Top 12 Dreamworks/Blue Sky Animated Movies

Hello loyal readers, and welcome to another issue of Dustin's Dirty Dozen. This issue was a bit tricky; I wanted to make it just a list on either Dreamworks or Blue Sky, but neither have made enough original pieces for me to give them their own list. So, of course by me combining the two, a couple of your favorites are not going to make it; however, let's give a big round of applause for the movies that did make it and get this started.

12) The Road to El Dorado

At Dreamworks Studios during the conception of "The Road to El Dorado:" 

Some guy: "Hey, what's a civilization that Disney hasn't bastardized yet?" 

Another guy: "I don't know, Muisca?" 

Some Guy: "Perfect"

Yeah, animated films seem to have no limits of what lengths they are willing to go to in order to sell products, but it was still a great movie. Beautiful to look at, and a venerable name in the world of acting plays one of the lead roles, Kevin Cline as Tolio. The other actors were impressive, with Kenneth Branagh playing Tolio's cohort, Miguel; and Elton John as the narrator. Still, with all of them we have Rosie Perez, Edward James Olmos and Jim Cummings making a star line up that set the pace for Dreamworks movies to come.

11) Madagascar

Hey! A "Friends" star (besides Jennifer Aniston) that found work in this day and age. David Schwimmer joins big names like: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Cedric the Entertainer in a movie that places zoo animals in the wilds of Madagascar. The original movie was amazing, but as films like this go, the sequels were absolutely horrendous and too frequent. They also spawned a series that made its way to Nickelodeon called, "The Penguins of Madgascar" which is equally, if not more, horrendous and still shows today for some reason, showing us just how low viewers' standards have gotten. Going away from the bad, let us talk about the actual good points of this movie. The comedy was quick; filled with references made for New York citizens, and as stated before, the voices are amazing. I just wish that Dreamworks would learn to let hits like this go and stop producing the same stupidity again and again.

10) Robots

Movies like this just bring a smile to my face, having made no sequels and standing the test of time. With a storyline of upgrades making old models fall to the wayside and amazing animation. The only thing that makes me sad is, it just proves that Dreamworks/Blue Sky isn't as willing to use voice actors, as opposed to known actors. Relying on star power to sell a movie more than original concepts (which does seem to work) comes across as cheap and contrived. Not to say that they weren't amazing in their roles with a line up like this: Paula Abdul, Halle Berry, Amanda Bynes, Drew Carey, Jennifer Coolidge and Paul Giamatti. The names that stole the show, though, were Mel Brooks as Bigweld, the big company owner who was kidnapped; Ewan McGregor as our leading man Rodney Copperbottom; and the unparalleled skills of Robin Williams as Fender Pinwheeler. So, thank you, Blue Sky for proving to us that some movies just don't need to be continued; if only you learned that lesson with "Ice Age."

9) Kung Fu Panda

Laying my cards on the table, I never went to go see the sequel or bothered with the show that found it's way to Nickelodeon. I just couldn't bring myself to see if they ruined the original concept; which played to my "geekiness" more than most. A movie that creates a new spin on old Kung Fu films, and gives the origins of classic fighting styles: Tiger, Mantis, Monkey, Crane, and Snake. I loved the overzealous fanboy, panda Po played by Jack Black. The master Shifu was perfectly played by acting legend Dustin Hoffman (no, I don't think he is a legend just because we share the same first name), and we even got Jackie Chan to play a role (making this movie seem even more like an homage to classic karate films), voicing Monkey. The other roles were also pretty great: Angelina Jolie, David Cross, Seth Rogen, and Michael Clarke Duncan (may he rest in piece). The only voice I could have lived without was Lucy Liu, who I believe never should have become famous in the first place, but that is for a list on another day. 

8) Monsters Vs. Aliens

Thank to the powers that be for this movie allowing Hugh Laurie to escape the role of House; I'd hate to see talent like this forever lost to a typecast as an American butt-hole. Any who, this movie played around with the nerd audience again by answering the question: Who would win, Monsters or Aliens? Giving the monsters the role of protagonist, to the alien's antagonist stance, you already know who is going to win since this movie is meant for kids. The ride is what matters ,though, and this one was a roller coaster. Matched by the amazing acting talents playing the monsters, Hugh Laurie (living up to his acting prowess) was amazing as the mad scientist, Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. (his Ph.D. is in Dance, by the by); Seth Rogen found a good use for his memorable laugh, as the amorphous blob, B.O.B.; and Will Arnett, as always, was hilarious in his role of the showboating Link.

7) Megamind

This movie didn't exactly give me the same feelings I felt during "The Incredibles," but it came pretty close. I liked the play on Superman, and the "Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog" way of sympathizing with the villain antagonists of superheroes. The voices were amazing, with Will Ferrell playing the cocky, misunderstood, villain Megamind; Tina Fey playing Lois Lane (basically) when she voiced Roxanne Ritchie; and this universe's version of Jimmy Olsen was pretty hilarious, when Jonah Hill played Hal Stewart. The only gripe I have would be against Brad Pitt, making it seem like he was too good for the movie. He didn't pose for a picture to advertise it (like the one above) when everybody else did, and didn't seem to appreciate his role, but still acted great, though. A little satire never hurt anyone, and nothing proved that more than this movie..

6) How to Train Your Dragon

Where Disney does Greek mythology, Dreamworks does Norse, and it is outstanding. A small village of dragon hunters being converted to liking the beasts by the village's crazy geek was pretty inspiring. I don't think I would want to be the one that messes with the community that comes to adopt dragons. Besides that Gerard Butler makes his voice acting debut, and is just as intimidating in audio as he is visually. Jay Baruchel is an actor near and dear to my heart, for not being as in the spot light as Seth Rogen or Jonah Hill, but always doing well in the roles that they put him in. Hiccup is no different. Craig Ferguson plays... well, he plays a Norse version of himself, but you can't help but love him all the same.

