Top 15 Animated Films of The Last 10 Years

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Top 15 Animated Films of The Last 10 Years

Posted on 26 March 2009 by Jordan Raup in

In honor of the Dreamworks Animation Monsters Vs. Aliens hitting theaters this weekend here is a list of my 15 favorite animated films of the last 10 years:

15. Coraline 3-D (Selick, 2009)

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Henry Selick uses 3-D technology to perfection in order to create a massively immersive fantasy. With a story based on a Neil Gaman book, we are led into a variety of environments with a world of intriguing characters.

14. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (Parker, 1999)

south-park

I can’t stand the TV show, but somehow this movie clicked for me. It was raunchy and smart enough to excel beyond the subpar Comedy Central show. The musical numbers were wildly entertaining and the jokes were near-brilliant.

13. Chicken Run (Lord, Park, 2000)

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Directed by the man behind Wallace and Gromit, Nick Park, this impressive claymation adventure was pure entertainment. While most of my list is made up of computer animation it is astounding to think every frame of this film was handmade. The action sequences are particularly spectacular.

12. Persepolis (Paronnaud, Satrapi, 2007)

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While this isn’t like the feel-good films that make up the rest of my list, this black and white animation uses unique techniques to create a powerful and gripping narrative about Iran’s Islamic Revolution.

11. Ratatouille (Bird, 2007)

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I fell in love with this movie during the first cooking scene. The colors are so vivid, the camera movement so magical, and the story is simply a joy to watch. Pixar took a chance with this film and to say they succeeded would be a understatement.

10. Shrek (Adamson, Jenson, 2001)

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Blending an original fairytale while poking fun at past ones, this film manages to provide jokes that appeal to all ages. It’s thoroughly entertaining and technically extraordinary.

9. Monster’s Inc. (Doctor, 2001)

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Another film that speaks to adults, as well as children, while delivering a mix of emotions. The amount of creativity, energy, and imagination in this film is awe-inspiring.

8. Spirited Away (Miyazaki, 2001)

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I’m not the biggest fan of Eastern animation but it is impossible to deny the greatness of Miyazaki’s classic. The inventive characters help add to the story that perpetually pulls the viewer in until one never wants to escape the world that has been magically built around them.

7. The Emperor’s New Groove (Dindal, 2000)

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This animation is just downright hilarious. When I first watched it I was surprised how many laughs were contained throughout the film. While the story and animation are pretty standard, the buddy comedy relationship is what elevates this film. It is just a pure joy to watch.

6. Toy Story 2 (Lasseter, 1999)

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Rarely does a sequel live up to its predecessor. It’s even rarer when a sequel outshines the original. This animation manages to improve in nearly every aspect and become an instant masterpiece. I’m weary of other potential Pixar sequels (see: Cars 2) but if they can do something this good, I’m looking forward to it.

5. Titan A.E. (Bluth, Goldman, 2000)

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Most people will not agree with this decision but I love, love, love this movie. It’s a satisfying sci-fi adventure with slick animation and intriguing characters. It proves sci-fi can be fun while expertly mixing CGI and hand drawn elements.

4. The Incredibles (Bird, 2004)

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With top-notch animation, characters, story, direction, and sound, there is little this movie does wrong. The actions scenes are fantastic and this new look at super hero life fresh and always fun.

3. The Iron Giant (Bird, 1999)

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What a powerhouse of a film. The relationships one sees here are complex and completely affecting. Full of adventure, life, and tragedy this is one of the smartest animations ever.

2. Finding Nemo (Stanton, 2003)

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Full of rich, luscious visuals with hilarious and endearing characters, this film hits on all notes. Features some of the best voice work to date and memorable scene after memorable scene. Simply another masterpiece.

1. Wall-E (Stanton, 2008)

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When an animated film with no dialogue or humans for the majority of its running time can convey more emotion than most live-action films you know it is something special. Wall-E broke new boundaries in sound design, storytelling, and animation. The film is not only another addition to the fantastic Pixar library, but a classic across all genres.

What do you think of this list? Would you add or take anything away?

- Jordan Raup

Tags: 2001: A Space Odyssey, alien, chicken run, claymation, coraline, dreamworks, finding nemo, henry selick, Iran, monsters vs aliens, pixar, ratatouille, shrek, thor, toy story 2, wall-e

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ann

I definitely would have included The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and The Triplets of Bellville.

Some of the lists provided by users, in my opinion, are much better.

But yes, Coraline! Shrek and Ratatouille would have made my list, too.
octopusrave

I would remove Wall-E.
I would remove The Emperor's New Groove.
I would add Paprika.
swasylenko

very very happy south park was put on this list. although yes i am a fan of the show, the movie proved quite a few politcal points without it being boring.
andrew r

Good List Jordan. Over all I agree although i haven't seen 15, 12, or 8. Favorite surprise on here was Titan A.E . I love that movie yet most of my friends or people I talk to don't recall that movie.

