except fillers). And this movie is a recap of an arc, it's not the first, therefore there's the chance that you don't understand the events that drive to it.
The Disney one looks a bit sugary but since I have noticed it on several of these top animations lists I may try it sometimes.
I think Tangled's appearance doesn't make justice to what this film means. Specially on Rapunzel: depicting a classic fairytale princess in such an active, likeable and emotionally compelling mode is a rarity if it's compared with stuff like Sleeping beauty or Cinderella.
http://i.imgur.com/9KJrrvY.jpg
46. The iron giant
Brad Bird, 1999
Well, I have to admit in this case that my memories are not so clear, as it has been a long time, but this movie really stroke me emotionally, it is the example of how a fable directed at kids should be. The elements are not in any way new: it is a classic story about a friendship which is threatened by external factors; it is also about discovering a new, and unknown side of yours. However this was not what I found amazing, but the great delivery. Brad Bird is a genius writer. I was introduced to him by his very remarkable work with The Simpsons and this movie only confirms that he really does know how to build the situations and character interactions. The dialogue is filled with so many witty remarks around the Cold War, but still they don't sound in any way strange or artificial, they work perfectly in their context. The emotion is also genuine and very effective, with the Superman moment being one of my favorite tearjerker scenes.
This and the next few movies from my top list are ones I don't have as fresh in my mind as the rest, so my comments will be more short and talking about very general things. The iron giant is an amazing piece of overall exposition of emotions, but sadly I can't go very specifically to point scenes among the whole; instead I'm just commenting my overall feelings on it.
Daniel M
04-22-13, 02:22 PM
I like Tangled, seen it a few times as my nine year old sister always has it on Disney CineMagic or whatever it's called... pretty good :p
And I love The Iron Giant, although I haven't watched it in years, absolutely loved it as a child, I remember repeatedly watching it and used to draw loads of pictures of the giant, need to give it a re watch definitely.
http://i.imgur.com/hh4BLKn.jpg
45: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
Mamoru Oshii, 2004
Sadly, I don't have very clear memories on what Ghost in the Shell and this sequel brought in terms of their actual content; not because I watched them specially late, but because of the weight of their content, the philosophical themes around these two movies. I really do want to rewatch them soon, but so far, only Innocence made my top50 in its first viewing. Again, I'm going to be vaguer than how I'd like.
This sequel has been put in a lower level for being more flashy and in a way less authentic than the original classic, I can definitely see where does this come from because Innocence's visuals look cleaner, instead of the "dirty" and dystopian looks of the 1995 movie, however I found it more satisfactory precisely due to how the story was handled. I can't point at a specific reason for that and it may change in a rewatch, but I felt the characters were, paradoxically, more authentic in this sequel. The main problem I had with Ghost in the Shell is that the conflicts in themselves interest me more than the way they are set; that is, I don't get a special feeling for seeing a character in a certain situation, even if I do get that feeling for the situation or the concept alone. In Innocence that didn't happen to me, I got my emotional connection through the characters. Even though the dialogue is more overelaborate, pedantic and apparently artificial, I could definitely see those random philosophical moments having an actual relatable context behind, as if it was more understandable for characters in their condition to actually speak like that.
I liked both movies a lot, though, and hope to rewatch them and take a look at the rest of the GitS universe.
fuze931
04-22-13, 04:19 PM
Very interested in this list!
http://i.imgur.com/lO5Kcx0.jpg?1
44. Summer Wars
Mamoru Hosoda, 2009
Directed after The girl who leapt through time, Summer Wars was charged with a huge responsibility; it was the movie that had to continue the path of originality and authorial development set by the previous one.
And instead, we get a standard romance comedy mixed with a standard "race against the clock" story.
The funny thing is that, despite this -more apparent than real, I'd say- lack of originality and personality, Summer Wars results in a more well-rounded, and overall more enjoyable work than its predecessor. It is an amazing piece of entertainment, in the sense that it only gets growingly tense and fun as the story progresses. And in its technical values it is absolutely fascinating, the virtual reality scenes and the transition are all of them a visual delight.
The plot, behind its apparent simplicity, hides very interesting traits; I was very fond of this absurd mix of old, typical Japanese family values with the increasing and invasive presence of technology in their lives, making a contrast that is kept during the whole story and links very well the romance tropes and associated character development with the increasing presence of the futuristic action.
The thing is that, as well as in its original elements, Summer Wars stands out in its depiction of the stereotypes and tropes it deals with. The characters remain recognizable and very well-developed; despite it's Kenji the one who drives the main events of the story, it's the girl, Natsuki, who ends up becoming the most interesting and well-rounded character, and at times even becomes the first emotional source of the film, outshining the main elements of the story.
By the way, thanks for your comments, Daniel M and fuze931 (and the rest).
http://i.imgur.com/9TZlM7T.jpg?1
43. The twelve tasks of Asterix
René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo & Pierre Watrin, 1976
Although I have never been really into the Asterix comics and movies, they managed to remain as a part of my childhood. The mix of historical placements and elements, hilarious anachronisms and a very stylized drawing was both fun to read and didactic.
The twelve tasks of Asterix is probably my favorite story out of the Asterix franchise. It is based on the myth of Hercules' 12 Labours and narrates the twelve tasks that the gauls will have to accomplish to finally be recognised by the eternal villain, Roman general Julius Caesar. One of the main traits of the story is that it works rather perfectly as a conclusion, that is, instead of battling for the statu quo to be returned, the plotline is more directed towards finally spotting the end of the eternal conflict.
Although its main virtues lie in the depiction of the twelve tasks, all of them original, genuinely funny and different from each other; the characters have to deal with a hypnotist, an athlete, explore a cave... My two favorites being the insanely funny (and exasperating) take at bureaucracy where Asterix and Obelix have to find a very specific document while they are constantly brought from one window to another, and their survival during a night with ghosts of Roman soldiers, which even frightened me a little as a kid.
Guaporense
04-24-13, 07:03 PM
The cases of a movie based on a series require having this into account usually; but I emphasize that in the case of One Piece because it is very progressive in its plot, it doesn't have an episodic nature or isolated arcs (except fillers). And this movie is a recap of an arc, it's not the first, therefore there's the chance that you don't understand the events that drive to it.
I read the first volumes of the One Piece's manga about 12 years ago. I forgot most of it though.
I think Tangled's appearance doesn't make justice to what this film means. Specially on Rapunzel: depicting a classic fairytale princess in such an active, likeable and emotionally compelling mode is a rarity if it's compared with stuff like Sleeping beauty or Cinderella.
I see. I might try to watch it someday.
I yeah I had Summer Wars on my top 100 favorite movies, animated or not.
I read the first volumes of the One Piece's manga about 12 years ago. I forgot most of it though.
Well, the arc it recaps is one of the first; so it's likely that you have read it. Anyway, in the anime it's episodes 31-45, so in case you'd want to refresh the information it would take you watching at least up to episode 30. There's a minor reference at the ending of the movie on later events (as a mean to tie it with the arc that was airing at the time), but it's easy to ignore.
I yeah I had Summer Wars on my top 100 favorite movies, animated or not.
In this list I think "only" my top20 or so would make my overall top100, which is still a big percentage :p. Anyway, I tend to be very positive with the stuff I watch and rate highly.
I'm not going to update today (it got a little late), will make up for it tomorrow.
Time for the next one!
http://i.imgur.com/UxHGim6.jpg?1
42. Beauty and the beast
Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise, 1991
Beauty and the beast, as well as very fond childhood memories, is probably the greatest sample of what the 90s renaissance meant to Disney: the intention to keep with the old narrative formulas, but actually fleshing the characters out of and building a storytelling drama around them. This classic princess fairytale stands out, first and firemost, because Belle is introduced in a rather interesting way: she is not the classic model of a princess searching for her prince, but rather, a quite independent girl who just wants to enjoy life without attachments. And I at least had the impression that she remains like that during the whole movie, making the eventual love story look more relatable.
One of the things that I find more surprising is the amount of dark imagery this movie has. It seems very typical of Disney to introduce some dark elements but I remember as a kid being very scared by the first appearance of the Beast, with the ripped picture. And always found the idea of the rose symbolizing his last remaining opportunity more disturbing than anything. Also, I don't know how was the original story but the atmosphere in general seems very gothic, mysterious and solemn for the usual Disney standards.
On the other hand, the comedy in here flows pretty well, which is good because these things tend to be quite risky and specially with a rather dark setting in there (in The hunchback of Notre Dame that was more of a con, for example). But it seems the plot knows how to differentiate between each of these moments and they don't disturb each other. The songs are also pretty amazing.
My only complaint probably comes with how Gaston ends, I find it too excessive for the reality of the character, and disturbing in that sense, but probably in a wrong way.
http://i.imgur.com/d8KYqh5.jpg?1
41. Dumbo
Ben Sharpsteen, 1941
So, the second Disney in a row.
This one was another great movie in my childhood, the difference being that I did rewatch it as an adult, only to confirm it was actually great.
Dumbo is a very modest-looking work for Disney. It is quite short (64 minutes) and very straightforward, and has a reasonably low-budget compared with its contemporaries. This is the reason why the way it manages to work so well is so fascinating to me.
From the viewing of this movie it is perfectly clear that the studio knew very well how to treat its intended audience; the emphasis put at the many forms and colours of the circus was a real pleasure to watch as a kid. It's stuff like this what confirms that Disney writers and animators really were experts in their field.
Additionally, there's a room for experimental craziness in it that I find both disturbing and extremely satisfying, in the famous scene of drunk Dumbo; and as a kid I loved them, I know some people who found those figures scary but they were a joy to watch to me. This wonderfully trippy stuff is one of my favorite Disney moments of all time for sure.
The emotional discourse of this little movie is freaking brilliant. I can't really describe it in other way. It did bring me tears in the rewatch, the scenes are very brutal and intense despite having a rather simple buildup; Dumbo's meeting with his mother was incredibly well-done.
Only the ending came off as a bit rushed and gave me a slight bittersweet feeling; not anything really serious, but a little and disappointing flaw in one of the most efficient Disney works I have seen.
Spoilers below, if you think you can spoil a 70+ year-old movie.
The Pink Elephants scene is a perfect 10! The ending may seem rushed, but what else is there to show? Dumbo and his Mom live happily ever after, surrounded by their new friends. I actually cry the most when Dumbo flies at the circus, but they're tears of joy and exhilaration. Despite all the other '40s movies I love, Dumbo is my top film of the decade.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJv2Mugm2RI
http://i.imgur.com/Nx8EeIV.jpg?1
40. Only yesterday
Isao Takahata, 1991
I'm sorry for the delay, but there's a lot to say about this one, so I guess that will make up for it. Only thing is, my comment is quite heavily spoilered. I didn't want to separate the spoilers just for aesthetic reasons, so the length of the post will serve at "hiding" them (¿?). Whatever, let's go:
The case of this movie is specially curious; having into account how underviewed it tends to be in comparison with other Ghibli works, it is also one of the most uniformly loved works from those who have watched it, to the point that I have seen very few people across the internet commenting on its bad aspects, let alone dislike the overall feature.
The reasons for the nature of this hidden gem are maybe in the idea it holds. Only yesterday is an adult animation, but contrarily to the common grounds of this conception, it is not about pop references, strongly violent themes, a particularly dense set of philosophy or a heavy character tragedy. Instead, it is a little, subtle work filled with narrative sobriety which deals with the personal condition of a perfectly normal character under perfectly normal conditions. It is a naturally restrictive work, in the sense that the conflict corresponds to a specific age set; with the additions of the multiple 70s Japan references and the general views on animation in the West, make this movie really hard to sell.
It could even be argued that the animation choice was random; this would open a necessary debate on whether the animation can be used as a form of totally free expression or only as a mean to emphasize things that live action isn't able to. While there are some scenes that would seem to justify the decision from that second point of view, Only yesterday represents an extreme, in the sense that nothing in it defies the laws of physics, nor introduces a fantasy setting; but on the other hand it does have a clear aesthetic emphasis, and the fact it's animated only contributes to it.
The storyline is basically about a young woman with an apparently decent job who decides to take vacation at the country. During her holidays the memories of her childhood start to form, in her mind, without any apparent reason behind. This point is important to understand the lack of linearity of the flashbacks; since they are not an exercise of active evocation, and they by themselves don't carry out specific objectives. Taeko's flasback experiences are completely involuntary, they just flow in her mind for a reason she doesn't fully understand. This is translated for the viewer in the existence of many "conflicts" which are simply cut without further development: let's say first love, first menstruation experience or the episode of the theater.
