Who can deny a top 10 list especially after a notable update. It may be splitting hairs but I disagreed with a few of the
Daily Kos top Pixar movies. I rounded up to 10 and decided to generalize to
all computer animated films (though Pixar still dominates my list)...
10. Bee Movie
Similar to the Kos list, the bottom of my list is pretty far from the "top" of the list. The difference is my number 10 is the bottom of my list. To be honest I had to stretch to figure out what should my number 10 be (or is that bee). Ask me on another day and I might have put another here.
9. Toy Story
8. Toy Story 2
Unlike the Kos post, I do think these films hold up over time - the second much more then the first. The interesting characters are the cornerstone of Pixar productions.
7. Finding Nemo
As much as I want to hate this film it really is funny and does hold up despite the amount of marketing that has and continues to go into pushing this to kids.
6. Surf's Up
5. Happy Feet
These two non-Pixar films fall in the middle of the list. I think they do a good job with their stories and both have a unique spin that gives them legs. Surf's Up, animated only after the dialog had been recorded which gives the film a free flow. Happy Feet boarders on cheesy but the melodies keep the story pumping and the scope with which it completes works well (global warming).
4. Monsters, Inc
John Goodman and Billy Cristal make this film. For me this was also one of the first animated films that used the digital aspect to its complete advantage.
3. Ratatouille
This and the coming two earn their place in part to sentimental value. The story here really pulls you along and it is a novel exploration that makes it worth while - who can beat rats in a kitchen.
2. The Incredibles
Over a month long vacation I watched this almost every day on my PSP with my son. You might think it'd get old but the plot drives well and the characters and nuance of the imagery has a depth that hold up to repeated viewing.
1. Wall-e
Maybe I'm over reacting with throwing this so soon on top of my list but I really did like this film. Again Pixar explored the world uniquely. There are long stretches with little or no dialog and yet volumes are spoken in this love tail. The action is not overwhelming and yet helps drives the story along. There is more of an economy of characters in this story compared to other Pixar and in retrospect I guess I kind'a appreciate that additional focus.
Not to end on a negative note I think it is worth mentioning the omissions. Though I thought Cars was a valiant try I felt it was far to long and the plot just didn't make me care. The NASCAR appeal in it never factored in for me as I did think it held up in that light (I've a soft spot for the Car Talk guys), I just thought it a bad movie. The other notable omission is the Shrek films. Simply put I don't even consider them in the same league with even the worst of the Pixar films (which there are only a couple). I've not seen the recent Panda film so I may have to update this list after that.
Also missing from the list are the Pixar shorts which frankly would have forced out some of these on this list. The average Pixar short is better then many of the comparable films that aspire to this list (OK they are not aspiring to my list but you know what I mean).
So in conclusion if you haven't seen Wall-e, do.