5) Rio

Rio, yet another locale new to the animation world, and it seemed like they took the soul of Brazilian capital and put it in this film. At first look, I wouldn't see someone giving this movie a second glance, seeing it as just another animated movie with an all-star cast. Look deeper and you have an interesting set up with a great message (maybe over done), but it seemed that the message was "there is more to life than your living room;" or "animals are meant to be free;" or "poaching is bad." Now, I may loath Tracy Morgan, but the rest of this cast is beyond compare, especially the role of Jewel played by Anne Hathaway. Jesse Eisenberg you can take or leave as a great actor, personally I believe he is astounding and brings his awkward and commanding presence to this movie perfectly. Here is hoping the sequel holds up, doubtful though.

4) Antz

If everyone reading this read my "Disney computer animated" entry, they would know that I actually ended up loving this movie, and in many ways it surpassed "A Bug's Life." With satire laced throughout, and more adult aimed humor at points, it elevates itself beyond the childish ways of "A Bug's Life," being tied to a more childish company. I've gone over this movie to a pretty good length in my "Disney computer animated" list; so let me just say that the all-star cast in this movie hit every mark right. Where else could we find a place for the voice of Sylvester Stallone, anyways? 

3) Ice Age

Another movie almost killed by its sequels; I guess I don't blame Blue Sky for it though, since it was the most popular property from an unknown company. The first one was great; it had an awesome storyline and decent ending that gave it more of a tear-jerking feel. I loved the mammoth with the tragic back story, played by Ray Romano; it gave the movie more of an icy feeling. His family having died by the hands of humans was a touch of genius, especially when you saw it animated with cave paintings. John Leguizamo is another under-sung actor, he just never quite took off in recent years; then he played the comic relief, Sid the Sloth, and I knew that he had a talent for voice. Denis Leary is amazing, playing a sinister and hard-to-get-along-with saber tooth tiger, Diego. I hope Blue Sky can reproduce magic like this again sometime, but I guess we'll just live with their last great movie "Rio" and hope that it doesn't go the direction of "Ice Age." It doesn't look good though, with them coming out with a sequel; probably to be one of many.  

2) Rise of The Guardians

I cannot stress how much this movie surprised me, with just how amazing it was. Taking on the guise of "just another holiday movie," this knocked originality out of the park, with its fresh take on holiday characters so old they make fairy tale characters look new. Heartwarming and thrilling, this movie should be watched with any time you have to spare, not just around the holidays central to it. I don't know what part of the movie was more surprising, Alec Baldwin giving a very convincing performance as a Russian Santa Claus, or making Chris Pine seem like an actual actor. Even with them, the person that completely stole the show was Jude Law as the boogeyman; making the most menacing villain either Blue Sky or Dreamworks have ever produced. Which is good, since the Boogeyman is the character that all other monsters, or fear itself, owe credence to; and Jude Law plays it perfectly. Hugh Jackman was in it too, dawning his Aussie accent for the Easter Bunny, and making sure not to be overshadowed by his competition. I would also be bereaved not to mention their attempt to give Boo from "Monsters Inc." a run for her money in the cuteness department, with the little sister, Sophie. The best part about this is that it was all accomplished without one mention of the religious ties that bound each holiday.

1) Shrek

It could be nothing else. I mean it; my number one could be nothing else but "Shrek." It put Dreamworks on the map; it is why I could even have a list for Dreamworks, even if I had to split it with Blue Sky. The reason I didn't put the entire series up here was because (unlike "Toy Story") the sequels don't hold up to the original. Let's be blunt, the first one was Outstanding, the second was good, the third was ok, and then it all went to hell. The only thing that made the sequels watchable was Puss in Boots played by Antonio Banderas. The voices kind of speak for themselves here; I can't say more for the comedic geniuses that are Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy, playing off of each other. Cameron Diaz (being the one good thing in "Charlie's Angels") makes this movie all the better by playing a strong female lead as Princess Fiona. My greatest round of applause has to go to Conrad Vernon as the Gingerbread Man, showing amazing range and earning himself a spot on future Dreamworks products. This was an instant classic and shall remain in animation history until the end of time. 

Honorable Mention) Epic

This movie was so close to being good, but fell just short. My main problem with it was the pacing, too much going on, and it ended up feeling sped-up or rushed. I was looking forward to not having any preconceptions based on reading the novel beforehand, since I didn't read it. The voices were great, but I think the true star of this film was the animation. It was just the most beautiful animation I had ever seen, and if you have the opportunity in the future please see it on the biggest screen you can.

Next Week on Dustin's Dirty Dozen: Top 12 comic book based animated movies. You know those random comic book movies you see on Netflix, well I own them all, and I need to make a list for them.

Top 12 Saddest Animated Moments

Hello, loyal readers and welcome again to another issue of Dustin's Dirty Dozen. This week, I am listing the saddest moments in animation. I have already done a list on death, so I tried to generalize a little more to include sad moments, so as to not be repetitive. It may be a little broad, but I love to talk about how much of a "hard on" Disney has for killing characters (almost as much as Joss Whedon), and I do enjoy depressing you all. Anyways, go ahead and grab the tissues I know you have sitting next to your computer, and let's get started.

12) Quasimodo's Rejection - "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"

Really, Disney? You make "Beauty and the Beast" to teach us about inner beauty then make "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" where ugliness is rejected. This movie may be about inner beauty still, but apparently this inner beauty isn't enough to win over a good looking stripper, I mean dancer. The basic premise is Quasimodo (the hunchback living in a bell tower) has spent all day and night worrying about this girl Esmeralda, whom he has a crush on. She finally shows back up to him, carrying another man in her arms, and he, of course (being the nice guy he is), let's the handsome bleeding stranger into his home. Quasi fears that they like each other, and then all of his fears about them getting together are sealed with a kiss. I am pretty sure that all men or women that were not born with natural good looks can relate to this, having more than likely been there before.  

