Banana Scoop

Pixar is the front runner for promising animated films of this generation.  Classic Disney was the front runner for giving us the best animation of the 1900s.  It seems Disney and its acquisitions have always given us the most memorable animated movies that we watched when we were children and will recommend our children to watch as we grow older.  So finding a great animated feature that doesn’t have the production title Disney, is indeed a rare gem.  I tried to find as much range as possible.  Please remind me if I missed any.  Hit the jump for the list.

Spirited Away

Filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is the first name I thought of when I considered animated filmmakers not made by John Lasseter.  I’ve only seen 3 of his films: Ponyo, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle, but each of them carry so much emotional weight, that I’d imagine the rest of his resume is just as good.  Spirited Away (picture above) is by far my favorite, so I chose that film to represent all of Miyazaki’s movies.  You can sit through the entire movie in awe from the sheer visuals themselves and you can only wonder how Miyazaki comes up with some of the characters.  Colorful, interesting, and thought provoking are just a couple words that can be used to describe all his films, and the animation is beautifully traditional and is a very nice break from today’s contemporary animation.

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wes Anderson is a master of quirky characters and implementing them into crazy situations.  You can see this in nearly all of his films.  So when he first took a dip into animation, it’s easy to see how he carried on his trademark to the book characters of The Fantastic Mr. Fox.  The sheer interpretation of the book characters translating to the movie screen merits Anderson’s screenwriting abilities.   With the voice talents of George Clooney and Meryl Streep, this movie is a quirky romp that ranks as one of the more original films.  And how often these days do you see stop animation?

Rango

Nickelodeon produced, Rango seemed like a children movie.  Then I watched it and realized it was a lot darker than I anticipated.  Today’s children’s animated films are full of colorful, likable and attractive characters.  The characters in Rango are generally none of these things.  They’re hideous, odd-looking and their quirks go beyond a child’s understanding.  Johnny Depp’s general quirkiness fits in well and all these things make the movie different and the fact that it’s different makes it good.

Who Famed Roger Rabbit

Look at this picture.  There are few [legal] animations that would include the likes of Warner Bros. cartoons and Disney cartoons in a single motion picture.  Somehow Who Framed Roger Rabbit  was able to get the licenses to do so.  This alone is a sheer accomplishment that merits a medal.  A groundbreaking film that effectively combined animation and live action for a coherent and fun story.  The supporting characters are great and then there is of course the unforgettable Jessica Rabbit…Enough said.

South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut

One of the most memorable TV animations of this decade is Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s satire of today’s culture.  So when they made a movie, boasting an increase in length and vulgarity, it’s obvious everyone lined up.  And guess what, it’s a musical!  And to add to that, it’s an Oscar nominated musical.  Absurd and tastefully vulgar, this film is definitely worth it.  And who doesn’t want to see Kenny’s real face?

The Iron Giant

A very touching story of a boy meeting an iron giant.  Hence the title.  Brad Bird, director of Pixar’s The Incredibles, is close to not making this list, but this film is just too good.  This film is very E.T. in the aspect of a boy hiding an extraterrestrial from the government, but I find this movie a little bit more charming and emotional.  The giant himself is very childish, at least until he first gets exposed to gunfire.  He violent transition serves as a climax and falling action that leads to the movie’s very heartfelt resolution.  And the final sequence makes me wish that this movie did well enough for a sequel.

I’m aware that I didn’t include anything from Dreamworks Animation’s resume.  Don’t get me wrong, some of their movies are decent, but none are as groundbreaking or emotionally investing as the ones I listed earlier.  Compel me otherwise.