I couldn't care less that I'm 22 when it comes to animated kids' movies. Most of them contain better jokes than the Will Ferrell/Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson comedies these days, and they always leave you feeling young and happy. The cuddly and adorable animal characters don't hurt either.
Some of the best animated films have been created just in the past decade, giving the Disney classics a run for their money. I mean, who really wants to buy the new DVD version of "Cinderella" when "Kung Fu Panda" is already out on DVD? Though compiling this list proved to be a challenging task, I finally decided on an order of the ten best animated films of the century (so far):
1)
Happy Feet (2006):This one actually makes my list of top five favorite movies of all time simply because a film that combines baby penguins with an awesome soundtrack and tap dancing just can't get much better.
2)
Kung Fu Panda (2008):If you didn't check this one out in Imax this year, you better have at least bought a ticket to the big screen. Jack Black's performances have fallen short of stimulating lately, but his role as Po the panda left critics and moviegoers smiling. It's tough to keep a straight face when a fat, talking panda is attempting to do high-kicks, splits and advanced martial arts moves.
3)
WALL-E (2008):Pixar has been kicking Disney's ass for a while now with feature films such as "The Incredibles," "Ratatouille" and "Monster's Inc." "WALL-E" is no different and may be considered the best of Pixar's finest, which is a spectacular accomplishment considering the film didn't even include dialog in the first half.
4)
Shrek (2001):I have yet to meet someone who hasn't seen this movie. Eddie Murphy's gregarious, smack-talking donkey character makes the film a hit, and the twists on nursery rhyme characters deserves some credit for cleverness.
5)
Finding Nemo (2003):The thing I remember most about this film was watching it three times in a day one Christmas because my little cousin just wanted to see it over and over again. The fact that I still enjoy watching Dori babble and the baby sea turtle say "dude" couldn't be a better sign of the movie's exceptional quality.
6)
Bee Movie (2007):Possibly one of the most underrated animated films of the past eight years, "Bee Movie" cracks laughs with clever jokes and puns from Jerry Seinfeld's character, Barry B. Benson. Chris Rock added some extra humor as a mosquito named Mooseblood who becomes a lawyer in the end and delivers my favorite line of the film. A cow asks the mosquito, "You're a lawyer too?" only for him to reply, "Ma'am, I was already a bloodsucking parasite. All I needed was a briefcase." You know you wanna laugh.
7)
Madagascar (2005):When four animals--a giraffe, a lion, a hippo and a zebra--decide to dodge the everyday monotony of zoo life and escape to the city, their plans go awry and end up in Madagascar, a place much wilder than their domestic cages in the New York City zoo. Chris Rock delivers another outstanding performance as the antsy zebra who is desperate to experience the wild. The movie wouldn't be the same, however, without the four commando penguins who never fail to find trouble and act more bad-ass than their cuddly exteriors would lead you to believe.
8)
The Emperor's New Groove (2000):Incan Emperor Kuzco's inconsiderate narcissistic behavior lands him in the hands of a vengeful ex-employee with a black magic hobby. She transforms him into a llama, and he learns about the importance of compassion. This Disney movie, for the most part, skips the corny love story and avoids inserting a mushy lesson every five minutes. Instead, it uses cuddly animals with a vicious side and an adorably dumb evil sidekick (the always hilarious Patrick Warburton) to rack in the laughs.
9)
The Incredibles (2004):This Pixar success takes a spin on the annoyingly perfect, stereotypical superhero. The plot follows a unique family of undercover superheroes as they are forced to abandon their fifteen-year hiatus and jump back into the dangerous routine of saving lives. The cleverest, funniest part of the movie is the way it satirically pokes fun at the cookie-cutter, suburban lifestyle in such a subtle way while maintaining the superhero jokes.
10)
Monsters, Inc. (2001):I'm not sure if this film actually convinced kids that the monsters under their beds are friendly, but there's no doubt that it was entertaining. A lovable little girl teaches the monster who can't scare anyone how to be scary, and Disney and Pixar (which were merged at the time) managed to create a fun, action-packed, witty animated comedy without the cheese. The animation itself is commendable, and the storyline is original and imaginable.