A few other movies I thought deserve mention if not a place on the list:

2000: Dinosaur
2001: osmosis jones: one of only a few movies to successfully combine live action and animation.
Scooby Doo and the alien invaders: the second of the new movies, helped introduce scooby doo to a new generation
FKY3d

:), good top 15 IMO.
tho i have never seen Titan A.E. (shall have to check it out!
Im so glad to see youve got Iron Giant in there! one of my favorite also, most people forget about that film :(.
I would also put "The Triplets of Belleville" (2003) dir. Sylvain Chomet in there!! If you havn't seen it check it out! The director has a new one out soon called Les Illusionist i think. Thats going to be a hit I can tell!
Also Princess and the Frog was very very good,!
Chip

1. Toy Story 2
2. Up
3. Monsters Inc.
5. The Incredibles
6. Finding Nemo
7. WALL-E
8. The Iron Giant
9. The Princess and the Frog
10. Ratatouille
11. Shrek
12. Cars

I've seen a good chunk of Spirited Away, but not enough to fully judge it. There are many Japanese animations that I need to get around to seeing. I love Toy Story 2, and I don't even think it is better than the original. I DO think it's a great sequel though, and a great stand-alone film. It has many great character moments. The film doesn't take long at all to get going; the opening Buzz Lightyear scene is as amazing as the opening of the original Star Wars! The rest of my list might change slightly at times, but this is how I feel right now.
Nobody

1x Japanimation out of fifteen?

FAIL.
experiment626

oh please, as if japanese animation is automatically better than western animation. Pixar wipes their shoes with that crap. and the only japanese animator of note in the past decade is Miyazaki.
octopusrave

Um, HELLO?
Satoshi Kon, Mamoru Hosoda, Katsuhiro Otomo, Isao Takahata, and even more Japanese animators have made an absolutely HUGE impact on animation. Just because Pixar dominates America and the West doesn't mean the other guys aren't just as good or, dare I say it?, better.

I loved, loved, loved Ratatouille, Shrek 1 and 2, Toy Story 1 and 2, and Finding Nemo, don't get me wrong. But out of those, only Shrek and Ratatouille really stand out to me as fantastic, OVERALL, as in: FEW weak jokes, well-developed dialogue THROUGHOUT, and GOOD or even better, COMPLEX, plot. I'm sorry, but pretty, money-saving CGI isn't the only thing that makes a good film. Other things go into the equation, too, even for an animated feature.

And in my opinion Pixar is overrated so much that even other western animators are hidden in its shadow.

Think before you open your mouth, and explore a little. You may find Pixar really just isn't the best, or only, company there is. Personally I find most of their work to be weak.
experiment626

oh please, a complex plot doesn't equal a good story, in the end it's just a complex confusing ball of crap, which 95 percent of japanese animation is. I used to live in Japan I know exactly how stupid and nonsensical most of the animation there is. And please the directors you mentioned made movies that were probably better off as live action. Movies who had no real need to be animated.

Pixar is overrated, I agree about that, but at least their fans are not pretentious about their legacy like most anime retards are about their beloved Japanese anime, it wouldn't be such a niche market everywhere else if it were that important.
Chip

Out of curiosity, what Pixar films (other than Cars) do you find to be weak? Please tell me you don't think The Incredibles is weak (I mean, it's fine if you do, it's your opinion). Personally, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 are my favorite Pixar movies. Also, I really enjoy the original Shrek, but I fail to get the same enjoyment out of Shrek 2 (it's good, but it doesn't hold up to the first for me. I might need to see it again, though). Ratatouille and Finding Nemo are very good indeed, though I prefer Nemo out of the two. I wouldn't call Pixar weak at all. I love the attention they give to their stories and characters. Car's is probably their weakest effort, and it's not really bad.
jenna

i really dont see the point of makin a list of the best animated films coz its so obvious that pixar are gonna dominate it just makes it borin and predictble
carmen

my list would be
1 finding nemo
2 shrek
3 spirited away
4 monsters ink
5 toy story 2
6 chicken run
7 shrek 2
8 the incredibles
9 wallace and gromit the curse of the were rabbit
10 ratatoille
11 ice age
12 wall-e
13 kung fu panda
14 happy feet
15 madagasgar
amy

am i the only 1 who thought the incredibles was borin
Chip

As far as I know, yes.
duniyadnd

There should be a list like this which doesn't include Pixar films. Gives other film makers a chance.
Dan

Yes.. You Should have added Lion King !
Evan

My list is actually of 2000-2009 though, best of the 2000s
Which is why movies from 1999, like Toy Story 2, aren't on it.
Evan

My list so far:

1. Monsters Inc.
2. Finding Nemo
3. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
4. The Incredibles
5. Chicken Run
6. Shrek
7. Shrek 2
8. Ratatouille
9. The Triplets of Belleville
10. Persepolis
11. Flushed Away
12. Madagascar
13. The Emperor’s New Groove
14. Corpse Bride
15. Wall-E
16. The Simpsons Movie
17. Shrek the Third
18. Recess: School’s Out
19. Cars
20. The Lion King 1 ½
Sahar