11) Flynn Ryder's sacrifice - "Tangled"

We know that he dies from the opening line of the movie, saying "this is the story of how I die," but that doesn't make it any less traumatic when he does. It is a sacrifice for the girl he has fallen in love with, so she does not have to spend the rest of her life with her captor. The setup is Flynn goes gallivanting into the tower where Rapunzel has been held captive, and as he enters gets stabbed by the witch, keeping her there. Rapunzel has hair that contains magic healing properties (which is why the witch wants her, so she can keep her youth), so she makes a deal with the witch to save her love from death in exchange for her compliance to go with the witch willingly. She goes to heal him, and Flynn cuts off her hair before she can, destroying the witch in the process and sacrificing himself. It was very powerful and moving even though we later find out that Rapunzel's tears have the same healing property, and he comes back to life (it was still very sad).

10) Dot nails the death scene - "Wakko's Wish"

Yakko, Wakko and Dot are characters sealed in the animation canon; the show, "Animaniacs" giving us some great pop culture and adult references.  So, of course they came out with a television movie centered around the large cast of characters chasing after a fallen star. The setup for the scene in question goes as follows: the three are moments away from getting to the star having just escaped the clutches of King Salad Bar (Salazar), when all of a sudden they are hit with a cannon ball. Allegedly, Dot is injured in the attack and dies in her brother Yakko's arms, sending the camp into revolt for them having killed "the incredibly cute one, man." This gives Wakko the opportunity to get to the star unhindered, and when he reaches it, the death turns out to be an act and Dot is alive. I don't care what Yakko says; she definitely has a career in acting with a performance like this.

9) Dil-a-bye - "The Rugrats Movie" 

"The Rugrats Movie" actually has quite a few sad moments in it besides this one; like the scene with Tommy holding the jar of banana baby food over Dil's head, or Spike being thought dead. I think this scene just hit home a little more with the whole "neglected by parents" aspect. The setup is mother (Dee Dee) and father (Stu) are at the end of their wits with the new baby (Dil), who has been crying since they came home with him from the hospital. They try singing him to sleep, and it works; but as they are singing, Tommy is trying for their attention to read him a book. Not able to get their attention, Tommy goes in a nearby closet with his book and cries, singing alone as his parents now focus on Dil, neglecting him in the process. I feel that most parents or siblings can identify with this; I just identify with it for the neglected feelings Tommy is going through.

8) Boo going home - "Monster's Inc."

As stated before, Boo is quite possibly the cutest character in animation, and seeing her let down by something or crying is heartbreaking. Nothing exemplifies this point more than when Sully has to leave her home and go back to his world. The setup: Having just beaten the bad guys Sully is told to bring Boo back home and destroy the door leading to it. Mike says his goodbye, and Sully takes her through the door to go back. When they get there, Boo does what toddlers do, and shows off her room while Sully is trying to let her know that this is goodbye. Unable to reach Boo through the excitement, he gives in and starts to play with her, eventually getting her into bed. He says goodbye to the little girl, and gets a hug, then leaves never to come back. Not understanding the gravity of Sully leaving, Boo goes to the closet thinking that she will be led to the world again only for it to open to her actual closet. As stated before, she is very young, and I think this is what sells the scene the most, that she can't quite fully appreciate that he will never be coming back. At the end of the film, we see that Mike has been working on reconstruction of the door leading to her room, and Sully is again able to see his friend.

7) Hunter's kill Bambi's mom - "Bambi"

This is one of the most remembered deaths in animation (not to say it is the best), and it all happens within the first couple of minutes. So given that it happens before there is any story, there isn't much of a setup, but I think we all know what goes down. Bambi's mother runs through the forest trying to escape hunters and gets shot; done and done. Bambi curls up next to the corpse of his mother trying to accept the loss and some people watching this cry. Not me but some people, it was sad, though. 

6) Ellie - "Up"

Ellie's character is sad just in and of herself. Being sterile, not to mention dying before her husband, helps make this the most natural death Disney has given us. We grow to love her character all within a couple of minutes, from her meeting Carl to finally letting him get out the friend zone (which we all know he had to be in prior to them hooking up). Then we see her in the hospital crying from not being able to have children, and Carl (being the good guy he is) cheers her up by getting their old dream fund started back up. Then she dies from being old, having never gotten to use their funds to go to their fantasy land. This sets up the story for the entire movie and sets the audience up for depression from the get-go. 

5) Mufasa's death, a brother's betrayal  - "The Lion King"

This is Disney's top death by far, seeping into children's minds everywhere, and leaving them all crying into their parent's arms. The setup for the three people alive that haven't seen the movie is as follows: Simba is caught in a stampede of rampaging wildebeest after being led to a gorge by his uncle Scar. Simba's father, Mufasa, is alerted to his son's imminent death and races to save him (which he does but is ultimately carried away by the stampede). He valiantly escapes and starts to climb up the side of the gorge getting to the ledge where his brother is waiting for him. Mufasa calls for Scar's help, but is betrayed and falls to his death, leaving Simba heir to the kingdom. Simba finds his father's corpse and curls up next to him only to be interrupted by his uncle telling him how much trouble he is in. Simba runs away never to return, leaving his uncle in charge, as Simba is presumed dead. Amazing storytelling and absolutely depressing.