But by joining all of these little pieces and the experience of Taeko in the country, she makes a recap in her life decisions and questions them. The moral take of this movie is a very uncommon one in its context. It is probably the only anime I have seen, perhaps with Perfect Blue, which deals with an openly feminist discourse. Miyazaki for example does deal with the aspect of gender equality but he does it indirectly, through strong-willed female characters; however this and Kon's focus on the actual problem of the position of women in the Japanese society. There is a very revealing phrase where Taeko sums up the reasons of her conflict and the moral take of the movie. It is tied with the memories of her frustration with maths as a kid, and talks about her friend, who was able to divide fractions because she always did what she was told to: "Now she is happily married and has three children". Being a 27-year-old, single and independent woman in a society that pushes you to form a family and live according to the traditional standards becomes the main point of conflict of Taeko.
The ending is pretty much perfect. It is one of my favorite endings of all time; not only it delivers a great conclusion to her inner conflicts, but serves as an amazing narrative tie between the past and the present Taeko, with one of the most beautiful sequences I have ever seen, an incredibly fitting music choice and a last shot that, alone, could justify the whole experience, when the roles are swapped and her child self watches the adult Taeko following her path.
The art is really top-notch here. Just beautiful in every scene at the country, amazingly detailed in the environments it portrays in the present, while the flashbacks are shown with a white filter and an aesthetically simpler look, managing to work perfectly as evocations of the past. The character designs are pretty realistic, with an extreme in the case of Taeko and her expression lines.
I only really have a few problems with this movie; probably the most important one is that I don't find the character of Toshio to be fully satisfying. He is quite difficult to stomach at his first moments, and while this is slowly reverted in the story, I find his character portrayal relatively uninteresting; which is justified as the story is told through Taeko's view, but also kind of disappointing as one of the main focus is in their relationship. On the other hand, there was a scene where I couldn't spot the reasoning of the main character. It's when Toshio's parents talk about the marriage proposal and she runs away; the reason she gives to Toshio later is about her guit feels because of how easily accepted she is while she doesn't really know about the country life, which seems completely unfocused to me. I guess there is a possible explanation at pointing this as a fast excuse, to avoid getting to the main point with Toshio, but from the viewing of the scene it didn't sound like that.
Guaporense
04-28-13, 05:37 PM
I placed Only Yesterday much higher on my list of fav. animated movies (at 6th place) and in fact I also put it at a very high place on my top favorites from the 1990's poll.
+ rep for it
Hi again! I feel like I should complete this, right?
http://i.imgur.com/TT6dMg3.jpg?1
39. Animal farm
Joy Batchelor & John Halas, 1954
The first animated feature film to get a name in the UK, and a very important reference on independent and adult animation -despite it was supposed to be didactic and labeled at kids... uh, the 50s ones. I remember my first time watching this as a very haunting experience. They for some reason thought that it was a good idea to show it in the school. Which became a shock when major characters (and not the villains!) started to die. It was my first experience with another kind of animation, besides Disney and my Saturday morning cartoons. Something that looked more painful to watch, more disenchanted.
This one is an adaptation on Orwell's Animal farm. I haven't read the book, not because of lack of interest, but it's important to declare that this movie is considered to be the most thorough, ideologically speaking, movie adaptation, with its main difference being in the ending. Anyway, I can't say very much about it.
What makes this work outstanding is, aside from its historical position, its sense of dryness. For a medium like animation where the trend is to make colouristic situations, this movie stands out as surprisingly sober. It may have to do with its age and production but it stills helps to give a cold and harsh feel to the whole. I don't imagine this movie working with a different colour palette.
Aside from its very interesting political tones, which I can't judge as an adaptation but reflect the reality of its time in a very disheartening way, the movie has ability to evoke genuine emotions. The increasing tension of the situations that the animals live at their farm, the gradual change from a collective government to a plain and badly-disguised dictatorship ("All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others"), and specially the climax of this story, which I won't spoil.
It has its little flaws, maybe it's too preachy and its technical qualities are far from masterpiece level; but anyway, overall, this work stands out in so many ways. It's still incredibly powerful when it has to be and its vehement political position, while very closely tied to its temporal context, may make this still a little uncomfortable to watch for some people.
Gabrielle947
07-15-13, 05:59 PM
Animal Farm is one of the best thing's I've read,will watch this :up:
Daniel M
07-15-13, 06:04 PM
Nice to see you start this again, I know I already commented on a couple of films on the last page, but since then there's a couple I've seen: Beauty and the Beast which I liked when I was younger but haven't seen in ages, and Dumbo which I loved when I was younger but also haven't seen for probably the same amount of time.
Looking forward to what you have coming up, hoping for Rango :p
Cobpyth
07-15-13, 06:43 PM
I've seen most of your entries, but I'll just comment on Only Yesterday, because I watched that one quite recently too. I give it a 4 rating (which is really good).
I understand your criticism on Toshio's character and the 'relationship' between him and Taeko, but after thinking a little bit, I decided that it may not have been true 'love' (I'm talking butterflies in the stomach) that drifted her back to him and the country life. I felt it was more a kind of personal choice for another lifestyle than her current and the relationship/marriage is something that comes with it and makes it justified/definitive. It's a very interesting difference with our western culture, actually, where everything is depicted in an overly romantic way sometimes.
Isao Takahata almost certainly grew up with a great sense of tradition and is no doubt very familiar with all these typical Japanese formalities. I think this film handles the theme quite well and exposes it from both a negative and a positive side. We have the father who beats Taeko this one time out of a certain reflex (probably because that's the way he is raised) and we have the grandmother (certainly not a coincidence) who wants things to go somewhere without any need for subtlety by asking Taeko straightway to marry her grandson.
There might not be that romantic 'click' between the characters of Taeko and Toshio, but I felt like they both had something to offer to eachother in a certain way, even if it's not that pure romantic cliché story we all know from the thousands of other films. In a certain way it's even more real to me than most of the other 'love' stories.
That scene in the car was probably just a kind of test from Taeko to see if Toshio is an understanding person. If he's worth the further step. It isn't necessarily the reason for her running away. That was probably more because of the very direct way she was talked to. She wanted some time to even consider it, because she never thought it was possible to live in a completely different way definitively.
Great choices so far, by the way!
Thanks for your comments, people! I'm glad you are more or less liking the entries so far... I guess when it comes to my top favorites our tastes will diverge a lot more :p.
And sorry Daniel M. It's not that I don't want to, but I haven't watched Rango yet. In general in the cinema of the last three years or so I have lots of holes, this is one of them that I expect to fill soon.
I also have to say that, since this list is taking me a lot of time, there's some stuff I've watched that would make its place in here. I will mention them, as well as other ones that got close, when I'm finished with this top.
I understand your criticism on Toshio's character and the 'relationship' between him and Taeko, but after thinking a little bit, I decided that it may not have been true 'love' (I'm talking butterflies in the stomach) that drifted her back to him and the country life. I felt it was more a kind of personal choice for another lifestyle than her current and the relationship/marriage is something that comes with it and makes it justified/definitive. It's a very interesting difference with our western culture, actually, where everything is depicted in an overly romantic way sometimes.
It is a good take on the relationship between Taeko and Toshio, but I would still define that as love. True or not, I don't know. And I think Taeko doesn't either and is aware of this; she wants to try. But overall I'd say that Toshio embodies her feelings of self-determination, more than anything. He is a person she genuinely feels nice with, and he represents the change in her life. I think, if anything, that it is an alternative and more sober take on love but it's still talking about it, as when Taeko finds something so essential about her own life in another person.
Isao Takahata almost certainly grew up with a great sense of tradition and is no doubt very familiar with all these typical Japanese formalities. I think this film handles the theme quite well and exposes it from both a negative and a positive side. We have the father who beats Taeko this one time out of a certain reflex (probably because that's the way he is raised) and we have the grandmother (certainly not a coincidence) who wants things to go somewhere without any need for subtlety by asking Taeko straightway to marry her grandson.
Yep! I forgot to mention that in my comment. I would say though that this movie stands out on trying very actively to divert the situations and the characters from this clear moral positioning, as belonging to a good or bad side. The family moments and reactions are depicted in a sober way and always looking at the specific context, not trying to make an overall statement about them. We are sure that the father loved Taeko despite how strict and to a point suffocating his authority was at times, and the movie doesn't criminalize him as well as not victimizing Taeko either. He might be wrong at that moment of his life, but he's still her father and she's still very fond of him.
That scene in the car was probably just a kind of test from Taeko to see if Toshio is an understanding person. If he's worth the further step. It isn't necessarily the reason for her running away. That was probably more because of the very direct way she was talked to. She wanted some time to even consider it, because she never thought it was possible to live in a completely different way definitively.
I guess it could be seen as that but it still doesn't convince me... a test sounds like a totally artificial situation to me. For that reason I'm more into the idea that it's a way for her to disguise her deeper feelings in the matter, the fact that she doesn't seem ready for the change as you say.
Glad you liked the movie so much :), by the way. And thanks for bringing your viewpoint in such a thorough way.
http://i.imgur.com/5mmSJuh.jpg?1
38. Pinocchio
Ben Sharpsteen & Hamilton Luske, 1940
This endlessly enjoyable classic of old Disney is specially remarkable for having some of the darkest and most intense scenes I've seen in the studio. The moment of the donkey transformation in special stands as genuinely nightmarish as well as terrifyingly grotesque.
The main strength of this work lies in its visuals. They are incredibly expressive and the influence of the first experimental Disney is very obvious; in the dark tones during certain scenes, the craziness of others and also the obsession for reflecting movement and tying it to the sound. The scenes at Geppetto's home remind me of the Silly Symphonies, the importance they gave to focusing on the little objects and the beauty of their movement.
In terms of the actual storyline, I think my only real problem is in how preachy the attitude of Pinocchio is (there is a moment in the movie where he says: "Being bad is so fun"). I guess this is tied to his innocence but I find it to be a cheap way of delivering the message of the film. Despite he's the main character, he's probably the least fascinating; my favorite one is actually Jiminy. What a twisted concept of a character. He's the moral advisor of Pinocchio, but he's far from being a moral model himself. We see him taking bad decisions and just giving up when things get a little complicated. I find it very ironic that the task of teaching Pinocchio to be a good boy is covered by this little rascal, and that he actually succeeds at this. Very lovely.
The rest of the characters are very spot on, from the villains, a very scary Stromboli and Honest John as the seductive type (I also loved Gideon and his Harpo Marx ways) who brings the best comedic bits of the movie; to Geppetto as the endearing mentor. Even the side story with the cat and the goldfish manages to be genuinely warm and funny, in a way that only Disney could achieve at that time.
Deadite
07-15-13, 09:06 PM
Great list. I like the diversity of your picks.
donniedarko
07-15-13, 09:46 PM
The only ones I've seen are Pinnochio, Dumbo, and Beauty and the Beast all of which I haven't seen since childhood. The twelve tasks of Asterix looks good and I appreciate all the effort you put into this
Deadite
07-15-13, 10:03 PM
I think Asterix may be on Youtube.
Guaporense
07-15-13, 10:05 PM
I've seen most of your entries, but I'll just comment on Only Yesterday, because I watched that one quite recently too. I give it a 4 rating (which is really good).
Great choices so far, by the way!
Interesting to read your thoughts, I never engaged this movie in this intellectual manner, trying to categorize and understand the characters and their choices. I just watched it and felt it.
Also, Taeko's father slapped her because that's what fathers did to their offspring in the 1960's.
Then again, thanks for your words, people.
http://i.imgur.com/UxfD9Of.png?1
37. Paprika
Satoshi Kon, 2006
It's not the best work of Satoshi Kon by any means (sounds like I'm spoiling the list :p), but that just becomes an understatement since this Paprika is still a wonderful exercise of wild imagination and warped logic. This colourist fantasy, a very obvious influence on Christopher Nolan's Inception, is a visual feast with some of the best animation I've ever seen.
But I don't think its technical qualities make alone the reason why I love this movie and this director. Regardless of how complicated, disjointed or plain absurd Paprika might be or look, the fact is that Kon seemed to enjoy messing up with parallel realities and his ambiguity was truly brought to the latest consequences. The way he changes from dreams to reality to dreams and blurs the line between them makes this experience, if not easily understandable, very absorbing.
The storyline is actually more or less linear and easy to follow (still, with its moments of deliberate confusion) compared with other works of Kon that take this ambiguity to further consequences, but it turns to be secondary. What matters in here is the depiction of this world where impossible forms invade the screen. And the level of imagery that this movie ends up showing, the agility by which every one of these forms appear and the variety of ideas, absurdities and mocking remarks to the vices of Japanese society that are put into the work is truly amazing.
