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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.
jal90's 50 favorite animated films
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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 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'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 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!
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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...
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.
But now, for something completely different...
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.
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And so, here it comes.
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
). 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.
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
). 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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...
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.
But now, for something completely different...
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.
From what I remember it is very good.
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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:
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.
It is based on a series 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?
And now, from the other side of the moon:
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
From what I remember it is very good.
From what I remember it is very good.
Last edited by jal90; 07-18-13 at 06:37 PM.
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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.
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I do not speak english perfectly so expect some mistakes here and there in my messages
I do not speak english perfectly so expect some mistakes here and there in my messages
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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
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.
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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
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It is based on a series 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?
The adverts didn't have the same characters, but they were made by the same people, and made in the same vein.
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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!
And as for Up! i felt the exact same way about the opening and how -- squirrel!
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It was about time to bring this back, right?
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.
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.
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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.
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