Animation Sensations
Hello and welcome to Cinema Wellman. I am your host David, and if you’re listening to this episode as opposed to watching it, you’re missing out on the very first “animated” episode of Cinema Wellman.
Our talented artistic director Denise created drawings of me in the studio that will be shown during this episode highlighting Cinema Wellman’s Top 10/Bottom 5 Animated Movies during which I’ll attempt to add more visual effects in editing (no promises since I still don’t really know what I’m doing).
Denise also created the label for a beer Andrew brewed a few years ago, so I’ll make sure I include a shot of that as well. She’s an extremely talented artist, and she’s a teacher, so you know I’m a big fan!
Thank you, D-Nice!
I compiled my Top 10/Bottom 5 Animated Films list a while ago when I started planning this episode. Then, on the heels of the crowd sourced March Madness episode we did last month, I thought I’d ask family and friends about their favorite animated films.
I got some fantastic feedback as it seems like everyone loves an animated movie at some point in their life, even if their love of the genre ended in middle school.
I enjoyed how some people were adamant that their choice was the sequel to a popular film, which happened with Shrek, Inside Out, and All Dogs Go to Heaven!
Not that they disliked the original, BUT…
I also loved how I asked for a “favorite,” but added that “s” to make it plural, and some of my friends took full advantage of that!
Some people asked what kind of animation I was talking about, and my response was ALL of it!
Hand drawn animation, computer drawn animation, stop-motion, Claymation…everything was in play.
Let’s begin with a quick definition which supports the inclusion of all of those styles of animation I just mentioned.
Animation is a method of photographing successive drawings, models, or even puppets, to create an illusion of movement in a sequence. Because our eyes can only retain an image for approximately 1/10 of a second, when multiple images appear in fast succession, the brain blends them into a single moving image.
I dabbled in stop-motion filmmaking at BU and, as I’ve mentioned here before, it’s an unbelievably painstaking and tortuous project.
And I was just animating “psychic” vegetables marching out of my refrigerator and killing people. I can’t imagine making a full-length film using the process.
The Bottom 5 today is ALL mine since I didn’t ask people for animated movies they hated (no point in that!), and the Top 10 today is mostly mine, but I was also influenced by the feedback I got from those I asked.
As we always do here, we will begin at the bottom of the barrel.
As of right now, I have seen a total of 251 animated films from over 20 countries in a variety of genres over the years and only 11 of them (a mere 4%) were given the bomb.
What could be so bad about an animated movie that it was given the Cinema Wellman bomb, you may ask?
We will get into that after a quick trivia question for you!
What do the following animated films have in common?
Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Princess and the Frog, Frozen, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Fox and the Hound, The Black Cauldron, Oliver & Company, Tarzan, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Treasure Planet, Chicken Little, Meet the Robinsons, Bambi, and The Lion King.
I know you know this. Think Disney protagonists.
The answer: Full Metal Orphan.
ALL of those Disney films feature a protagonist with at least ONE dead parent.
Come on, Disney! Do you really need to do this over and over?!? Do you realize the trauma you’ve caused over the years insisting the movie cannot go on unless the protagonist (usually a young protagonist) has at least one dead parent?!
Protagonists can have adventures and also have moms and dads!
Can’t they?
Okay, back to the bottom, and it’s a movie I’ve already savaged in a previous episode but, in this case, I do not mind piling on.
The Queen’s Corgi - Belgium (2019)
PG/85 m/IMDb: 4.9/directed by Vincent Kesteloot
IMDb: “The British monarch’s favorite dog gets lost from the palace and finds himself at a dog fight club. He then begins his long journey on his way back home.”
Never a fan of the royal family, or colonization for that matter. The only “Royal” I ever cared about was Diana, and they killed her, so…
There really wasn’t anything entertaining about this movie at all. Even the doggie fight club was boring, if that’s possible.
I don’t blame her at all, but the only reason I watched this was because Hannah adores Corgis.
Not these Corgis.
What makes this mess even worse is a cartoon cameo by the current president. I don’t want to see him in real form or cartoon form.