4) One of Vegeta's Deaths - "Dragon Ball Z"

Death surrounds this show as much as "Game of Thrones" or comic books, luckily the characters in it have magic balls that grant wishes, so no one stays dead for too long. Knowing that a lot of my readers are not familiar with Dragon Ball Z (or anime in general), I will go into a little more detail as to why this deserves to be up here, and fill in some of the the back-story. Vegeta is the prince of all Saiyans (an alien race of fighters), and has been told from birth he is the best because of the royal blood in his veins. This builds up a great deal of pride and showboating but also makes him ruthless and driven. The scene that I am talking about starts off with Vegeta fighting a monster (Majjin Buu). Unable to best him, he realizes he is no match so he plans to sacrifice himself, expelling all of his energy to topple Buu. He sends the monster flying off and buys enough time to start saying good bye to his son (Trunks), holding Trunks in his arms for the first time since the boy was a baby and telling him that he is proud of him. Trunks begs to help his father destroy Buu; and Vegeta, knowing that there is no way that his boy will leave willingly, knocks him unconscious. A friend (Piccolo) watching from the sidelines, grabs the unconscious Trunks so that they can leave from the imminent explosion that will come from all of this energy being expelled. Vegeta stops Piccolo and asks what will become of him in the afterlife (since Piccolo knows that sort of thing), and Piccolo says that even with this sacrifice he will still go to hell, then flies away. Vegeta still sacrifices himself knowing that he will go to hell, and the worst part is that even this is not enough to kill the monster.  

3) When She Loved Me - Toy Story 2

Jessie is a great character with a tragic back story explained in a montage accompanied by a song that makes for a truly sad moment. The setup is Jessie had a girl that used to play with her all of the time, but as the girl grows up, Jessie is cast aside. She sits under her owner's bed and collects dust until one day she is rediscovered after her owner drops a bag of make up. Hope returns to Jessie thinking that she will finally be played with only to find herself in a donation box abandoned and never to be played with by her girl again. The incident itself was sad, but when you throw in the song (sang by Sarah McLachlin) it will bring a tear to your eye. Not mine, but probably yours.

2) The Iron Giant gets blown up - The Iron Giant

This and my number one are the only animated sequences to make me cry thus far; so maybe that should let you know how great they are. The setup: a small town meets a giant robot and of course is afraid of it killing all of them; only to have their minds changed when the robot saves some kids. While fighting off the military a nuclear missile is sent in to destroy the robot and incidentally the town with it. The giant will not allow this to happen though and says goodbye to the boy he has grown to love (Hogarth) using his own words against him before he flies to stop the incoming missile. So he stops it, destroying himself in the process and the town is saved. Another thing that sells this as one of the saddest moments in animation is that the robot idolized Superman and just before he was destroyed says his name finally living up to the man of steel's legacy. Oh and it turns out that the robot was destroyed but didn't die since he can put himself back together; still makes me cry

1) Seymour Asses - Futurama

Futurama was a stroke of comedic genius for creator Matt Groening; however it also gave us the saddest and most depressing moment in animation. For those of you who have never seen "Futurama," the show follows a man who was trapped in cryogenic stasis during the year 2000 and is thawed out in the year 3000. The tear-soaked setup for this episode is that Fry has found his dog's fossil, and his nephew Farnsworth tells him that he can be cloned (complete with memories), bringing the dog back to life. Fry declines, seeing that Seymour had lived to the age of 15 (12 years after Fry was frozen) and must have formed new memories and forgotten all about Fry. To the contrary, Seymour had waited outside of Panucci's Pizza for his master's return every day since he was frozen, obeying his master's last command, never leaving the spot and never giving up hope. That was the ending we all got; it was later changed using a "Paradox-Free Time Travel Machine" to make it so Fry and the dog had spent the last 15 years together. When I saw the episode "Jurassic Bark," I was depressed for the rest of that day and actually did cry; all dog owners should get this.

Honorable Mention) Littlefoot's Mother's Death

"Bambi" but with dinosaurs. A "Long Neck" replacing a deer, and a "Sharp Tooth" replacing the hunter with a gun. Still sad even if these beasts are extinct.

Next time on Dustin's Dirty Dozen: The top 12 Dreamworks/Blue Sky animated movie. Let's put "Shrek" against "Ice Age!"

Top 12 Computer Animated Disney Movies

Hello loyal readers and welcome to another issue of Dustin's Dirty Dozen, I am Dustin showing you how many things I can list at once. This issue's list is Disney to follow the Disney list from last issue; however, this list is all about the computer animation. The reason this list isn't called Top 12 Pixar/Disney movies is because there are a couple movies on here that weren't produced with Pixar. So without further adieu let's go to infinity and beyond into the list of computer animated Disney movies.

12) Meet the Robinsons

"I have such a big head and little arms!" that was the line of the film all other incidents got overcast by. I didn't see too many ads for this movie when it first came out and went to the theater to see it because I had nothing better to do. When I saw it I wished that they had advertised it more because it actually wasn't to horrible, in fact it was good. The box office didn't break any records but didn't do to bad, I guess it is all that they could have asked for with how much it was advertised. The voice acting was brilliant as always with mainly famous voice actors over "seen" actors. The seen actors of note were: Angela Bassett, Tom Selleck, Harland Williams and Adam West. Yes, Adam West who is making more of a name for himself as a voice actor then he ever did as a seen actor adding this to shows like Family Guy and the Fairly Oddparents. The seen actors didn't have any major parts in the movie and when it came right down to it were overshadowed by the clearly superior talents of the voice actors. Aside from that this is an example of a Disney computer animated film without Pixar and seemed to me that they did just fine.

11) Dinosaur

Yet another example of Disney and Pixar not working together; even with that, at the time this movie was released it showed off the full potential of what the technology of it's day was capable of. It might have been one step below a "The Land Before Time" clone but no one can deny how utterly beautiful it was, and actually still is. I know with movies like "Epic" or "Pacific Rim" out this day and age this movie is a cartoon doodle on a napkin in comparison but it's still a pretty drawing on a napkin. It was a perfect example of not losing scale in a movie (meaning you never felt like the dinosaurs were any smaller than they were) which is something movies like "Transformers" should have learned from. The film was a box office success taking over $300 million home to Disney owners. Aside from a few classic actors like Joan Plowright making the voices this film had no really big names in it but was still done amazingly by its cast. Plus it introduced us to the voice of Hayden Panettiere way before she dawned the cheerleader costume for "Heroes" so I guess there is that too.