Where is Corpse Bride and Kung Fu Panda?
Daryl

@21: Are you kidding me? Wall-E is so damn good, it's considered not only a classic animation, but a classic in general. In years to come, probably only about 4 of the list will be remembered as masterpieces (even though they all good), but Wall-E will be up there with the movies that stoof the test of time.
Merrill Barr

Wall-E was awesome. One of the best animated films I have ever seen.
MIKE

aw c'mon. WallE sucked BIG TIME. The rest of the list I pretty much agree with
Richard

I love Titan A.E. and I'm glad someone else finally agrees with me. Lots of people don't even know what Titan A.E. is or even give it the time of day. Also Wall-E is easily one of my favorites. Have to say thought that I would probably remove The Emperor's New Groove, bump Spirited Away up, bump Incredibles down, and although I agree that how they shot Chicken Run was incredible I personally don't like anything else about it. So I'd probably remove that as well.
Frank

Finding Nemo at #2 = TOTALLY!
It's one of my favorite animated films of all time!

So glad you included Persopolis and Spirited Away. Those two films really don't get enough attention in mainstream circles.

I remember loving Emperor's New Groove.

Great list!
Jordan Raup

Thanks a lot! I'm confident Up will also be on the list when it comes out May 29th.
everett

There is a movie based video game or vice versa, that has to do with jet fightrs that go under the sea and back out again. did this movie make it into production?
G. Host

Titan A.E. is a vastly underestimated film more appreciated by adults than kids. I have given the DVD to my nephews and nieces and the response was "huh?" although they loved the music. Several years later after they matured they told me it was the greatest film they were given and show it to their friends.
Sam

My List:
1. Wall-E (2008)
2. Finding Nemo (2003)
3. The Incredibles (2004)
4. Toy Story 2 (1999)
5. Spirited Away (2002)
6. Chicken Run (2000)
7. Monster’s Inc. (2001)
8. Shrek (2001)
9. Ratatouille (2007)
10.Happy Feet (2006)
11.Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
12.Howl's Moving Castle(2005)
13.Tarzan (1999)
14.The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
15.Coraline (2009)
lumpi

@Vina: You're right, there are a lot of great one missing. I don't know if it is a matter of taste or if Jordan Raup simply missed out on them, but it's sheer brutal to leave out the following (even from a "personal" list :D ):

- "The Triplets of Belleville"
- "Howl's Moving Castle" (yea, yea... Ghibli are the Pixar of Japan and such...)
- "Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem" (yea, don't mind if you hate that one :D )

Although deserving of a spot (if it's only for proving that not all animation in America has to be made for 6-year olds and, heck, IT'S NOT A GENRE!), "Waking Life" was a somewhat underwhelming movie for me. Mostly because the rotoscope-tastic animation was nothing but a gimmick, never put to use for anything personal or special, anything that would actually show the power and soul of animation. It was a philosophy-propaganda movie that was painted over in post-production. Not really representative of what animation is (or can be) all about.
Livio

Shrek is too low and the list misses Corpse Bride.
Dan Mecca

Vina good call on Waking Life.
Lynne

I agree with your pics. Especially Persepolis and finally someone else who liked Titan A.E.!!
Vina

How about:

"Waltz With Bashir" (2008) dir. Ari Folman
"Fear(s) of the Dark" (2007) dir. Blutch, Charles Burns, Marie Caillou, Pierre Di Sciullo, Lorenzo Mattotti, Richard McGuire
"The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" (2006) dir. Mamoru Hosoda
"Paprika" (2006) dir. Satoshi Kon
"A Scanner Darkly" (2006) dir. Richard Linklater
"Mind Game" (2004) dir. Masaaki Yuasa
"The Triplets of Belleville" (2003) dir. Sylvain Chomet
"Tokyo Godfathers" (2003) dir. Satoshi Kon
"Millennium Actress" (2001) dir. Satoshi Kon
"Waking Life" (2001) dir. Richard Linklater
"Princes and Princesses" (2000) dir. Michel Ocelot
"Rejected" (2000) dir. Don Hertzfeld
andrew

yeah great list. i agree with Titan A.E. I was def. surprised at how much I enjoyed that movie. Coraline in 3-D was also a revelation at how well they adapted Gaiman's fantastical world. great list.
Pixar dude

Can't wait for the release of toy story 3
Daryl

Erm, dude. Toy Story wasn't made in the last 10 years. And actually, I wouldn't be suprised. Toy Story 2 is one of the strongest sequels ever made.
Michael

Toy Story 2 in front of the original Toy Story? Personally I would put the original in front of the sequel but both are great.
Nick

I like lots of the movies on the list, would have a different order probably. It always does kind of surprise men when I talk to people, how wildly different people's personal favorite Pixar movies are. It seems like everybody likes all of them but there doesn't seem a unanimous favorite, I know I personally like Wall-E and Ratatouille best. Also really loved some of the Satoshi Kon films like Millenium Actress and Paprika for films of the past 10 years.
Victory

Titan A.E. is one of my all-time favorites. It definitely makes the list in my book.
Peter Robau

Pixar is amazing.. Great list btw, I need to go see Coraline now
Marth

Pixar = God.

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