I can't deny though that the movie is far from perfect for me; maybe due to its intensity, it feels really short, and the conclusion, while certainly crazy, doesn't look in any way satisfying for me. But anyway, it is worth a viewing, if only for the sole reason that it makes the most of its artistic expression.
http://i.imgur.com/m9sxDgV.jpg?1
36. 5 centimeters per second
Makoto Shinkai, 2007
5 centimeters per second was my first exposition to Shinkai. Since then, my other attempts on his work haven't been as satisfying as this experience, but with this movie, alone, I can label him as one of the most promising anime directors out there. The reason is not so much on the quality of this work, which is very high, but on the ideas it represents. And of course the narrative style may be excessive, but I think there's actually some strong merit at taking this extremely intimist viewpoint and making it work by not trying to tone it down with comedic moments or alternative character traits. Its heavy and passionate focus on feelings becomes a rarity and not only because Shinkai really takes this to the latest consequences, but also on the very strange sense of sincerity in these authorial choices that make this work specially fascinating.
The story is nothing more or less than your typical about two lovers that are separated and can't turn back. But simple as it looks, everything in it is depicted with genuine intensity and the depressing feel is quite perfectly captured. I have to admit that I haven't found this exposition working so well on his other similar movies, but in this case it seems to strike the right chord every single time. It's quite an experience.
Adding to that there is the level of artistry of this work. It is an eye-candy experience from start to finish, some of the nicest backgrounds I've ever seen in animation, a great choice of soundtrack -except, for me, on the ending song, which sort of ruined a wonderful conclusion.
Guaporense
07-16-13, 09:46 PM
Now the good ones are coming. If Paprika and 5 Centimeters are 36-35, I cannot imagine what masterpieces will show up later. Oh well, I think that Shinkai > Kon, by a small margin.
edarsenal
07-16-13, 10:10 PM
quite the wonderful list and very intriguing style of reviewing.
Enjoying the old disney picks
Hit Girl
07-17-13, 01:33 AM
I love Ponjo and Iron Giant and I'm adding some to my 'must see' list. Can't wait to see what's coming.
Now the good ones are coming. If Paprika and 5 Centimeters are 36-35, I cannot imagine what masterpieces will show up later. Oh well, I think that Shinkai > Kon, by a small margin.
Oh, some of the next, and I think specially the 34th, will be quite polemic to say the least. They are remains of a very different period of my life where I wasn't into movies. So I myself find it difficult to compare them with the rest of the list.
I am a fanboy of Kon. I've watched and loved everything of his work, including a one-minute short. Can't say the same about Shinkai but I really have hopes on him; I still have his last two movies (Children who chase... and The garden of words) to watch and will cover them soon.
McConnaughay
07-17-13, 06:56 AM
I actually heard good things about Paprika from one of my friends after he watched it, along with something called Princess Monoke, or something like that. I've been watching a lot of anime lately and so, maybe I'll give it a watch. I can't help but wonder whether or not Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, or Graveyard of Fireflies will appear in this list, because they're some of my favorite anime-movies along with Ponyo.
Guaporense
07-17-13, 10:48 AM
They will certainly show up.
Cobpyth
07-17-13, 01:02 PM
I'm watching Paprika tonight, so I'll give you my thoughts after that. It looks quite amazing visually. I'm very excited to see it.
I've only seen Millennium Actress from Kon yet and it was one of the most refreshing animation experiences I've ever had. I rate it 4.5 and it's probably one of my top 3 animations ever. I suppose this film will also show up later. I'll give my 'deeper' insights about it then.
I'm really enjoying your thread. It's becoming one of my favorite lists on this forum. I'm looking forward to the rest of it. Keep up the good work!
I can confirm that all of the movies you guys are mentioning now are going to be part of this list. Except one. Guess it :)
But now, for something completely different...
http://i.imgur.com/MVtOjPZ.jpg?1
35. A town called panic
Stéphane Aubier & Vincent Patar, 2009
The craziness of this movie starts with its production choice: this Belgian stop-motion animation is performed by toy figurines, that look lifeless and that are not manipulated in any way to make them look more than what they are... figurines.
This could be a discouragement if it wasn't delivered well-enough, but A town called panic overcomes this hurdle by appealing to the surreal and the non sequitur, shaping a world and a storyline that could only be brought by the imagination of a child, where every element is exaggerated for that purpose, and on the other hand it still keeps the logic of toys: a whole house can be stolen and rebuilt in just one night.
The story, crazy as the style itself, starts when Cowboy and Indian want to give a birthday gift to Horse. Their idea: building a barbeque. Things, however, don't turn well, since they accidentally ordered 50 million bricks...
I don't want to spoil this experience to anybody. Just expect anything to happen in the story. I'll just say that, apart from being one of the craziest and most downright absurd experiences one can find, it has a really fine sense of humour, and becomes an extremely hilarious comedy that makes almost everything right. It is also worth of note how it manages to measure out its wild imagination, to a point that the movie never goes too far, and never fails to be a joy to watch.
And so, here it comes.
http://i.imgur.com/IGOuaKQ.png?1
34. The Simpsons movie
David Silverman, 2007
Before I ever got into cinema, I was a huge Simpsons (and Futurama) freak. This movie and its position is the main remaining trait of that period (along with a Futurama movie that will also make the list :rolleyes:). I don't know how would this work stand if I ever compared it with the rest of the list, but whatever. I loved it and here it stands, for the time being.
In addition to this there is the fact that this movie... is not exactly the kind of adaptation people expected about The Simpsons. Despite having a more or less positive response, it was a huge disappointment for many and specially among hardcore fans. The reason is the turn to an action/adventure model from a series that has actually a way more intimist and down-to-earth focus.
The thing is that, with all of that taken into account, and while being a little disappointed myself to see that they decided to follow this way, I enjoyed it a lot. It was a different experience with The Simpsons' characters, probably not appliable to the series, but as a side story it worked. Emotionally, it had some surprisingly intense moments, but I think the greatest trait of this movie is its sense of comedy. While the storyline is far from the series' standards, the joke writing is actually extremely close, more than how it's been labeled, certainly (the Bart penis joke for instance).
In addition to this, the characters still feel like the same as always. Which is a complete surprise given the characteristics of this movie and its alternative storytelling. That is, you can still recognize Homer, Bart or Marge in here. This would not be as relevant if the series wasn't in such a poor state at that time with the characters being almost unrecognizable. This movie instead turned their traits back.
Maybe because it came when the series had long lost its touch, The Simpsons movie meant, for me, a comeback to many traits I missed about it; the focus in characterization, the agility in plot progression, the construction of jokes, etc. So while this wasn't an entirely fulfilling experience in the sense that the whole essence of classic Simpsons wasn't brought, it still managed to be a great experience on its own and one of the best things the series/franchise has done in the 21st Century.
Daniel M
07-17-13, 03:54 PM
Pinocchio is a classic and I love The Simpsons Movie. A Town Called Panic looks really interesting too, will definitely have a look at that if I can.
http://i.imgur.com/IaTHCsU.jpg?1
33. Metropolis
Rintaro, 2001
At the time I watched Metropolis my experience on sci-fi futuristic anime wasn't being very rewarding; while I enjoyed Ghost in the Shell or Akira, the most well-known examples of this kind of movies, they didn't manage to hit me emotionally and give a lasting experience. This film instead worked very perfectly on the exact same thing the other two failed at: the mood and the characters.
And not because the characters in this movie are specially well-developed or because their story is engaging or deep, no. Actually the storyline is rather simple, to a point sketchy, but I find this simplicity to be a very powerful resource when it's put in the context of a huge and overwhelming environment like the city of Metropolis, which becomes by itself another character that interacts and becomes a relevant factor in the events and feelings of the story.
The way they run through the streets, the sewer system, the buildings, how these characters try to preserve their own objectives and identities through an environment that absorbs and overshadows them, was a very powerful experience to watch.
It also helps that, in terms of art, this one is beyond amazing. Some of the most detailed and gorgeous drawings take part in the magnified depiction of the scenario (Metropolis) where this happens. The character designs are quite original and don't follow a single pattern. The music also helps a lot on building the impressive atmosphere of this work, by giving it a jazzy and intimist appeal.
http://i.imgur.com/G30DXtb.jpg?1
32. Up
Pete Docter & Bob Peterson, 2009
While Up is certainly not a perfect movie, and the second half in special feels a little stagnant in its comedy and the pacing becomes quite more irregular as the movie focuses on action instead of exploration, the goods are so damn spectacular that they far outweigh the bads and make this movie a very memorable experience.
With the usual technical involvement of Pixar that makes it look incredibly clean, Up tells the story of an old man who decides to fulfill his childhood dream. The first 15-minute sequence that narrates the story of his life up to that point is one of the most fascinating moments I've ever had with animation and definitely a peak in the work of Pixar, which has rarely tried something as poetic and introspective as this. It defines Carl very well and contrasts the thrill of his youth with the progressive enervation of his old age.
The character of Russell, while being by definition annoying and a pain in the ass for Carl, is so well-delivered that he never goes too far at it; while he's always in the verge of becoming insufferable and actually undermining the effectiveness of the story, the movie manages to capture with him the generation clash and specifically the love-hate relationship Carl has with his own childhood memories and dreams. The way they influence on each other becomes a very fine source of character development which comes full term in a conclusion that takes back the levels of elegance and emotional sincerity of its prologue.
Masterman
07-18-13, 05:05 PM
I only seen Up a couple of weeks ago, and I loved it. Nice pick.
I can confirm that all of the movies you guys are mentioning now are going to be part of this list. Except one. Guess it :)
But now, for something completely different...
http://i.imgur.com/MVtOjPZ.jpg?1
35. A town called panic
Stéphane Aubier & Vincent Patar, 2009
The craziness of this movie starts with its production choice: this Belgian stop-motion animation is performed by toy figurines, that look lifeless and that are not manipulated in any way to make them look more than what they are... figurines.
This could be a discouragement if it wasn't delivered well-enough, but A town called panic overcomes this hurdle by appealing to the surreal and the non sequitur, shaping a world and a storyline that could only be brought by the imagination of a child, where every element is exaggerated for that purpose, and on the other hand it still keeps the logic of toys: a whole house can be stolen and rebuilt in just one night.
The story, crazy as the style itself, starts when Cowboy and Indian want to give a birthday gift to Horse. Their idea: building a barbeque. Things, however, don't turn well, since they accidentally ordered 50 million bricks...
I don't want to spoil this experience to anybody. Just expect anything to happen in the story. I'll just say that, apart from being one of the craziest and most downright absurd experiences one can find, it has a really fine sense of humour, and becomes an extremely hilarious comedy that makes almost everything right. It is also worth of note how it manages to measure out its wild imagination, to a point that the movie never goes too far, and never fails to be a joy to watch.
I would've never thought of, or remembered that I watched, this film if you didn't post it. I remember the same figures off milk adverts in the UK too :p
From what I remember it is very good.
Glad to see that you loved it too, Masterman, it's pretty amazing. Well, Pixar (usually) is.
And now, from the other side of the moon:
http://i.imgur.com/sbqEQLX.jpg?1
31. Persepolis
Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud, 2007
The biggest appeal of Persepolis for me comes with what, on the other hand, is often criticized about this work. And it's not that the criticism is unfair or misplaced, but I do happen do have a different view on it.
So while it is true that the movie becomes very blatantly biased on what it brings, and that it doesn't reinforce debate but a rather visceral take on the events that are narrated, it works rather perfectly in the context of this script. Since Persepolis is an autobiographical story and doesn't try to hide that detail, it doesn't have to account for its positioning either. It is maybe not interesting to understand the dimensions of the conflict, but I don't believe that was the main objective in here, but rather, to depict how Marjane viewed her world.
Despite that, the movie does bring a very interesting viewpoint; Marjane's life is plenty of sociocultural contrasts and her experience gives an unique view to the events that are depicted. I love, specially, how once she leaves Iran and enters the French society, the differences become a huge clash for her lifestyle and ideology, and in the end she is shown to not be completely comfortable in either of them, aiming for a middle ground that she doesn't seem to find anywhere.
It is also worth of mention the strong aesthetic focus. This movie is very heavily stylized in that sense, adding to the uniqueness of the experience and fitting very well with the motifs of the story. The way the animation is devoted, by itself, to evoke visually the viewpoints Marjane had on the events happening around them is quite fascinating and only helps to make the experience look more personal and sincere.
I would've never thought of, or remembered that I watched, this film if you didn't post it. I remember the same figures off milk adverts in the UK too :p
From what I remember it is very good.
It is based on a series (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298495/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2) from what I know, that is very popular in some European countries; not in Spain though (I have never seen it advertised and it's probably not even licensed). But the UK adverts don't surprise me, if I'm not mistaken the series and the movie were distributed by Aardman Animations. Were they successful in there?
Guaporense
07-18-13, 06:59 PM
Persepolis is awesome indeed, I also had it into my top 50 animations.