Ever.
The Polar Express (2004)
G/100 m/IMDb: 6.6/directed by Robert Zemeckis
IMDb: “On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express while learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas.”
Bullshit.
Good story loved the book. Big Chris Van Allsburg fan and read several of his books to the girls when they were little (shoutout to “The Garden of Abdul Gasazi!), but this Polar Express animation was SO creepy.
I didn’t think it was possible for someone to create something capable of causing Tom Hanks night terrors, but this is it.
I guess I can’t trust Hanks in the hands of Robert Zemeckis, unless it’s 2024’s Here which I really enjoyed.
Polar Express and Gump, not at all.
Bambi (1942)
AP/69 m/IMDb: 7.3/directed by James Algar (and 8 others!)
IMDb: “The story of a young deer growing up in the forest.”
That’s it? That’s all you have to say, IMDb?
The animation and imagery are stunning. No doubt about it.
But…if Disney will shotgun Bambi’s mother, they’re capable of anything.
I never trusted them after seeing this as a kid, and I think it single handedly made me think that hunting was wrong.
How about a movie that made me think that circuses were wrong?
Who would take a kid to a circus?
With you 100% here, Dakota.
Dumbo (1941)
AP/64 m/IMDb: 7.2 /directed by Samuel Armstrong (and 5 others!)
IMDb: “Ridiculed because of his enormous ears, a young circus elephant is assisted by a mouse to achieve his full potential.”
I remember seeing this once when I was little and being scared by it and disliking everything about it, but I didn’t see it until the late 60s.
Were they trying to toughen up kids during World War II?!
Why would you expose children to this?
When does this one enter the public domain? Because I’d prefer a full-blown horror Dumbo complete with flyover murders as opposed to any of this.
Dumbo should have gone all Topsy on his handlers, if you ask me.
And here’s the worst of the worst.
Fritz the Cat (1972)
X/78 m/IMDb: 6.2/directed by Ralph Bakshi
IMDb: “In the late 1960s, a pretentious, womanizing young cat drops out of college, starts a riot in Harlem, hits the road with an ex-girlfriend and gets mixed up with domestic terrorists.”
This X rating does not exist anymore. It was phased out by the MPAA in 1990 and replaced by NC-17 so as not to confuse their X with the XXX used by the adult film industry.
Pre-1990, any non-adult X rated films released in theaters certainly gained attention, and one, Midnight Cowboy, even won a Best Picture Oscar.
So even as a 10-year-old, I was aware that there was a “cat cartoon out there that was just for grown-ups.”
I didn’t really understand why that existed when I was 10.
Then I watched Fritz the Cat when I was in high school, and I was 16 and didn’t understand why it existed.
I’m now 63 years old, and I still don’t really understand it.
I don’t get who this movie is for!
Why do the female cats in this movie have breasts like female humans?
Why are we sexualizing cats?
I honestly don’t know what to tell you.
So enough of the trash, let’s take a look at our Top 10 animated films.
Be warned. The first three are pretty bizarre, and NOBODY I asked about this project mentioned ANY of them, so they’re certainly off the radar.
And I’m going to “cheat” right off the bat and lump three movies together!
Not a big deal since the three films added together are a whopping SIX minutes long, and Hannah told me I could do whatever I want here.
Western Spaghetti/Fresh Guacamole/Submarine Sandwich
Western Spaghetti (2008) UR/2 m/IMDb: 7.1/directed by PES
IMDb: “Everyday objects become delicious ingredients as we learn how to cook spaghetti through stop-motion photography.”
Fresh Guacamole (2012) UR/2 m/IMDb: 7.4/directed by PES
Oscar Nominee: Best Short Animated Film
IMDb: “Transforming familiar objects into fresh guacamole.”
Submarine Sandwich (2014) UR/2 m/IMDb: 6.9/d.b.PES
IMDb: “A butcher makes an unusual submarine sandwich using sports equipment.”
You heard me correctly! You can enjoy all three of these amazingly creative stop motion animated films in less time than it takes to make spaghetti, guacamole, OR a submarine sandwich!