10) Cars

I don't know what made this movie such a big hit but it kind of spun out of control in the popularity scheme. They came out with a sequel called "Cars 2" and now a spin-off called "Planes." The movie brought home almost half-a-billion in box office sales I don't know how much the franchise as a whole has brought in. You see kids today with "Cars" bed-sheets, "Cars" gummies and "Cars" birthday cakes; so somehow I think this movie is Disney's new piggy bank which is annoying but doesn't really distract from the film being good. This film was good I would even go as far as to call it great. When you have the all star line up they do it is kind of hard to fail. Owen Wilson as the main character Lightning McQueen was an inspired choice, Cheech Marin as the low rider Ramone was hilarious as always and even Larry the Cable Guy (who I cannot stand) was great as the dumb tow truck Mater and somehow made the movie better. I don't think Disney or Pixar is going to be done with this series for a good, long time but at least we'll have easy access to watching the first. 

9) Wreck it Ralph

If you don't compare this movie to something like "Toy Story" (like Disney was trying to) it is actually pretty outstanding. In a way, it does seem like a "Toy Story" for today's generation but I wouldn't put it right next to something that big because "Toy Story" casts a monstrous shadow. I liked the concept of taking the viewer inside the life of a video game character and the bad guy just being a misunderstood giant with a heart of gold. The characters are three dimensional in the sense that said bad guy with a heart of gold has an anger issue, the annoying glitch is actually sweet and innocent at times and the tough space marine is so tough because of her husband-to-be having been eaten right in front of her. Of course Disney doesn't disappoint with the voice acting. Yet another comedian I cannot stand playing a role perfect for her when Sarah Silverman voices the glitch Vanelope. John C. Reilly and Jack McBrayer being able to step out of the "Will Ferrell scene" by voicing bad guy Ralph and good guy Felix. Jane Lynch being cast perfectly for the rough and tough space marine Calhoun and setting a new standard for kicking a role in the gonads. My biggest tip of the hat has to go Alan Tudyk though who is already an under-sung actor only playing supporting roles or minor roles but now being an under sung voice actor playing King Candy/Turbo. I never knew that the man had that much range in his speaking and I could only wish that he finds himself in more voice roles like this that allow him to play around and make masterpieces in the field.

8) A Bug's Life

Pixar and Disney really outdid themselves with this movie. The story line was as imaginative as ever and took us into the lives of bugs (hence the name). Coming out around the same time as Dreamworks "Antz" it completely stole any and all attention away from the inferior movie with a similar story line and came out with a box office of over $300 million to "Antz" having come home with over $170 million and losing Dreamworks more money than they put into it. I don't know if I can truly call a movie with: Woody Allen, Jennifer Lopez, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken, Danny Glover and Sylevester Stallone inferior just because the box office was larger on "A Bug's Life." All in all "Antz" was an amazing movie and in some ways surpassed "A Bug's Life" by relying more on satire and adult references. Plus, it was the first time we got to see some actual competition between the two companies. Not to discredit this movie on the voice acting since we got to hear actors like David Hyde Pierce, Denis Leary (a comic I actually do like), Dave Foley, Phyllis Diller and oh look Hayden Panettiere again. However, the man that stole the show and made all of these other actors look like students was Kevin Spacey. Kevin Spacey is an amazing actor when he is not voicing over grasshoppers but this movie gave him more of a menacing feel than even the movie "Seven." If every actor put as much passion into their voice as Kevin Spacey did for this I would be hard pressed to find a job as a critic in the world of animation for the world would be perfect. 

7) Monster's Inc.

Another great imaginative work from Disney taking us into the lives of Monster's who hide under the bed and showing us why they are there in the first place. This movie spawned Pixar's one and only prequel "Monster's University" which was actually one of their few good second movies even if it didn't exactly make sense with the original. For those of you screaming at your screens about how perfect the prequel was let me just put this out there. In the original Mike refers to him and Sullivan knowing each other in the fourth grade in the prequel the first time they met was in college. Even with that grievous over sight the movie was still good. Now for the voices. John Goodman was perfect in the role of top scarer Sully putting another notch in his belt for iconic roles he has produced, even more so for Billy Crystal as Mike. Jennifer Tilly found another good home where her annoying voice actually was put to good use as the character Celia and Steve Buscemi as always being a creepy son-of-a-gun playing Randall. I don't think a character will surpass Boo in level of cuteness but I cannot wait to see Disney/Pixar attempt to.

6) Tangled

It was so hard for me not to put this movie higher up on the list but I feel that when you see the movies that beat it you will understand. I finally got to see this movie after it being out for three years and it completely surprised me by making a character like Rapunzel cool after it has been one of the classic fairy tales of old. It gave us more explanation as to why Rapunzel's hair was long, it finally asked the question of why are these crazy people around me singing and gave us even more animals with attitude. Mandy Moore made the songs all the more memorable plying Rapunzel, Zachary Levi was an amazing voice actor before this movie and this put him over the top and Ron Perlman was Ron Perlman I think enough is said with that. I wish every animated film that Disney comes out with in the future could make this movie a guideline to follow.

5) Wall-E

The first half of this movie seemed more like an homage to the silent film era where most movies were conveyed with scenes that didn't rely on dialogue and if something needed to be explained it was spelled. The second half of this film was pure Disney to the core, unforgettable characters and even a dark look into our earth's future. This message was an unexpected move for Disney telling us to stay green and exercise; which was aimed more towards American audiences I would assume. I don't really know what to say about the voice acting in this since most of them were put through a filter to convey robotics. I did love the choice for Sigourney Weaver as the ship's computer and them going all "2001: A Space Odyssey" on it. Jeff Garlin surprised no one by making a good fat captain and I think even without the voice filter Ben Burtt would have been awesome in his roles of Wall-E and Moe.