Pussy Galore
07-18-13, 07:02 PM
http://i.imgur.com/Ck0IpyH.png?1
47. One Piece: Episode of Nami
Katsumi Tokoro, 2012
I bet this will be one of the least popular choices of this thread, lol. Not only in its condition of a movie based on an insanely long series, that doesn't seem to fit the general tastes here, but in its added condition of being, besides, a recap.
So why am I putting it here? Well, first and firemost I will say that I happen to be a fan of One Piece; it was a series I discovered last August and from then on I have been watching and marathoning its almost 600 episodes (and still running). Episode of Nami is a recent TV-movie, it first aired more or less at the time I started watching the series, and its storyline is basically an alternative narration (in movie format) of an arc of this series.
Usually, I'm not that fond of recaps, but this arc happens to be my transitional phase at this series, the moment where I stopped being a casual watcher and became a fan. This was the arc that defined who would eventually become my favorite character, the first to strike me emotionally and make me realize how fond I would become of this show and characters.
Episode of Nami tells exactly the same story, which lasted 15 episodes in the series, during less than two hours. It does feel a little bit rushed at the action sequences; however the emotional ones are very well-respected and perfectly delivered, which surprised me given the compressed nature of this work. It is, above all, an improvement in animation quality, it looks pretty well and relatively fluid.
You have probably noticed that I didn't try to talk about its storyline in depth in this case; that's because the events that it narrates are tied to the main story of the series and talking about it would ruin with spoilers some of its moments. This is a movie directed at people who are familiar with the original source.
Yeah a One Piece fan ! I'm a huge fan to, but the only issue I have with it is that in my opinion the manga is by far supperior to the anime
Yeah a One Piece fan ! I'm a huge fan to, but the only issue I have with it is that in my opinion the manga is by far supperior to the anime
Glad to find another One Piece MoFo fan :)
I am not very much into reading manga, but I can see where you come from. While keeping the anime up to date, I am reading the manga at a slower pace, currently halfway through Thriller Bark. Till this point of the series at least I think the anime does offer a good enough adaptation that makes up for its flaws and adds other elements (like the characters' voices) that make the experience equally enjoyable. But after the Sabaody arc the pacing and animation flaws started to become more and more noticeable to me, I actually haven't found any arc that I could name great since then. According to the general opinion, this is the result of a lackluster adaptation, so I'm looking forward to the manga for these last arcs.
At the current rate, in the anime, I am mildly enjoying it. Which compared with the levels of fandom and obsession I've had for more than 400 episodes sounds kind of upsetting. The flaws are very apparent, to the point that spotting them becomes more entertaining than the episode itself at some moments. Anyway, that may also have to do with the fact I am finding it more difficult to not be spoilered on the stuff. Which is also a reason why I want to keep reading the manga.
Pussy Galore
07-18-13, 07:52 PM
Yeah I watched the anime before the manga its still excellent. If you are just to thriller bark you are verry lucky because the next 100 chapters (sabaody, impel down, marineford) is one of the best story I have ever seen
It is based on a series (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298495/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2) from what I know, that is very popular in some European countries; not in Spain though (I have never seen it advertised and it's probably not even licensed). But the UK adverts don't surprise me, if I'm not mistaken the series and the movie were distributed by Aardman Animations. Were they successful in there?
I think I remember watching the series on the "Nickelodeon" channel, and then I sort of remember enjoying the film when it was on Film4 I think. The series wasn't widely popular but it did have a small, cult following as I imagine the film still does.
The adverts didn't have the same characters, but they were made by the same people, and made in the same vein.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssACddCJlAA
edarsenal
07-18-13, 08:02 PM
i've seen Metropolis at the library and have been curious about checking it out, and now, i will be. Thanks for the review and the thread.
And as for Up! i felt the exact same way about the opening and how -- squirrel!
It was about time to bring this back, right?
http://i.imgur.com/LT8S29p.jpg?1
30. Futurama: Bender's big score!
Dwayne Carey-Hill, 2007
At the time Futurama announced its comeback with a set of movies, I became a huge fan of this series, around the 2006-2007 period. Then, Bender's big score! aired and, to my huge surprise, I found it to be very surprisingly fresh and in tone with what I most loved about the series: its playful look at complicated science fiction premises.
Maybe it's just the effect of a first viewing tied with my hype for the return of the series, but I really enjoyed this one and quickly became my favorite of the four movies. I was a fan, specially, of its rather classic sci-fi structure; that is, while the other movies focused more on fantastic and rather unexplored settings, this one introduced time travelling and the subsequent parallel realities. Which is a topic I enjoy a lot, and specially in the way this series tends to deal with it, a rather light and comedic but very strictly scientific one that I find both entertaining and enlightening.
It's been a long while since I watched it so that disallows me to be very specific on the qualities of this movie, but aside from its storyline, if there's one thing I enjoyed specially about it, that would be its comedic soundness. Compared with the rest of the Futurama movies, it's not the most hilarious (that would be the second), but it is the one with the highest ratio. There were very few comedic instances that fell flat, so while the pacing was rather slow and the jokes were more sporadic, it was rather regular and didn't drop its quality significantly in between scenes.
http://i.imgur.com/LgnaygR.jpg?1
29. The secret world of Arrietty
Hiromasa Yonebayashi, 2010
I admit this is a tough one to review. In fact, I don't like to compare it with the overall quality of other Ghibli works because that would probably lead me to reconsider its position (that is, it's a flawed work and its flaws are probably more obvious than in other movies), but to understand why do I have this work so highly considered, the context should be taken into account.
This movie is the kind of effort I was most expecting from Ghibli and specially Miyazaki (yep, I know the director is Yonebayashi but this movie is 100% Miyazaki, from the writing to the obsessive attention to visual detail). After the -to me- excess of Howl's moving castle, and the kind of lesser imagery of Ponyo (I still love it, as said), this was a very refreshing one. It brought back the observant style which focused almost completely on describing and emphasizing the world that was being created. The way it mixes the different perceptions of reality, its aesthetic reinforcement and detail, makes it one of the most eye-candy works of this studio.
It's true that the second half in that sense, being more action-packed and with a sort of unexplored conflict, tends to kill the serene feel of the first half, but I wasn't specially bothered by it either. While Haru's attempts at catching Arrietty seem rather unexplained, in the end her attitude had a kind of childlike innocence that made her more likeable than anything. And I actually found her reaction to be the closest to reality; to the point that I consider Haru to be the impulse, how would we act if we ever found something extraordinary, while Sho is the idealized version, a model of behaviour on how should we react towards that.
Along with its aestheticism, what stands out in the film is Arrietty. She follows very thoroughly the trend of depicting strong-willed heroines in the Ghibli works, and to me, has a very similar essence as a character to Miyazaki's classic archetype, Nausicaa.
Guaporense
08-14-13, 04:39 PM
Bender's big score was the best of the futurama movies, though I still prefer the first four seasons of the TV series.
It's hard to compare a movie with a season. In my opinion the seasons of pre-cancellation Futurama would go like this: 1 > 2 > 4 > 3. The level in the first two is very regular, in the last two however is more of a hit and miss.
I've wanted to watch the latter seasons, but don't seem to find the right moment.
It's such a beautiful day, so what about getting this thread back?
http://i.imgur.com/YJZXWdl.png?1
28. It's such a beautiful day
Don Hertzfeldt, 2012
To be fair this entry is rather special because it's a compilation of three shorts; however I considered to bring it here because it is cohesive as a global story and, to me, it works better as a whole than in its separated parts.
These three shorts follow the life story of a man named Bill. His daily concerns, his family, his friends, his disease... With a rather simplistic artstyle and a fair amount of little experimental touches that are used to emphasize on the emotions of the narration, it comes off as a very powerful and humanistic portrayal of its main character.
It would be absurd to list every topic that is issued through these shorts because as said, this is a story about a man, it doesn't follow a plot or an objective, but rather dozens of little instances, doubts, regrets, bad decisions and of course instants of happiness and satisfaction. Empathy is very relevant in this work, it is the only thing that drives the entire journey.
The drawing, while very schematic, may fool because there's a lot of effort put in it, in terms of emphasis. And it actually takes advantage of its simplicity in the character designs. I don't know how to explain this in a way that you guys understand, but the contrast between this drawing and the issues that are dealt with in here became very effective. I don't believe that a more detailed style could capture the soul of this story as effectively as this one did. In that sense, I think it turned to be a great decision.
jiraffejustin
11-04-13, 05:47 PM
Awesome choice. I love this compilation.
http://i.imgur.com/gKdGTSw.jpg?1
27. Castle in the sky
Hayao Miyazaki, 1986
Another great work from my favorite director. I have to admit though, that the first twenty minutes of this one didn't catch me as much as other works have, but once this little burden was overcome, the movie became a favorite.
This, in contrast with other films from the author, is a rather simple and schematic adventure story; one of its unique traits in terms of the rest of his filmography is the presence of a clear antagonist. However, it manages to feel as much of a Miyazaki work as any other, and at many points, it is a perfect sample of his movie philosophy.
There is the message on environment and the embellishment of nature which, helped by the rich imagination on fantasy, the beautiful art and the soundtrack, makes this one a powerful sensorial experience. On the other hand, Sheeta is a rather typical character model of Miyazaki's works; to put an example Lana from Future Boy Conan is very similar. I have always had a soft spot for this character model because it contrasts an actual, physical weakness with a very impressive willpower. Sheeta is weak and dependent, however that doesn't make her submissive and she actually plays a role in the events. There are very few that take this position on a female character. The usual will be going to either extreme; a very powerful and self-sufficient action woman or the eternal damsel in distress.
Another point that caught my interest was the depiction of the mining town at the beginning. It exemplifies the European influence of Miyazaki very well, and to a point, the effect of his own Communist ideals in youth, in the way he describes the class structure of the town. This doesn't end up meaning anything in the global story but it's interesting at least to spot these influences; it's also part of what makes Miyazaki unique compared with other anime directors who tend to be more localized and focused on their own culture, and probably the reason why he's had a considerable success in the Western audience.
Edit.- Thanks for your words, jiraffejustin :). I should finish this soon.
The next one is going to be another One Piece movie...
http://i.imgur.com/hTP5bjG.jpg?1
26. One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island
Mamoru Hosoda, 2005
This, however, may be misleading. Because despite being brought in the shelter of a major commercial series, and sold as a rather easy-going movie (just look at the DVD cover), Baron Omatsuri is a great exception, a work which displays a very deeply personal interpretation of the One Piece universe, and probably the biggest conceptual risk of Mamoru Hosoda's career. This one is his third entry here, by the way, and will be the last.
The focus in this case is on friendship. Or more exactly, on the side of it that tends to be avoided in the series. This is not a complaint: this show demands from its viewers to accept some conditions, and one of them is the idealization of friendship; the Straw Hats are often portrayed as the most easy-going crew ever, they have their disputes which never become important and in the end they just love each other and enjoy their ride together...
...Imagine, only for a while, that this idealization was a cover, and there was actual tension in their relationship. This is the view that this movie takes, and works as a dark reinterpretation of the crew interactions. Zoro and Sanji fight as usual, but very soon their fight becomes something more serious and lasting, and they are shown to wish damage to each other. Usopp hits below the belt by calling Nami backstabber, and she takes this offense very personally. At one point of the story, Luffy for the first time in the series story is found alone, abandoned by his own crew. This nightmare of course makes sense in the context of the plotline; it is an induced atmosphere by the main villain. However the conflicts actually do come off as realistic in the sense of this alternate reality, a "what if" that I, as a fan, find specially powerful.
I won't spoil the last part of the movie, but I will just say that it is a surprisingly dark experience for a fan of this series, both on aesthetics (some very crude visuals that even become close to gore imagery) and on concept, with a surprising take on the story of the villain, that may even make you reconsider your position on him, and probably your emotional support on Luffy's cause.
The second point that makes this work specially risky is in the choices for art and animation. There is a huge difference in the priorities compared with the series; that is, the drawing on the characters becomes very simplified, it lacks the usual shading of the series, and the designs of the villains in special are rather unappealing in that sense; on the other hand the animation gets a considerable improvement. This is probably the One Piece work where the movement feels more fluid and expressive.
For these reasons, I can't help but consider Baron Omatsuri a very careful work, the definition of what an ideal adaptation should be; as something that adds personality but still remains tied to the essence of the story, because it is a reinterpretation and reinterpretations require an emotional involvement. The rest of the One Piece movies are in contrast conceived as advertisements for the manga and anime series, the characters and storytelling tend to follow very clear schemes. This is also why this movie is so special to me, as a fan of this series.
http://i.imgur.com/zV1fEU4.jpg?1
25. Nausicäa of the Valley of the Wind
Hayao Miyazaki, 1984
My first experience with this anime classic wasn't very rewarding. The reason was basically that I guess Nausicäa was supposed to be a part of a larger story, and therefore many elements came off as contextless and name-dropping together with my own mood made it difficult to follow.