And ALL are available on the YouTubes!
Filmmaker PES cooks up three different tasty treats using everything BUT food!
These have to be seen to be believed, so see them on YouTube!
One of my favorites is when the deli guy in Submarine Sandwich puts a soccer ball in the meat slicer and the slices are Viewmaster wheels.
Think about that! It’s perfect!
A Town Called Panic - Belgium (2009)
IMDb: “Cowboy and Indian’s only wish was to come up with a brilliant idea for Mr. Horse’s birthday, but when their plan ends up in utter disaster, they’ll need to travel the world and back to make things right again.”
If Dakota and I did a “Pick 7” episode, this would have been our 7th film.
This is 75 minutes of absurdity that will have you wondering so many different things as you watch it.
A Town Called Panic is a stop-motion film that used 1,500 plastic toys and was shot in 260 days.
For a 75-minute film to be shot in 260 days means each shooting day yielded 3.5 minutes of screen time.
That will give you a clue about how long this type of animation takes to get to you.
Some of the dialogue in this film is as absurd as the premise itself.
This Belgian treat is now available on kanopy, so you can see it since I KNOW that EVERYONE has a library card by now and has taken advantage of all that kanopy and hoopla have to offer!
One more movie nobody has heard of before getting into some classics.
Logorama - France (2009)
Oscar Winner: Best Short Animated Film
R/16 m/IMDb: 7.5/directed by Francois Alaux (and 2 others!)
IMDb: “Police chase an armed criminal in a version of Los Angeles composed entirely of corporate logos.”
I know this is an odd thing to say, but I’m a big fan of logos and have been since I was a kid.
I’ve always been fascinated by logos whether they’re the logos of sports teams, corporations, or products.
Which means that Logorama was a 16-minute treasure hunt for me since pretty much EVERYTHING in this film is a logo of some sort.
Over 2,000 contemporary and historical company logos and mascots are featured. More math tells us that’s 125 logos to spot per minute!
The police mentioned in the synopsis are Michelin Men, and the criminal is an absolutely psychotic Ronald McDonald who is extremely violent.
This is rated R for a reason.
It’s the last time I’ll say it today since you’ve probably seen everything else on today’s list, but you need to see this one to believe it.
And you can, because it’s ALSO available on the YouTubes!
Our next entry is here because it got a lot of love when I asked around, and I was kind of surprised because of how old the movie is and how relatively young the people I asked were.
That filled me with hope, actually.
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
AP/75 m/IMDb: 7.3/directed by Clyde Geronimi/Wilfred Jackson/Hamilton Luske
IMDb: “Alice stumbles into the world of Wonderland. Will she get home? Not if the Queen of Hearts has her way.”
“Why is a raven like a writing desk?”
“Because Edgar Allan Poe wrote on both.”
This is classic old-school hand drawn Disney animation filled with songs and characters based on the classic tale of Lewis Carroll.
It was also a box office failure that was later embraced by the counterculture during the psychedelia times of the 60s.
Even though it was made 75 years ago, the colors and animation are crisp and dazzling.
I didn’t read the unabridged version of “Through the Looking Glass” until I was in college, and it was some wild, wild stuff.
Alice also doesn’t have a love interest, which is refreshing.
She’s just on a trip, and that’s enough.
Ratatouille (2007)
Oscar Winner: Best Animated Feature Film
G/111 m/IMDb: 8.1/directed by Brad Bird & Jan Pinkava
IMDb: “A rat who can cook forms an unusual alliance with a young kitchen worker at a famous restaurant in Paris.”
If you know me, you know I’m terrified of rats, so I never counted Ratatouille as a favorite animated film of mine because of my murophobia.
And I love to cook, so a movie about a rat that helps someone prepare food in the kitchen gave me the “Icks.”
But after a re-watch to prepare for the “City Spotlight: Paris” episode from Season 2, Remy helped me do a 180.
This is a truly delightful film that wonderfully animates the City of Light and highlights the culinary skills of vermin.