4) Finding Nemo

Australia was a setting no animated movies had chosen to take advantage of before this one but that was only a small dip in the ocean of ways this movie was original. You have the lives of fish being the centerpiece of this imaginative film (which I guess we can accredit a little bit to the show Spongebob Squarepants), a crippled boy overcoming his ailment by pushing through after being held back by his father for his entire life and a fish killer that gives Sid from "Toy Story" a run for his money replacing menace with hyper-activeness. Originality aside "Fish are friends not food" was a line repeated through out the halls of my high school over and over again. If Lilo and Stitch was the movie that defined my middle school this would be the movie of High School even though they were only a year apart. Everyone saw this movie which might explain why it held the 25th highest grossing film of all time for so long, until Disney topped it with "Toy Story 3." In every way this movie was a success but as always the most important part of animation to me are the voices. The most memorable being Ellen DeGeneres as the absent minded and hilarious Dory a blue tang who speaks whale and can't remember a thing. Albert Brooks plays a great voice as the over concerned father/clown fish Marlin a hypochondriac from losing his wife and most of his hundreds of children to a barracuda attack. A major round of applause, though, to both Barry Humphries for playing the vegetarian great white shark and Willem Dafoe for playing the war vet seeming Moorish idol.

3) Up

There are sometimes where Disney goes a little deeper with some of the messages in their films (like in the aforementioned "Wall-E") this message was a little more controversial by being about people who are sterile. I know there were more messages then that like the whole reasoning behind the grumpy old man on his front porch yelling at kids, the absent parents of the boy scout and getting old while being forgotten when you were once very famous. Something also has to be said about a movie being the second animated picture in history to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture following "Beauty and the Beast." Edward Asner gave an amazing portrayal of grumpy old man Carl Fredricksen only to be beaten by Christopher Plummer as the old man's idol Charles Muntz. Disney veteran Bob Peterson finally got a memorable role as Dug the dumb dog and Alpha the command dog.

2) The Incredibles

This was an extremely difficult choice for me not to put at my number one, it and my number one are not only my all time favorite animated pictures but my all time favorite movies period. I guess its not such a surprise since most of the animation team from my favorite animated movie, "The Iron Giant," worked on this. It didn't do to bad in the box office making over half a billion dollars and got an academy award for Best Animated Feature beating "Shrek 2" and "Shark's Tale." I can't really call the story-line original since I am sure that there are comics out there that have done something similar, like "Fantastic Four" or another around the same lines. I can't really recall a misunderstood fan boy turning villain, after trying to be a superhero then being scorned by his idol and planning to sell off his inventions when he's had his fun; but I am sure I am forgetting it somewhere in the comic book archives. The voice acting was amazing to say the least across the board. Craig T. Nelson played an even more memorable role in this as Mr. Incredible the father that doesn't like the direction of his life than he did as Coach. Samuel L. Jackson made his debut in animated movies by playing Frozone and played this role (like his countless others) perfectly. The best by far though has to be Jason Lee as the crazed fan Syndrome who gives fanboys the world over a shout out in his portrayal. I'm pretty sure all geeks would probably act the same way if they saw their favorite superheros standing right in front of them. 

1) Toy Story Series

O.k. So I coped out, sue me. It was too hard to choose between the three in this series because this is one of the few series out there that actually holds onto its roots from the first one and even improves upon them. The third movie has the amazing ending and new lovable or hated characters. The second one gave us a superior story line then the first and third all together and introduced us to Jessie the Yodeling Cowboy one of Disney's best characters to date (acted amazingly by Joan Cusack.) The first one just stands the test of time with the whole space overcoming the westerns of old being a great plot piece; to Sid being one of Disney's most memorable villains (since we all knew a kid bully like him.) The best part of this series was of course the voices since many could try but most fail at living up to Tom Hanks' legend when he plays any role including Woody. The best part about it though was that the incredible Tom Hanks didn't overshadow Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear, or even Don Rickles as Mr. Potatohead or John Razenberger as Hamm who were also important set pieces. Disney hasn't been able to repeat work like this for an entire series before or since. These are movies that comes to mind when I think of good sequels and will go down in history as the one time Disney jumped the hurdle of not living up to the original. 

Honorable Mention) Brave

I think we all wanted this movie to be a lot more than it turned out to be and I think that is what killed it for me in the end. It just didn't live up to the hype surrounding it from the excitement of a new Disney Princess. Not that she was a bad character to the contrary she was actually an amazing character she was just in an o.k. movie. As a character Merida is set up to dethrone Mulan as an inspiration to young women. Beating all the guys at the games, tough, rebellious, not a damsel in every way possible, it was just sad that the rest of the characters couldn't be as three dimensional or inspirational as her. The overbearing mother was old hat as were the trouble making brothers that might as well, have been called Huey, Dewey and Louie. I wanted so much from this film and it just fell short, a character like Merida and a location like Scotland deserved so much better.

Next week on Dustin's Dirty Dozen: break out the tissues for my top 12 saddest moments in animation.

Top 12 Hand Drawn Disney Animated Movies

Hello loyal readers and friends; it is I, Dustin here to give you yet another list of Top 12 cinemas. This issue marks the start of animation month, and what better way to start off than with Disney. Now I really had to narrow my spectrum on this list to only include hand drawn Disney movies because if I didn't, I would most assuredly leave out someone's fan favorite, in turn getting messages like "Why wasn't "Tangled" on here?" from the three or so people that actually read this blog. Now, while I usually don't care about those types of messages, this will just drastically cut down on the hate. Also, since this is Disney, you will hear me mention the music in almost every single one of my numbers. So, without trying to ramble on with what to expect, let us get started.