However, a second viewing changed this whole thing and I ended up appreciating it even on its -supposed- flaws, finding the consistency I missed on the storyline.
But, what makes this movie so special?
Simply, that it's a very, very powerful emotional ride. Once you are set with the story and the characters, even the slightest issues they get through have an incredibly lasting effect. Nausicäa is the epitome of this and one of the individual characters who have created the highest emotional involvement on me. When she smiles, I feel nice. When she cries, I feel bad. When she experiences pain, I get goosebumps. And so on.
This movie has some of the most powerful individual scenes I have ever seen. I think it actually makes up for possible flaws at introducing the story by emphasizing on these moments; the best example I could think of is in the last part. It would probably come off as rushed, partially unexplained and unsatisfactory, but I can't help but love it because I share the exact same emotion that is portrayed at each reaction. It's almost as if I was there, seeing that with my own eyes.
On the storyline, this is a defining work for Miyazaki in the sense that it introduces a full-fleshed version of his two major motifs. On the one hand there is the environmental message with an emphasis on depicting nature forms and devastated scenarios, as well as tying ecologism to pacifism and harmony in human societies; on the other hand, the heroine archetype on Nausicäa, that is still, and to this point, one of the most fascinating and charismatic characters he has ever created.
The drawing is quite gorgeous and detailed, however this is not as much of a visual feast as other Miyazaki movies because the tones used here are more sober, which helps on creating the atmosphere. The scenes inside the forest do, however, have a very strange and appealing sense of beauty.
http://i.imgur.com/0ZaczRz.jpg?1
24. The adventures of prince Achmed
Lotte Reiniger, 1926
The adventures of prince Achmed is the oldest full-length animation movie that is still preserved, coming eleven years before Disney's Snow White. With those standards, I guess one could expect something whose value is merely archaeological. However this movie is a gorgeous art piece in its own, and I think it would still look great and appealing if it aired today.
The artstyle is quite unique, a very rare animation through Chinese figures which came to life through a really hard and meticulous work, taking years of effort, and the result, regardless of the age, is spectacular. The level of visual detail put on the scenarios and characters (the shadows) is striking.
The storyline isn't actually that special, in the sense that it is just a standard fairytale which uses its imagery; it doesn't have fully developed characters but rather common archetypes of these tales. This, however, is not in any way a bad thing. Because the magic and detail of its world is fully translated to the screen, making this an amazing visual experience, and worthy for that alone. This one, the first animated movie that is still available, is also one of the biggest monuments to the artistic possibilities of this medium.
http://i.imgur.com/zRoiuju.jpg?1
23. The disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya
Yasuhiro Takemoto, 2010
Well, this is another movie based on an anime series, in this case one of the most successful franchises of the late years, The melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I do like the show, a lot; but to me its peak came with this movie that adapts one of the arcs in the light novels.
Those who have watched the series will know that it is the result of putting different genres in a blender; it is at the same time a high school comedy and a science fiction and fantasy story, and takes some relevant elements of mystery, character drama and romance. It plays with stereotypes of each genre and confronts them; this is what makes this series unique and fresh. And it introduces Kyon, a normal and sarcastic high school boy, with no special qualities, as the focus of this whole amount of craziness.
This movie, more than the series itself, is about Kyon. And I think it comes off as really poignant by describing his view on an environment that he doesn't fully comprehend, but to a point has learnt to grow fond of. In this case, he is found with a world that is reset. Haruhi is a standard girl in another high school, instead of the clueless goddess who changes the rules of the world according to her state of mind. Kyon is the only one who remembers this, as the other characters apparently have been reset as well. These feelings are very emphasized at the story through a fitting dreamy atmosphere.
Under this situation, Kyon has to find out what has happened, in order to change the world back to normality, or more exactly, to the more appealing abnormality. One of the things that this movie does greatly is depicting the whole experience in first person, we get to know how much he actually misses the old SOS Brigade, and this creates a mood through the story that I believe anyone with even a slightest amount of interest for this character will largely enjoy.
This may make it look like a heavy dramatic story, however another characteristic of the show that is fully translated to the movie is that it never takes itself too seriously. Despite the tone is indeed a little more serious, there are still random instances of comedy that come as naturally as always.
Adding to the narrative experience there is a very nice and fitting soundtrack, and a monumental animation work, making this movie look really eye-candy with some of its compositions, very clean and with a masterful use of lights and shades.
http://i.imgur.com/VuFwiqu.jpg?1
22. Toy Story
John Lasseter, 1995
The first full-length movie from Pixar and the first that was fully computer animated. These technical qualities aside, it was a huge success at the time, back in the mid nineties, and I was a kid then. Meaning that it managed to play a very relevant part of my childhood memories; many scenes still remained perfectly defined in my mind by the time I decided to give it an adult rewatch -which was only three years ago.
This rewatch only helped to define my view of it as a joyful masterpiece, a very imaginative tale, and more exactly, as a strongly character-based movie that depicts two of the most charismatic characters I encountered in my childhood: Woody and Buzz.
Woody and Buzz are not heroes. They are not behaviour models either. One is selfish, stingy, envious... the other is delusional and arrogant. They are very flawed individuals, and still, they managed to build one of the most beautiful fables about friendship I have ever seen, one of the most poignant at the very least, and also one of the most powerful in the sense that it makes me side with these characters from the very first moment.
This film embodies rather perfectly the reasons why I am so fond of Pixar, the careful humanity in the relationships put on the stories, the imagination on the premises and their grace to play with the different elements that are introduced. It is very difficult to make a cast as likeable as the toys of Toy Story, and a movie that feels so agile and natural on depicting a fantastic world with its own rules.
Daniel M
11-05-13, 05:42 PM
I like It's such a beautiful day, and Nausicaa and Toy Story are very good films, good choices and write ups as ever :) I'm interested in seeing if the other Toy Story films will make the list, the second film is my favourite.
^Haha, then I guess I won't spoil that. I'm glad to see that you liked the choices :).
And now, for something completely different, what about another Ghibli?
http://i.imgur.com/ELJsISO.jpg?2
21. Porco Rosso
Hayao Miyazaki, 1992
Porco Rosso was regarded by Miyazaki, if I remember well, as his only truly adult movie. It is also the most influenced by Western elements; the setting is in the Fascist Italy and the movie has cinematic vibes that are way closer to classics like Casablanca (a similar romantic theme, main character and aesthetics), while also paying homage to the slapstick that one could associate with John Ford (the last part reminds me of The quiet man a lot).
These elements put aside, this is probably the most personal work of Miyazaki, and that is saying something. It is not a coincidence that he often represents himself in drawings as a pig, and to me this portrayal of a man who has lost the empathy with the world is to a point related to his own story.
Speaking of Porco, the cynical and pig-shaped protagonist, I believe his portrayal is genuinely complex, mysterious and on the other hand surprisingly accessible, his bitterness with the world related to his own past is never overdone to the point of being an extreme; for instance he does still love and shows appreciation for Gina, they are shown to be very close friends and have a cordial relationship.
I think another very relevant part of this story is that it simply makes fun of prejudgements. Porco is a pig. Yes. And that's about it. Nobody in the story notices that, laughs at him or changes their mind about his personality. He is simply treated as if he was the same Marco Pagot as always. This only feeds the theory that Porco being a pig or not is not relevant, it is a metaphor, a representation of a character losing his humanity.
The other characters that are introduced play a very relevant role on adding a joyful atmosphere to the story, which contrasts with the deep resentment that Porco feels. Fio from the very beginning is shown as the counterpart, the lively and quick-witted teen girl, the portrait of a person who wants to enjoy her life to the fullest. Their scenes together, while they try to understand each other, are among the best of the movie and my favorite is the dreamy sequence where Porco explains poetically why did he lose his affection for the world.
The ending of this movie is also the best ending of Miyazaki in my opinion. For some reason I usually don't manage to enjoy them, they are letdowns and often even come off as rushed. This one, however... it is left open to interpretation. Did Porco recover his old human aspect? Did he ever lose it or it was just an illusion?
Cobpyth
11-06-13, 03:14 AM
I like Nausicäa and Toy Story and I love Porco Rosso. The latter remains one of my favorite animated films of all time. It has a great story and the cynical humor in it is just lovely.
Next to all that, Porco must be one of the coolest animated characters of all time.
Mmmm Donuts
11-06-13, 03:20 AM
Wow, how did I not see this list until Cobpyth commented on it?
Take all these reps, representing all the choices that I agreed with.
Thanks guys :)
I'm glad to read that you have Porco Rosso in such a high regard, Cobpyth; it is not my favorite Miyazaki, but I think it is the one that I will end up appreciating more in the future.
Time for the next one!
http://i.imgur.com/U2Akraf.jpg?1
20. Alice in Wonderland
Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson & Hamilton Luske, 1951
Alice in Wonderland is quite an unusual Disney classic. The main character is not a hero or a princess, the story is not revolving around a moral, and the world depicted in here doesn't come with a clear antagonist.
More than a linear story what this movie depicts is a crazy journey into the mind of Alice where the events and the characters are often unrelated. The surreal narrative is filled with tricks, puns, ambiguity that in the end makes this whole storyline one that is better experienced than analyzed, guided by its anarchic narration and succession of little, often unrelated, moments.
The tales of Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the smoking Caterpillar, the enigmatic Cheshire cat, the tea party with the Hatter and the March Hare, the singing Flowers, the poor poor oysters, the despotic Queen of Hearts; many characters, each one following their very own sense of logic, making this one in essence a movie that is all about its individual moments.
Endlessly rewatchable, genuinely funny (the antics of the Hatter and the March Hare are just about as hilarious now as they were sixty years ago), incredibly twisted; this has remained as one of my favorite Disney works since I was a kid. Maybe due to its different structure, but above all, I think, because of the level of involvement put in every one of the individual sequences, the joyful -though sometimes a little nightmarish- sense of surreal brought by the experience, and in general, because this is just a great effort. It takes advantage of the whole visual imagery of the studio, and the cartoonish style to depict the comedy and craziness. For such a chaotic storyline, I find it to be very precise in what it delivers. And really imaginative.
This makes me wonder how could Disney end up producing that soulless 2010 version of the tale, but well, that's another story...
My second favorite animated film (in my top 15 films period). One of my fave parts - "There goes Bill." :rotfl:
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/protagonist/images/thumb/5/5e/Alice-disneyscreencaps_com-2542.jpg/500px-Alice-disneyscreencaps_com-2542.jpg
My second favorite animated film (in my top 15 films period). One of my fave parts - "There goes Bill." :rotfl:
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/protagonist/images/thumb/5/5e/Alice-disneyscreencaps_com-2542.jpg/500px-Alice-disneyscreencaps_com-2542.jpg
Haha, indeed. I didn't include that part in the examples because I couldn't remember the exact names of the characters, but it was funny as hell.
By the way! The next one is some crazy stuff as well:
http://i.imgur.com/VxKOvAK.jpg?1
19. Mind Game
Masaaki Yuasa, 2004
This movie is essentially a story about love, a standard boy meets girl and falls in love narration that follows how their relationship is built...
...except for the fact that the boy dies before he ever confesses his feelings in a rather pathetic way, tricks God to come back to life as a hero and is swallowed by a whale in the meanwhile.
And while this whole stuff happens, Yuasa switches between different art and animation styles, the drawing changes from one scene to another, and this whole succession forms a gorgeous visual feast that makes this one a very intense experience from the very beginning, and a psychedelic journey into basic emotions of the characters that are represented in a rather exuberant way.
The best part of this mind-blowing experience, however, is that despite the awesome exercise in imagination and the style over substance tone that is all over the movie, it still narrates the story it wanted to, and is able to emphasize and extract emotions from it. Maybe not in a standard way, but the intensity of this story is far from being just visual.
Mind Game is a truly original work, one that can only come from a guy who has fun on stretching the expressive limits of animation, and overall an amazing and really unique declaration of love to the medium and its endless possibilities.
By the way, I don't know why but it's so damn difficult to find a good and decently-sized pic of this movie in Google.
StickyShoes
11-06-13, 02:41 PM
You sold me. Going to find it now...
And now, the favorite movie of The Rodent:
http://i.imgur.com/w10NSBO.jpg?1
18. Ratatouille
Brad Bird, 2007
(sorry)
Anyway. What a great, great movie Ratatouille is. And what an insanely difficult thing it is to explain why.
The premise is the typical Pixar one, introducing an original scenario that at first would sound too adventurous or even ridiculous, but that ends up being brought with enough naturality and grace. The story in the end is a tale about pursuing your dreams, about self-improvement and believing in yourself... just the same thing Disney has done for decades. But what makes this movie special isn't there, it's in the execution.