And Peter O’Toole voices one of the characters!
Toy Story (1995)
NOT an Oscar Nominee: Best Animated Feature because the category didn’t exist until 2002
G/81 m/IMDb: 8.3/directed by John Lasseter
(Toy Story 3 (2010) Oscar Winner: Best Animated Feature Film)
IMDb: “A cowboy doll is profoundly jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as the top toy in a boy’s bedroom. When circumstances separate them from their owner, the duo have to put aside their differences to return to him.”
I’m only going to reference the O.G. in this series, but there are three others out there as you know, and Toy Story 5 is headed our way in just two months.
This is an extremely popular franchise that is now 31 years old, so their fans span all ages at this point.
I was 33 when this came out, and many of the toys were nostalgic to me.
My favorite was always Mr. Potato Head voiced by Don Rickles. The thought that “Mr. Warmth” with all of his controversial, somewhat cringy comedy is a major part of this family franchise makes me laugh.
This film is the first fully computer-animated movie and required 800,000 machine hours and over 114,000 animation frames.
I’m a little surprised this franchise is as popular as it is when one of the main characters is pretty much an obnoxious jerk/arrogant bully.
Woody really is the least likeable character in the entire series, even when there are actual antagonists brought into the story in later installments.
Oh, and what the hell was that incinerator sequence in Toy Story 3?!?!
That was terrifying and upsetting!
Please don’t do that to us, ever!
Next up, I’m going to cheat again and bundle two movies together!
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Oscar Nominee: Best Animated Feature Film
PG/87 m/IMDb: 7.9/directed by Wes Anderson
IMDb: “An urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then
must help his community survive the farmers’ retaliation.”
AND
Isle of Dogs (2018)
Oscar Nominee: Best Animated Feature Film
PG-13/101 m/IMDb: 7.8/directed by Wes Anderson
IMDb: “Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy’s odyssey in search of his lost
dog.”
Stop motion animated films directed by Wes Anderson?!? Yes, and YES!!
No surprise that they’ve made the list and since I couldn’t decide which to include (they were equally liked by those who were asked), you get them both.
You cannot lose when choosing between these two films.
One is a heist film with George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, and Bill Murray, while the other is an adventure/odyssey with Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, and again Bill Murray among others. Scar-Jo!
Isle of Dogs was inspired by the works of the great Akira Kurosawa and the old Rankin-Bass animated Christmas specials and features the talents of four Oscar winners and eight Oscar nominees once again proving how anyone who’s anyone wants to work with Wes Anderson.
535 puppets were made for Fantastic Mr. Fox, 102 of them of Mr. Fox alone - in six different sizes.
More amazing work by director Wes Anderson, and we never get tired of talking about him here at Cinema Wellman.
If you haven’t seen either of them, fix that as soon as you can.
And, while you’re at it; Por que no los dos?
Which would also apply to our next film.
Inside Out (2015)
Oscar Winner: Best Animated Feature Film
PG/95 m/IMDb: 8.1/directed by Pete Docter (and 1 other!)
IMDb: “After young Riley is uprooted from her Midwest life and moved to San Francisco, her emotions; Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house, and school.”
I’m a huge proponent of mental health and think it’s something a lot of people should pay a lot more attention to.
When I was teaching, I stressed the importance of mental health to my students and how it was as important as physical health.
Feelings are real, it’s okay to have them, and it’s more than okay to talk about them.
But we all know that sometimes kids are more likely to listen to a movie than a parent or a teacher, so we have a movie to remind kids about navigating their feelings and problems.
Works for me!
Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness are voiced by Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, and Lewis Black (among others), and in Inside Out 2 they are joined by Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui. Anxiety and Envy are voiced by Maya Hawke and Ayo Edeberi.
Quality talent there all around, and good writing that isn’t dumbed down and these films get their points across without being preachy.
The new city, new house, and especially new school storyline is very real and can be a nightmare for a kid.
You know this hit home with so many teenagers and pre-teens out there who have gone through the exact same thing and felt the same way as Riley.