12) Oliver and Company

This film is probably one of the biggest testaments to the major figure heads of my profession not being able to agree on a whole lot unless a movie is "without-a-shred-of-doubt" good or "without-a-shred-of-doubt" bad.  Roger Ebert (all the respect in the world, may he rest in peace) gave this a thumbs down based on the Disney films of past and its story line being convoluted at points, while Gene Siskel (all the respect in the world, may he rest in peace) gave this "a marginal thumbs up" saying the film was "harmless."  Rotten Tomatoes has this at a solid 44% positive reviews and IMDB at a 6.5 stars. Maybe it's them being snobby, maybe my eyes being filled with stars of nostalgia, or just a testament to me being some sort of "film hipster." Whatever the reason, it is on here because you cannot have a musical legend like Billy Joel voicing over a dog who sings on top of taxi cabs and it not have it up there, aside from the fact that I absolutely loved this movie. Filled with funny bits, unforgettable characters, and general "aww" moments throughout. What's not to love? It was nominated at the Golden Globes for best original song with Why Should I worry? and a Young Artist Award for best family feature film in animation. It also won an award for best sound editing at the Golden Reel Awards, so I don't think it did too bad in the end.

11) Treasure Planet

I don't know, maybe I might be a film hipster. "Treasure Planet" was officially a box office bomb grossing only $38 million in the United States (a number that I contributed to) and $110 million worldwide. Its DVD sales topped at $64 million, but consequently Disney's Buena Vista Division's fourth quarter earnings were reduced by $47 million dollars within days of the films release. All this aside, I still loved it. "Treasure Island" was one of my favorite books as a kid and having seen all of the film adaptations of it, I think this is one of the most original and overall best versions. Aside from the story line that most everyone reading this should be familiar with by now, the voice acting was insane. Joseph Gorden-Levitt as the troubled Jim Hawkins, Captain Amelia being played by the amazingly talented Emma Thompson, and David Hyde Pierce joining Martin Short as characters obviously only in the movie to sell toys. This will most likely be the only movie on this list that I don't talk about the music, since there was nothing really memorable about it. However, it did get a nomination from the Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature, only to be beaten by "Spirited Away". Which, I guess, seems fair.

10) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

This film might possible prove me to not be such a film hipster. It would be a travesty not to put at least one Disney Classic on this list, and I can think of nothing better than to put Disney's first animated feature on here. This movie impacted millions to include myself, and actually was the first Disney movie I ever watched.  I can't list every achievement that this movie spawned without going through at least two pages of material. Let's just leave it as, there would be no Walt Disney Studios without this movie; it inspired Metro Goldwyn-Mayer to make the Wizard of Oz in 1939 and inspired actors like Charlie Chaplin to call this "the greatest movie ever made." Not to mention the awards, but I will. At the 11th Academy Awards the film was awarded an "Academy Honorary Award." Let me put that in perspective for you. Back in the days that this movie was made, animation wasn't anywhere near being taken as a legitimate industry, and yet the academy decided to give it an award. That is like "Adventure Time" winning an Emmy for "Best T.V. Show." Aside from all that, who reading this has gone to Disneyland/world and not heard Heigh-Ho playing in the background at least three times during their visit?

9) The Hunchback of Notre Dame

I can't really spite the fans of Victor Hugo's original masterpiece too harshly for throwing so much disdain at this movie, since I usually do the same thing with films or television shows based on comic books. So, I will just say if you are fan of the original just go ahead and skip by this number. Critics loved this movie for the most part using phrases like "more-sophisticated-than-average children's film." It was nominated for an Oscar, two Golden Globes, and three Young Artist Awards to name a few, and won awards like BMI and Satellite. The music in this ranged from haunting to inspiring, from Hellfire sang by Tony Jay to Out There sang by Tom Hulce and Tony Jay. Speaking of Tom Hulce and Tony Jay, the voice acting in this film hit every mark right; Disney never disappoints on putting the correct actors in the right spots, and this movie is one of the highest testaments to that compliment. Tom Hulce's singing is amazing; Jason Alexander is hilarious as Hugo the Gargoyle; and I could listen to a cookbook on tape if it was read by Tony Jay. 

8) Lilo and Stitch

Do you guys remember the trailers for this movie? They were some of the funniest trailers I remember, like Disney was spoofing itself. That honestly should have prepared me for just how great this movie was going to be, but I don't think I did. This was kind of THE Disney film of my middle school years being quoted by everyone in the halls and always playing at someone's house. I'm also pretty sure my middle school's band and chorus played Hawaiian Coaster Ride for an event of some sort. Aside from my reminiscing, the jokes didn't seem too overly cheap; Chris Sanders as Stitch should be an inspiration to everyone in the field of voice acting; and there were genuine tear-jerking moments towards the end. Tear-jerking moments that a character's parent didn't have to die to produce, which in and of itself is surprising. I can't really go into all the nominations and awards that this movie received; let's just say there are a lot from Oscar to Annie. It spawned a T.V. series called of course "Lilo and Stitch: The Series" wherein Stitch and Lilo are charged with the catching of all other experiments created by Jumba. I might have gone as far as saying "Ohana means Family" replaced "Hakuna Matata means no worries," but won't, since there are no doubt more people that remember "Hakuna Matata" than "Ohana."

7) The Little Mermaid

For people that say "The Little Mermaid" is for girls, let me just put a $211 million dollar box office in your face and please try holding onto your argument. This movie was responsible for revitalizing Disney's animated features, being the first Disney animated film to earn an Academy Award Nomination since "The Rescuers" in 1977, winning two of the awards, Best Score and Best Song for Under the Sea. Kiss the Girl was also nominated but lost to Under the Sea. I would say it is pretty good when your only real competition at the academy awards is yourself. Pat Carroll is the person I think of when I think of the voice for a witch, and Kenneth Mars commanded the role of Triton. Ariel's presence changed the face of women portrayed in Disney films for the good by making a self-reliant, rebellious, and independent character as opposed to the usual damsel in distress. It spawned a series some years later called "The Little Mermaid" following the adventures of Ariel and her other mermaid friends. You couldn't ask for a better reception when the people at Disney were saying that it might get as good of a box office share as "Oliver and Company" at the beginning of production. 