Just like some jokes are funnier depending on who tells them, this movie is greater than many others because there is a narrator with a special ability to shift through comedy, drama and romance, and in the end to leave a good impression in either of them.
With another amazing effort on animation, this movie also manages to be really strong at transmitting sensations through this source; the visual depiction of the Parisian streets, the sewers, the city at night, and above all, the focus on food, its texture and wonderful presentation.
But the scene I am most fond of, by far, is the sudden monologue that makes the dark Anton Ego one of the most surprisingly poignant characters I have seen, that scene is so valuable and so powerful by itself that it could make the whole movie experience worthy. This part, and the childhood revelation that originates it, is among the very best individual scenes ever brought by Pixar.
http://i.imgur.com/m4pnA2Z.jpg?1
17. Fantasia
Many people, 1940
Okay, I admit that this one might be the least justified of my choices since I haven't had a chance to rewatch it for at least thirteen years, but it was so much of a favorite at the time that I can't help but include it here. It is one of the movies whose imagery impressed me the most in my childhood, and even nowadays I still remember many fragments clearly.
The whole experimental effort that something like Fantasia requires, anyway, should be enough to justify its position here. And I guess at the time this was revolutionary, it dealt with a concept of animation as an expressive method beyond storytelling bounds, simply by integrating drawings and music. This level of artistic freedom would probably sound even absurd at a time when the Disney studio was still defining its narrative style and the storylines it would come with. It was a surprisingly risky decision that I guess for that reason didn't do well with the audience at the time.
Still, over the years, Fantasia has ended up earning its position in the history of cinema and currently it is regarded as one of the most unique pieces of animation that have ever been made, and probably the most clear example of the huge influence this old and experimental Disney had on defining and expanding the bounds of the medium as we know it today.
edarsenal
11-07-13, 11:50 PM
Porco is one i TRULY need to find and watch. Alice is a fav from childhood with Robin Hood being my childhood disney fav and i thoroughly agree with Ratatouilli. like you said: it was all in the execution, like some jokes are funnier depending on who tells it, the same goes with this movie.
REALLY loving this list, jal :D:D
http://i.imgur.com/WKc9ut1.jpg?1
16. Coraline
Henry Selick, 2009
This stop-motion portrait of a child nightmare is among the greatest animated works of the latest years. Its director, Henry Selick, had a name as the director of a similarly dark fable, The nightmare before Christmas, but I believe that this one is his masterpiece, and the movie he should be remembered for.
I wouldn't define it as scary, but it still preserves an ability to be creepy and disturbing that is very rarely found nowadays in most of the movies for kids. It is a movie that not only doesn't treat its target audience as stupid, but actually presents its themes in a way that is appealing to a much wider public.
The imagery of this story is what drives it and makes it powerful. It has a special ability at creating scenarios and atmosphere, switching from the illusion to the nightmare and focusing on the misleading beauty of the parallel world that sucks Coraline into it. The scene of the garden for instance, is one of the most magical and fascinating I have seen in animation, a real visual delight.
On the other hand the story development is never left in a way that could end up being unsatisfactory; Coraline is an easily identifiable character who represents the moral lesson of the tale very well through her interaction with both worlds, and her decisions are always understandable from her viewpoint. It is an actually balanced portrayal and the story emphasizes on her being a perfectly normal girl, which is rather surprising considering the extremes it takes as a premise. This only helps to make the storyline and its development more relatable.
http://i.imgur.com/epIF238.jpg?1
15. The great mouse detective
Ron Clements, Burny Mattison, Dave Michener & John Musker, 1986
This extremely overlooked Disney masterpiece is often dismissed as belonging to its so-called Dark Age. This may be right to a point, because The great mouse detective is, comparatively, a very little and modest film, but this actually ends up playing in its advantage. Since it never tries to be more than it is, its simplicity and to the point narration is really refreshing, and the movie overall and above all is a lot of fun. It never has dense moments of forced emotional emphasis, the characters are focused on their conflicts and not any others (there is not a single love story in this atypical Disney, for instance). This movie is an adaptation -a free adaptation of course- of a typical Sherlock Holmes case and that is everything it brings. Basil is a rather quirky, funny and cartoonish version of the detective that works very well in the context, and the rest of the characters end up being equally endearing.
The movie also has some tones that are unusually dark for a Disney film. The beginning for example is surprisingly nightmarish and in general the depiction of the Victorian London is rather gloomy, in contrast with the usual efforts that come from the studio; one of the scenes for instance takes place in a sordid tavern. But above all what makes this story one of the darkest -maybe the darkest- in the studio, as well as explaining a huge part of its appeal, is the portrayal of the main villain, Professor Ratigan. He is one of my favorite Disney villains, and one with no qualms, the movie doesn't try to hide or soften his wickedness. In one scene, the typical introduction song ends up with him executing one of his companions in a really crude scene, for a very silly reason. And his manners and gestures emphasize the strength of the character, as a rather creepy and charismatic model of villain that makes the perfect antagonist for Basil.
http://i.imgur.com/0jglcr6.jpg?1
14. The illusionist
Sylvain Chomet, 2010
The story of this movie is rather similar to the later The artist, in the sense that it deals with an artist who gets lost in the generational gap and suddenly finds that his art has lost its appeal for society. However, the tone of both movies is very different.
The illusionist explores the topic in a more sober way; while the other work was focused on depicting and emphasizing on the fatality of the situation, this one is more about the main character giving up and accepting his fate. The emotional depiction is more modest, very effective nonetheless. I guess the lack of dialogue may be a problem at some parts, but I think it adds a point of simplicity and even proximity to the main character, so it actually plays to its favor and helps on building the enveloping atmosphere of the story.
Overall what this story has for is its focus on nostalgia; this film above all is an homage to a way of understanding art that has been pushed into the background. Through the depiction of a magician whose tricks don't attract any more viewers, this movie forms a bitter, though very heartfelt view on the effects of trends in society and what happens when something is thrown out. Even with the enthusiastic support of Alice, it is too late for the illusionist.
The artwork is wonderful; I wasn't a fan of Chomet's previous The triplets of Belleville, but in this case I find the character designs less saturating while still covering their satirical purposes. The background design on the contrary is gorgeous, it makes a really beautiful portrait of both the French and Scottish environments and specially the first shot of Edinburgh is amazing.
By the way, this is based on a script by, and is supposedly a very blatant homage to Jacques Tati; however I have never seen anything about this director and his monsieur Hulot, therefore in this aspect the movie falls flat in my case. Even if I could point at it, I don't have an emotional bond to the original. Anyway, this is not necessary to enjoy this movie.
jiraffejustin
11-08-13, 05:40 PM
By the way, this is based on a script by, and is supposedly a very blatant homage to Jacques Tati; however I have never seen anything about this director and his monsieur Hulot, therefore in this aspect the movie falls flat in my case. Even if I could point at it, I don't have an emotional bond to the original. Anyway, this is not necessary to enjoy this movie.
I haven't seen anything by Tati either, and I enjoyed The Illusionist immensely as well. It's certainly one of the best animated features of this short decade.
http://i.imgur.com/mtV388I.jpg?1
13. Mary and Max
Adam Elliot, 2009
Mary and Max is, hands down, one of the best stories about friendship that have ever been told in a movie. It is certainly among the most emotional and despite the extremes that their characters represent, it is also one that feels really close, it even hits home very often.
I think this effect is perfectly conveyed by something I read long ago about this movie, in a review: this is a story about people who are alone in their world, left behind by everyone that was ever close to them, and who are actually afraid of loneliness; this explains the effort both Mary and Max put at keeping their relationship through the years and how important their friendship actually is in their lives.
Even with the dark tones and the macabre and disenchanted comedy, this is above all a profoundly humanistic story. One that captures and explains rather perfectly not only the development of a friendship but why are these characters tied to it.
The content is, as well, perfectly tied to the form. Mary and Max are not perfect in any way; they are ugly and unappealing, and that is how they are depicted by their design. But still, they keep a touch of tenderness and humanity. The dull colors in the case of Mary's child life, and the impersonal black and white coloring of the New York where Max lives, help to translate the individuality of these characters as well as depicting their environment according to their experience.
Guaporense
11-08-13, 09:14 PM
Surprised to see many movies higher than Miyazaki's and Mind Game so high as well. I have many of these same movies in my top 50 (The Illusionist, Ratatuille and Mind Game at ca. 40th place, Fantasia at 50th place), but with a different ordering: Miyazaki's are a bit higher relatively to the others.
Guaporense
11-08-13, 09:18 PM
I haven't seen anything by Tati either, and I enjoyed The Illusionist immensely as well. It's certainly one of the best animated features of this short decade.
I think I need to watch much more before I can have an opinion on that. But it's my top animated film from 2010 and in my top 5 for this decade.
I noticed some similarities in tone between The Illusionist and The Triplets of Belleville and Tati's Playtime, both movies also don't have almost any character development through dialogue, for instance.
Guaporense
11-08-13, 09:26 PM
Well, this is another movie based on an anime series, in this case one of the most successful franchises of the late years, The melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. I do like the show, a lot; but to me its peak came with this movie that adapts one of the arcs in the light novels.
I didn't watch this movie but I found the tv series to be one of the weakest among the popular anime of recent years. I don't know why but it didn't have any high level emotional firepower being much more low key. But the movie is generally considered to be superior so I am interested.
Adding to the narrative experience there is a very nice and fitting soundtrack, and a monumental animation work, making this movie look really eye-candy with some of its compositions, very clean and with a masterful use of lights and shades.
I watched another movie from the same director, the K-ON movie, also very impressive visually.
Guaporense
11-08-13, 10:33 PM
My first experience with this anime classic wasn't very rewarding. The reason was basically that I guess Nausicäa was supposed to be a part of a larger story, and therefore many elements came off as contextless and name-dropping together with my own mood made it difficult to follow.
It's an extremely complex movie (specially considering the expectations people place on animation). I don't think there is any other movie I have watched that puts so much plot related information into less than 120 minutes. Some other films are very complex but significantly longer (David Lynch's Dune, is nearly 3 hours long at the director's cut, which is another very complex film plotwise, also the adaptation of a science fiction epic novel).
However, a second viewing changed this whole thing and I ended up appreciating it even on its -supposed- flaws, finding the consistency I missed on the storyline.
It's this complexity that makes it a movie that I like to rewatch again and again. Most films are just too simplistic to be watched more than once and become boring on a second watch. My top 3 movies are the ones that I find more durable to rewatches and that's why they are the top 3 (I broke my "law" that I would put only 1 movie per director in the top 10 as to include 2 Miyazaki's titles).
Nausicäa is the epitome of this and one of the individual characters who have created the highest emotional involvement on me. When she smiles, I feel nice. When she cries, I feel bad. When she experiences pain, I get goosebumps. And so on.
Indeed. Still is my favorite screen character ever. Shimamoto voice acting is also stellar certainly one of the best works of voice acting ever.
This movie has some of the most powerful individual scenes I have ever seen.
Indeed. The number of very moving scenes in this movie in proportion to the running time is the greatest of all movies I ever watched. I previously said that I got teary eyed about 10 times when I watched it one time.
I think it actually makes up for possible flaws at introducing the story by emphasizing on these moments; the best example I could think of is in the last part. It would probably come off as rushed, partially unexplained and unsatisfactory, but I can't help but love it because I share the exact same emotion that is portrayed at each reaction. It's almost as if I was there, seeing that with my own eyes.
I think that the final parts of the film are very well explained and everything that happens makes perfect sense. It's extremely fast paced storytelling but it fits perfectly to me, given that I am paying full attention to every line of dialogue. In fact, it is what makes it great. Miyazaki didn't want to be that rushed but given the budget for a 120 minute movie he had to deliver enormous amounts of information in the last 30 minutes and this accident that makes it a top 10 movie for me.
The drawing is quite gorgeous and detailed, however this is not as much of a visual feast as other Miyazaki movies because the tones used here are more sober, which helps on creating the atmosphere.
I find it his second most visually impressive after Princess Mononoke, another movie with fewer colors than his other ones (this one is mostly yellow and blue while PM is mostly brown and green).
The scenes inside the forest do, however, have a very strange and appealing sense of beauty.[/QUOTE]
Another great work from my favorite director. I have to admit though, that the first twenty minutes of this one didn't catch me as much as other works have, but once this little burden was overcome, the movie became a favorite.
The opening scences are favorites for me. The way they are executed is just extremely impressive and I find this movie to be the one with the second best opening scenes of Miyazaki's filmography.
Another point that caught my interest was the depiction of the mining town at the beginning. It exemplifies the European influence of Miyazaki very well, and to a point, the effect of his own Communist ideals in youth, in the way he describes the class structure of the town. This doesn't end up meaning anything in the global story but it's interesting at least to spot these influences; it's also part of what makes Miyazaki unique compared with other anime directors who tend to be more localized and focused on their own culture, and probably the reason why he's had a considerable success in the Western audience.