Seeing yourself validated onscreen certainly can’t hurt, and I have a feeling that these two films opened more doors and started more conversations than 10,000 middle school guidance counselor sessions.
And the fact that Inside Out 2 deals with puberty?
ALL THE BETTER!
Parents need all the help they can get when those shenanigans begin!
Spirited Away - Japan (2001)
Oscar Winner: Best Animated Feature Film
PG/124 m/IMDb: 8.6/directed by Hayao Miyazaki
IMDb: “During her family’s move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches, and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.”
Spirited Away happens to be my favorite Miyazaki film and my favorite Studio Ghibli film, and I am not the only person out there who says this.
Just because it’s arguably the most well-known Ghibli/Miyazaki film doesn’t mean it can’t be your favorite.
As Andrew and I always say; “If ‘Stairway to Heaven’ is your favorite Led Zeppelin song, then ‘Stairway to Heaven’ is your favorite Led Zeppelin song.”
The truth of the matter is that you cannot go wrong with a Studio Ghibli film.
I’m going to talk a little about Spirited Away, but I just as easily could be talking about how amazing and magical and special other Studio Ghibli films are.
Films like; My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Ponyo, Castle in the Sky, Porco Rosso, and Pom Poko, many of which were mentioned in my informal, unscientific poll.
All are well worth your time, and after sampling a few, you’ll have a favorite of your own.
And, you never know, it just might be Spirited Away.
In a Cinema Wellman 1st, I’m going to quote the Wall Street Journal; “Spirited Away is a wonderfully welcoming work of art that’s as funny and entertaining as it is brilliant, beautiful, and deep.”
That works for me.
I guarantee that you’ll fall in love with Chihiro as she goes through some family turmoil and transformations that can only truly exist in a Studio Ghibli movie.
We have one movie to go, but before we get to that film, which happens to be my favorite animated film, I did want to mention some of the other titles that were submitted to me that I didn’t talk about today because they are all, of course, valid choices.
Jungle Book, The Lion King, Persepolis, Brave Little Toaster, Kim Possible: A Stitch in Time, The Little Mermaid, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Encanto, Elemental, Aladdin, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, Monsters Inc., Shrek, The Aristocats, All Dogs Go to Heaven, KPOP Demon Hunters, Chicken Run, Coco, Orion and the Dark, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
There were three films that were suggested by friends that I had not seen that intrigued me, so I watched them, and I’m happy to report that all three (which I did NOT include in that list) will be included in our episode breaking down the “Best & Worst” of April!
But before we get to that episode, let’s talk about my all-time favorite animated film…
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Oscar Winner: Original Score and Original Song “Beauty and the Beast”
G/84 m/IMDb: 8.0/directed by Gary Trousdale (and 1 other!)
IMDb: “A prince cursed to spend his days as a hideous monster sets out to regain his humanity by earning a young woman’s love.”
1,295 painted backgrounds and 120,000 drawings were used.
This is the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture, and that’s when there were only FIVE nominees! (They way it should be!)
It lost to The Silence of the Lambs. Think of that for a second.
It was also the first animated movie to use the “Wilhelm scream.”
Belle is the only official Disney Princess to have hazel eyes.
The only animated film in the Blu-Ray wing of the Cinema Wellman DVD Vault. Does that matter? I don’t think so, but it’s still my favorite.
I love the characters (especially Lumiere), I love the songs (and know all the words), and Belle is firmly carved on my Disney Princess Mt. Rushmore.
An intelligent, thoughtful, independent young woman who loves to read?! Are you kidding? She’s the best!
Well, that is a wrap from here at Cinema Wellman for what ended up being our Top 17/Bottom 5 Animated Films of All-Time.
Thank you to everyone who gave me their input during my preparation for this episode, and thank you again, Hannah for reminding me that it’s fine to do a Top 17/Bottom 5 list.
We hope you’re with us next time when I relinquish this chair and we will have our first ever “Guest Host” here at Cinema Wellman!
And Chet also has the day off, so this guest host is flying solo!
Tune in to see how all of that goes, and until then, take care.
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