Well, compared to the rest of Japanese animation I find Miyazaki's work to be stadandard in it's relative focus on the west and on Japan. There is a huge amount of stuff set in Japan and a huge amount of stuff set in Europe or an in European style science fiction or fantasy world (such as the science fiction world of Castle in the Sky).
Porco Rosso was regarded by Miyazaki, if I remember well, as his only truly adult movie.
That depends. He said this movie was made for tired middle aged men. While Nausicaa and Mononoke, for instance, were not made for people under 12 but not for "tired middle aged men" either, these two are his most serious movies that he put the most effort into. He also said that Howl's Moving Castle was made for "80 year old girls", making fun of his previous habit of saying stuff like that.
These elements put aside, this is probably the most personal work of Miyazaki, and that is saying something.
Hard to say, Nausicaa has all his ideological obsessions while Totoro is his childhood (he used girls as main characters to not identify with the main characters too much, actually).
The ending of this movie is also the best ending of Miyazaki in my opinion.
One of the best ones indeed.
For some reason I usually don't manage to enjoy them, they are letdowns and often even come off as rushed.
I loved these rushed endings. It makes the movie more powerful for me in a way.
This one, however... it is left open to interpretation. Did Porco recover his old human aspect? Did he ever lose it or it was just an illusion?
It's more of a non-ending as if the movie was cut in the middle. It's very artsy and something really poignant but I personally find the rushed endings of Nausicaa and Totoro to be even better.
Anyway. What a great, great movie Ratatouille is. And what an insanely difficult thing it is to explain why.
I think that's pretty obvious when one looks at it: it's a quite complex western animation, something extremely rare. Just compare it to Toy Story, a very simplistic movie by comparison (well executed but still weak in my opinion given it's lack of depth), Ratatouille has some subtlety (not that much, though, but when compared to other Disney/Pixar stuff the difference is quite large) and characters with real psychological depth, which something extremely rare in western animation. In fact, Ratatoille was made more like a (really good) live action hollywood movie script that was animated rather than filmed instead of a typical western animation. Too bad Pixar returned to the standard simplistic stuff after Up. To this day, Wall-E, Up and Ratatoille remain above all other Pixar films (with The Incredibles a bit lower, it is still quite weaker than these 3 due to it's lack of subtle drama).
Cobpyth
11-08-13, 11:07 PM
I think that's pretty obvious when one looks at it: it's a quite complex western animation, something extremely rare. Just compare it to Toy Story, a very simplistic movie by comparison (well executed but still weak in my opinion given it's lack of depth), Ratatouille has some subtlety (not that much, though, but when compared to other Disney/Pixar stuff the difference is quite large) and characters with real psychological depth, which something extremely rare in western animation.
I wouldn't call the Toy Story series "very simplistic". The main idea of the whole trilogy is finding your true purpose in life and questioning your own existence. There's certainly not a lack of depth in them, considering that the films are made for children.
I thought they were made just as much for the children's parents. I guess we're less sophisticated than Guap though. :)
God, damn, Guaporense. You really did make up for the long time you haven't been here :D
Well, first on the presence of Miyazaki in the list. As said he is probably my favorite director overall, but I don't only enjoy the work of this director; take in mind that this is a list of favorites, everything in this list is something I really, largely enjoy and the order in many cases is arbitrary. What made me prefer Toy Story to Nausicäa? Probably the same thing that could make me think otherwise in rewatch. They are pretty different movies that aim for different objectives. Anyway, keep on this because there are still 12 entries and I'm far from being finished with Miyazaki.
I don't believe that Ratatouille has actual depth in the sense of exploring its themes thoroughly; it has its themes of course, but the narrative is the typical of a moralizing fable and it takes a lot of advantage from it. Similarly goes to Toy Story. I think saying one is deeper than the other is sort of arbitrary. It depends on personal experience more than anything. Because the style, the presentation of the themes and their gravity is similar in both cases. Anyway saying something has "psychological depth" is the same as saying nothing. I could also say that Toy Story has psychological depth in the portrayals of both Buzz and Woody, specially on the second one. His acts in the first part of the movie are erratic, and he eventually goes through a very clear character development that makes him accept things he wasn't ready to and changes his way of dealing with them.
On Haruhi. I guess this is not surprising if I consider how polarizing the reception is. There are many people who adore this series, and there are many people who hate it. While this is not among my favorite anime series, I still pay a lot of respect to it and think that some of its biggest values are underappreciated. For instance, there are actually very few series that can be considered as wildly experimental as this one is. It is almost as if it had fun on twisting its plot, it has very risky decisions (the chronological order of the first season airing, the Endless Eight) as well as some nerve dealing with them and balancing every genre it puts in the blender. It's also a great quality that it doesn't take itself as seriously as others.
I will answer the rest later, because it's a whole lot of stuff :P
Answering Guaporense before:
I think that the final parts of the film are very well explained and everything that happens makes perfect sense. It's extremely fast paced storytelling but it fits perfectly to me, given that I am paying full attention to every line of dialogue. In fact, it is what makes it great. Miyazaki didn't want to be that rushed but given the budget for a 120 minute movie he had to deliver enormous amounts of information in the last 30 minutes and this accident that makes it a top 10 movie for me.
Yeah, the main problem I have -or should have- is the fast pace. The fast pace and the general view of the world; it feels incomplete. The story only gives a few lines of information about the conflict between the two countries, for instance. Something that I would actually expect to be further developed in the manga. Anyway what it chooses to narrate, to me, is satisfying.
I find it his second most visually impressive after Princess Mononoke, another movie with fewer colors than his other ones (this one is mostly yellow and blue while PM is mostly brown and green).
Don't take me wrong. It is beautiful but in a very different way. Princess Mononoke represents life in the forest, and Nausicäa represents death and agony. The colour palette is duller in this case; and what in one movie gives me a feel of magnificence is an image of devastation in the other. This, of course, is later contradicted in the story (which becomes a very relevant point), but the first impression is exactly that. The environment is a typical post-apocalyptic one.
Well, compared to the rest of Japanese animation I find Miyazaki's work to be stadandard in it's relative focus on the west and on Japan. There is a huge amount of stuff set in Japan and a huge amount of stuff set in Europe or an in European style science fiction or fantasy world (such as the science fiction world of Castle in the Sky).
Yes, there are an amount of anime shows with European influences, but Miyazaki in Porco Rosso and Castle in the sky describes a society as well as an environment, and its history, and the specific issues. That's what I mean. There are other anime set in Europe (I have just finished Monster), and despite they are far from being a majority, I have seen this element quite a few times. But in the level of these and specially Porco Rosso, where this environment comes to life in a way that feels totally idiosyncratic, is hardly that frequent. I can't think of many different examples that aren't adaptations of Western books/source (Anne of Green Gables and Dog of Flanders, for instance).
That depends. He said this movie was made for tired middle aged men. While Nausicaa and Mononoke, for instance, were not made for people under 12 but not for "tired middle aged men" either, these two are his most serious movies that he put the most effort into. He also said that Howl's Moving Castle was made for "80 year old girls", making fun of his previous habit of saying stuff like that.
Really? His most serious movie may be very perfectly My neighbor Totoro. As you said, it's his childhood :p. Anyway, I'll have to check that, thanks for the information.
Hard to say, Nausicaa has all his ideological obsessions while Totoro is his childhood (he used girls as main characters to not identify with the main characters too much, actually).
Every movie and show he's made has his ideological obsessions; Nausicäa is probably his most personal work in manga form, according to the amount of time and effort he spent with it. However I would doubt it in the movie case. My neighbor Totoro is as well very personal. But I don't really think it is as much as Porco Rosso because to me it is very clear that he directly identifies himself with the main character.
And now, on the next movie:
http://i.imgur.com/BhCjOIL.jpg?1
12. Millennium Actress
Satoshi Kon, 2001
Loosely inspired by the real story of the Japanese star Setsuko Hara, this movie follows the life story of a retired actress in retrospective, as her memories take form when, after a long reclusion, she finally accepts to participate in an interview about her life. Through Chiyoko's bursts of memory, we see the different periods of her career, and the evolution of the Japanese cinema industry as well as her own personal development.
The greatest quality of Millennium Actress lies in its various levels of storytelling. This, for instance, is a very creative take on the Japanese cinema through the 20th century, the many changes it suffered, the trends, the effects of the historical events on the industry. It is, as well, the story of deep admiration that Genya, the documentarist, feels about Chiyoko, the amount of hours he's spent watching her movies again and again, and the emotion of looking into her experience. And it is, more importantly, the personal story of a girl in an eternal search that gives a meaning to her life, the key that symbolizes her ultimate objective. These three levels are merged together in a wonderful narration that mixes reality with fiction, and past with present. The structure of the film and the way it moves through and puts these different layers together is fascinating.
On the other hand, the other reason why I love this movie is simply because it displays a romanticist view of life that is very rarely shown and makes this story specially poignant. In this aspect, the journey of Chiyoko in search of the man who gave her the key turned out to be a very powerful concept, delivered perfectly and concluded with a truly cathartic ending that is among my favorites in any film.
The only issue I really have with it is that I wasn't a fan of the quirks shown by the documentarists at first, and in that sense they make the movie become a sort of acquired taste. Anyway, I don't blame it for that, because the fact even that ended up working so well is more of a merit than anything.
http://i.imgur.com/q4jmefX.jpg?1
11. Wall-E
Andrew Stanton, 2008
Well, this case is a little difficult to talk about because, as much as I loved this story on my first time in 2010, I haven't had a chance for a rewatch since then, and for some reason this one in special, among other Pixar works, hasn't stayed as fresh in my memories. I remember fragments rather than an overall story, and I think the main reason comes with its structure. It's not that I am blaming the story for it, but the fact this movie changes the focus so abruptly in its half may have helped to make the whole less memorable because it was made of two parts that weren't clearly tied together.
Anyway. Many people blamed this movie for this change; I however ended up loving each of the two parts that coul be treated as separated (to an extent).
I remember being specially fascinated by the first half. The depiction of the post-apocalyptic scenario was probably my favorite part of the movie, the way this immensity was set to describe the loneliness of WALL-E made this experience surprisingly haunting, and I consider it the most purely adult moment of my Pixar experience. The introduction of EVA and the little instances of approach by WALL-E turned this into a very atypical love story, everything of this transmitted through very little dialogue and a more effective use of gestures and glances. This was a rather risky concept in Pixar and they brought it rather perfectly.
For that reason, the second half was a little bit of a letdown... at first. Rather fastly, this new environment brought a different viewpoint to the story that I enjoyed as well. This one is more of a standard rescue mission, and the elements are less original; however the execution made this part equally enjoyable and very effective as well. The depiction of the human characters was anyway a great addition of imagery, and I loved the satiric take that it brought as well. The ending is another point I ended up adoring. I couldn't help but compare it with the credit scenes of Nausicäa, that are among my favorites as well. It gave very similar vibes and is also, probably, the closest Pixar has been to Ghibli in terms of both themes and mood.
And now, my favorite among the Disney Classics:
http://i.imgur.com/GbailmE.jpg?1
10. Aladdin
Ron Clements & John Musker, 1992
I know, I know. My tastes on the Disney renaissance are kind of weird. Usually, it's The lion king or in some cases Beauty and the beast the movie that is brought as the overall favorite and the symbol of the artistic heights of the studio in the early 90s. However I am way more personally attached to this one, and for an amount of reasons.
First, and while not definitive, this movie played a huge part in my childhood. It is the Disney I have watched more times through my child and even teen years, and seeing it was always a pleasure. I think it also helped a lot on keeping me in touch with animation when I was a teen; therefore when I got an actual interest on the medium as a whole, years later, I had a consistant basis.
Second, I find the characters in this movie specially endearing. And I am probably not able to specify why. The fact is that Aladdin, to me, is a very rare case of a typical handsome prince that comes as genuinely funny, quirky and relatable through the whole story. Jasmine, as well as a really beautiful version of the standard Disney princess, has some interesting traits. Their love story is one of the few in Disney that care about displaying chemistry, and the movie really makes me root for them. On the other hand, Jafar is also among my favorite villains, and I only ended up growing fond of them as I rewatched the movie, his sarcastic remarks are hilarious. The comedic elements by the Sultan, Abu and Iago worked as well greatly.
But, to me, the greatest element of this story is the Genie. Displaying a kind of anachronism-based, but surprisingly fresh comedy, he made every scene with him extremely entertaining. I think it's the best in terms of pure comedy this studio has brought. And it worked specially well in my case because I consider the Spanish dub of this character to be among the greatest I have heard, it is an outstanding adaptation. It's not that the dub is any worse in the rest of the cases (it is a great work overall), but on the Genie it was specially impressive.
Leaving the story and character elements apart, there is still a fascinating work in terms of the setting. The portrait of the Arabian environment, with the mysteries, the alleys and the street markets, the idiosyncrasy of the citizens; and on the other hand the richness and sumptuosity of the royal palace. These elements make the movie a real sensorial feast, with a huge focus on visuals. And if that wasn't enough, I have to add some of the best character songs, a wonderful soundtrack overall that is at times funny, at times emotional, and always incredibly atmospheric.
Considering I was 36 when this came out, I was absolutely giddy with the opening of the film: the contrasting dark blues and purples and bright golds and the gliding camera and sense of flight, replicated even more intensely when later the flying carpet appears. The Rescuers Down Under expressed an exhilarating feeling of flying too, but this seemed to use the color pallete better, especially in a dark theatre.
Gabrielle947
11-10-13, 08:13 PM
I heard the Aladdin is considered to be a controversial movie.Why is that?
Anyway,interesting list even if I didn't like most of the animated movies I've seen.I'm definitely watching Animal Farm sooner or later because I think the book is perfect and I don't know,I should see Nausicaa and Aladdin at some point as well.
Guaporense
11-10-13, 08:25 PM
As said he is probably my favorite director overall, but I don't only enjoy the work of this director;
I enjoy other movies but not as much (enjoy other movies doesn't imply in ranking them in similar places). I personally find the discrepancy in quality between other feature length animations and Miyazaki's to be extreme. My top 10 animated features is now Miyazaki's 1984-2001 films, Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday and PMMM, which I find significantly above other animated features.
Guaporense
11-10-13, 08:38 PM
I wouldn't call the Toy Story series "very simplistic". The main idea of the whole trilogy is finding your true purpose in life and questioning your own existence. There's certainly not a lack of depth in them, considering that the films are made for children.
The main problem is subtlety, since John Lasseter appears to lack talent for portraying subtlety (though Toy Story is also simplistic this is a rather smaller flaw, most movies, live action included, are quite simplistic). The Pixar movies directed by others are more subtle than his movies. Also, John Lasseter claimed that Toy Story is an adult movie.
Personally, I watched UP and Toy Story early this year and I found the former to be much more complex and subtle than the latter (even though it wasn't very subtle, it was average in subtlety compared to the particularly unsubtle movies directed by Lasseter).
Great list so far! :) I definitely agree with what you said on Nausicäa. I saw it at my local library years ago and didn't really care for it but gave it another shot recently and fell in love with it. It's not really a movie you can just watch and expect understand all of it without repeated viewings.
I heard the Aladdin is considered to be a controversial movie.Why is that?
When it was first released Aladdin’s opening song had a line that was considered racist towards Arabs; something like “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like a face, it's barbaric, but hey, it's home”. It was later changed to “where it's flat and immense, and the heat is intense”.
Gabrielle947
11-10-13, 09:24 PM
something like “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like a face, it's barbaric, but hey, it's home”.
omg,I'm watching it :D
Cobpyth
11-10-13, 09:29 PM
Aladdin and Wall-E are two very good films, but Millennium Actress is absolutely STUNNING!
It's probably in my top 3 favorite animated movies I've ever seen. It's brilliantly made. You practically said it all in your post: It has a wonderful surrealistic way of storytelling, beautiful images and details, an extremely interesting character study and of course, as you mentioned, one of the most effective endings I've ever witnessed in an animation picture.
Great choices!
http://i.imgur.com/hqfCjmb.jpg?1
9. The Plague Dogs
Martin Rosen, 1982
If there is one word I would use to define The Plague Dogs, it would be devastating. This tale from the perspective of two dogs who escape from a laboratory is one of the darkest stories about the worst side of the human condition, as well as a heavy criticism on animal suffering for the sake of science and investigation (a topic that affects me personally -I have studied Biology and done a lot of lab work- and is at the very least a touchy moral issue).
The humans in this story are paradoxically dehumanized. Their faces are very rarely shown, and when they are, they appear to be cold, generic and interchangeable. On the contrary, the story follows the two main dogs through the whole story. They do have clear personalities, but in a different vein than the Disney formula. Following a realistic drawing in the design as well as in the gestures, the attitudes of these characters are the reflection of their suffering and traumas. Rowf is the older, more cynical and more openly hateful of any human; while Snitter is more ingenuous as well as livelier, despite actually being the one who's gone through more suffering during the experiments. I don't want to spoil in this issue, but seeing the development of both dogs and how this initial description relates to the end is probably what makes this movie more sad and depressing.
The artwork may not be impressive, but it is effective enough. It aims for a gritty realism, with a rather dull color palette, to bring a dark and unsettling atmosphere and reinforce the hostility of the places they go through. And it becomes specially effective at the ending, when it manages to create a dreamy and -to a point- peaceful atmosphere in a suffocating environment.
http://i.imgur.com/l2jTFhr.jpg?1
8. Perfect Blue
Satoshi Kon, 1997
Perfect Blue is the first movie directed by Satoshi Kon and in my opinion the absolute best of one of the most regular directors in the cinema history.
The greatest quality about this psychological thriller lies in its ambiguity. It has been compared very often to David Lynch, but I think there is a very relevant difference. Mulholland Drive or Lost highway are interpretable, that is, they offer storylines that use an amount of tricks, mistaking dream with reality and subjective with objective views, but they still have a solution to the enigma and the audience has to aim for it. Perfect Blue on the other hand... is ambiguous from the beginning to the very end. When the movie finishes there is not a single human way to know what part of the story is real and what part is invented; it could be the case that every relevant event actually happened, but also that Mima was never a J-pop star to start with. And any case in between. The reason for this is that this whole movie is told through a subjective experience, and Mima is not a reliable narrator. She is supposed to have a mental disease that disallows her from differentiating between dream and reality. Since the movie always speaks from her mind, it turns equally equivocal in everything it narrates. For example, towards the end of the movie there is a plot revelation that many people accept as a valid solution. However I don't see anything in the movie that tells me specifically that this moment is more real than the rest of the experience.
I admit that my love for the movie comes with my own preferences in storytelling, as I'm very much into psychological thrillers of characters whose perception is screwed up. They feel particularly intense for me and this is not an exception.
On the other hand, even if the storytelling is actually purposely ambiguous, the message is rather clear and one of the reasons why I find this movie unique, specially, in the context of anime. In fact I think that this one and Only yesterday are the only anime films I have watched which display a direct feminist discourse, at least in such a clear way. While Miyazaki for example is a self-declared feminist, his feminism in movies is more methodological, as in how to portray the heroines and the female villains. However these two movies deal with specific problems of women in the Japanese society. In the case of Perfect Blue, it is on the culture of idols, the objectification and the obsession for maintaining the "purity". Mima in this context is described as a weak character, one that is, to a point, driven by this mindset, and actually feels guilty about her own personal decisions because they are disappointing her fans.
All in all, and whatever interpretation I could end up reaching, Perfect Blue is an emotional rollercoaster and an awesome narrative exercise that breaks the limits between fantasy and reality. Its 80 minutes are, in their entirety, an incredibly intense and breathtaking experience that I could watch over and over again.
edarsenal
11-11-13, 10:33 PM
loved Wall-E and Alladin and Perfect Blue, though quite some time since seeing it, was quite the roller coaster ride
Godoggo
11-11-13, 11:01 PM
I liked Perfect Blue, but I thought it could have been even more ambiguous and surreal. I guess I was one of those who took the revelation as the solution.
As to Plague Dogs; I thought it was a very good movie but absolutely nothing in this world will make me watch it again. It wrecks me.
This is another list I need to catch up on. It looks like a lot of movies I love are in here.
Guaporense
11-11-13, 11:10 PM
plague dogs and perfect blue are also two great animated movies that i had in my own top 50.
Gabrielle947
11-12-13, 06:07 AM
As to Plague Dogs; I thought it was a very good movie but absolutely nothing in this world will make me watch it again. It wrecks me.
you make me so curious :[
Fantastic list and write-ups and I was trying to think of a way to argue with your point about the whole Perfect Blue/Lynch thing but you're right because by the end of Perfect Blue there isn't even a way to tell who the "real person" is. There are different interpretations sure but none as clear cut as those Lynch films, especially MD
The funny thing, Godoggo, is that I had the exact same reaction on my first viewing. And actually the explanation seemed fine to me. The problem, I think, is that while it's fine, there are many alternatives that are too and that I didn't consider when I first watched it.
Of course that is my opinion... there are many people who disagree and can defend the existence of a clear solution with very well-brought arguments.
Thanks for your comment, Upton, by the way :)
And now, what about another entry?
http://i.imgur.com/4XUKqTM.jpg?1
7. Whisper of the heart
Yoshifumi Kondo, 1995
The biggest problem Whisper of the heart has ever had is depicting a teen romance. The amount of times I have read that this movie is just for teen girls is incredibly high; and what I find specially difficult to explain is that it can be put in contrast with the "wider" appeal of Spirited away, which deals with very similar -I'd say they are the most closely related in Ghibli- themes.
I don't need to say that I disagree with this statement, and I disagree first and firemost because this movie, to me, is not -or more exactly, not only- a teen romance. The relationship between Seiji and Shizuku moves at its own pace, it is not the main focus in the story. The plot is about Shizuku going through a specific period in her life, and what she finds in this transition.
It is probably idealistic, but it is in the sense that it doesn't let external elements influence on the development of its point. That is, Shizuku seems to have a perfectly healthy life, her family understands and supports her, she has her friends, goes fine at school... however this lack of relevant conflicts in her daily life only helps to reinforce the fact that she's changing, and she needs to deal with this change alone, as a mean of self-demonstration.
Shizuku is one of the most relatable characters I have ever found in a movie. Her perception of her own changes comes off as very easily identifiable through the whole process. Similarly, in the new situations she finds her answers are rather natural and easy to understand. Her decision to take the example of Seiji and try to push her limits to write a tale is not only a perfect follow-up to her naturally curious character, but a rather poetic way to describe her process of maturity.
In general, the biggest quality of this movie is its sense of naturality. There is a specially exhaustive focus on making the scenes and reactions feel real and down-to-earth; the characters change their mood through the events, but they don't change their essence and personality. For example, Shizuku after a depressing situation may feel sad for a while, but she doesn't magically turn into a depressive character for that reason alone.
This focus is translated as well to the level of detail. It is a common thing in many Ghibli movies to depict little instances of gestures and movements that are unnecessary to reach the main point of the scenes they are depicting, and could be considered in that sense a waste of frames, but help a lot on making them look real and relatable through this way too. There is a scene where Shizuku is reading at her bed and decides to switch off the lamp; since she doesn't reach it, she has to get up. That little situation doesn't have any significance in the story or the character development, however it is depicted with the same care that is shown for the rest of the narration.
Contrarily to other Ghibli movies, and specially to Miyazaki, who is responsible for the screenplay in this case, this one has very few instances of fantasy and supernatural elements, and they are always very perfectly delimited as fictional elements; for instance, as a visualization of the tale that Shizuku is writing. These little scenes are of course rich and imaginative, however the biggest artistic quality of this series is in its ability to extract a portrait that feels magic and lively from a perfectly mundane city. The level of detail and embellishment put into describing that setting is mesmerizing.
Technically there is very little to complain about, if there is anything. It is one of the most well-balanced works of animation I have ever seen and is imbued with the naturality and thoroughly descriptive philosophy of the whole movie. The music choice may be surprising, but I think it works as it is very well inserted into the story. The main song, Country roads, is rare in the sense that it doesn't seem to fit with Japanese themes and culture, but in fact one of my favorite parts of this story is the introductory sequence, which uses this song as we follow a panoramic view of the city at night while getting increasingly closer to the focus of the main character.
Damn, this got a little long. But I can't help it, I'm too fond of this movie, partly due to its high quality of course, but also for very personal reasons.
Godoggo
11-14-13, 09:30 PM
you make me so curious :[
Watch it at your own risk. I bawled and bawled and cried for awhile after that anytime I thought of it. I've read the book too. Same reaction.
The funny thing, Godoggo, is that I had the exact same reaction on my first viewing. And actually the explanation seemed fine to me. The problem, I think, is that while it's fine, there are many alternatives that are too and that I didn't consider when I first watched it.
Of course that is my opinion... there are many people who disagree and can defend the existence of a clear solution with very well-brought arguments
I've only seen it the one time, but now I want to watch it again to see if I find it so clear cut this time. Regardless, I still really liked it and anime is very hit or miss with me.
edarsenal
11-14-13, 10:16 PM
i'm sure I'd bawled like crazy too for plague dogs
and great write up on whisper of the heart. Its great to see someone who is passionate and caught up in all nuances of a given film, VERY cool
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