6) Lady and The Tramp

I wish that the picture above could just speak for itself when it comes to defending my opinion for this movie at the number six spot. Sadly, I guess I have to write more here if nothing just to remind you of how iconic this scene and the movie itself are. This film, made in 1955, took in a higher figure than any Disney movie since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. It was reissued to theaters in 1962, 1971, 1980 and 1986. The film's "accidental kissing" scene is considered by many of today's critics to be an iconic scene in american film. At this point there are too many films to count that have taken references from this movie, either for comedic or inspirational value. I'm pretty sure a child would be able to defend this movie to any cynic.  

5) Beauty and the Beast

I don't think the word iconic can be said in the animation industry without Beauty and the Beast being somewhere next to it. So the only flack I should get from this being on the list should be for it being so low, but what can I say, I have soft spot for demigods. Beauty and the beast was received better than any Disney movie before it by critics. The characters were easy to latch on to and root for, as well as being three-dimensional. The message was new and innovating, making you look at the attractiveness of someone's soul as opposed to only their outward appearance. It may have been a prime example of Stockholm Syndrome, but you can't really hold that against it, since the only people that do are the same people that argue The Lion King is based on Hamlet. The Music has been memorized by Disney fans since its conception, from the self titled Beauty and the Beast to my personal favorite Gaston. Belle also joins the other Disney women of her generation as an influential role model for taking the reins, and in the words of Gaston "getting ideas and thinking" in a town that would think her odd for doing so. The voices as always are perfect. Jerry Orbach's Lumiere makes a hilarious womanizing clown; Richard White sells the role of manly jerk Gaston in a way I don't think anyone else could have; and Robby Benson's beast has to be the greatest and most frightening portrayal of the role I have ever seen. Too make a very long list short on the awards, let's just say it won two Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, and six Grammys, not to mention the lesser known awards it also won. To be honest, the word iconic was basically meant for movies like Beauty and the Beast.

4) Mulan

I know I've been talking a lot about iconic women in Disney, but it is hard to talk about Mulan and not talk about the most iconic woman in Disney's history. Mulan is a testament to feminine equality, and that in the end is the message. Mulan fights with the boys and becomes even better than them. I know most feminists reading this are getting their ropes tied into nooses, but lets take a look at this past the obvious repression aspect. It may take place in a repressive society, and Mulan may have to play as a man to fit in with the boys, but what else was she supposed to do in that day and age? Even after being discovered, she still fought and performed better than any of the boys, and as a woman, was not killed (which in that day and age was commonplace). Take it as you want, but I'll take it as an inspirational story for feminists and women everywhere. Besides all of the rhetoric, I can't fault any movie that has Eddie Murphy as a wise-cracking dragon or Miguel Ferrer as one of the most intimidating antagonists Disney has ever imagined. Then there is the music. Take the Golden Globe award nominated Reflections or the song to describe my basic training, I'll make a man out of you, and I defy you not to feel that same uplifting feeling you get when listening to any other Disney movie song. So, is Mulan an inspiration for young women or a travesty for feminists? You be the judge. 

3) Hercules

A misconception of true Greek mythology, maybe; but if anything, it made me want to learn the real stories attached to these characters. So, I guess shame on Disney for making me want to learn. I doubt that the true stories would have been what someone would call "child friendly" anyway. This movie unfortunately earned no awards but was nominated for plenty. Most of them tied to the song Going the Distance, a song I used to listen to on repeat until the the lyrics were drilled into my head. The music, however, isn't the full reason why this movie made it so high on my list; that honor belongs to the voices. When you put James Woods, Danny DeVito, Bobcat Goldthwait, and Rip Torn alongside an amazing voice actor like Tate Donovan, you create an instant masterpiece. After its original conception, Disney spawned an animated television series called "Hercules: the animated series" (for lack of a better title) following the exploits of Hercules going through classic Greek tales with Icarus, Achilles, The Minotaur, and Medusa. In case you were wondering, I also loved the television series.

2) Aladdin

I'm going to just generalize on this film's achievements, because if I listed them all I would have no room for my personal opinions which in the end is what these lists are all about. $504 million world wide box office in its theatrical lifespan, which earned it the third highest grossing traditionally animated feature worldwide. It won Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Annies, and many others, mostly for the song A Whole New World,  but some for the brilliant voice acting by Robin Williams. Positive critical praise for the movie was through the roof as of 2008, earning 92% positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and spawning a television series called "Aladdin" (surprising millions with its original name) that followed Aladdin's exploits around Agrabah. Now for what I think. This movie was ultimately a hard decision not to put at number one, but you'll understand why it isn't there when you see number one. I can't express how inspirational Robin Williams should be for voice actors. In his interview with James Lipton for "Inside the Actor's Studio," James has him listed as portraying 52 different characters when he played the genie. The only man that could be able to top that would be the equally impressive Mark Hamill. There is not a song in the movie that doesn't rate among my top Disney songs, not just A Whole New World but Arabian Nights, Friend Like Me, and my personal favorite Prince Ali. I have probably watched this movie over a hundred times in my life, with probably hundreds more to follow.

1) The Lion King

What else could it be? Aladdin may have been amazing, but this movie is on its way to becoming legendary. Second-Highest-Grossing animated film, 21st highest grossing film worldwide, and Walt Disney's Animation Studio's highest grossing film ever, with almost a billion dollars in box office sales alone. I'm going to cop out again on the awards by just putting "there are a lot," again mostly having to do with music, but some for acting, with critical praise ranging from amazing to incredible. The movie also spawned an animated series "Timon and Pumba" which followed the exploits of the film's two most memorable characters, which was actually pretty good. The film is not without its controversy though, almost receiving lawsuits from the creators of "Kimba the White Lion" and viewers that were offended by the word SEX being spelled into flying dust. Aside from all that, this movie has to speak for itself. Most people that were alive during the decade of this film's creation are familiar with Hakuna Matata, but even without that you still have, I Just Can't Wait to be King, Can You Feel the Love Tonight, and The Circle of Life. No song on the soundtrack can be called anything but outstanding. Then you have the voices: Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Whoopi Goldberg, and Cheech Marin to name a few, all with successful acting careers even before this movie. I mean, I can't even stress the importance of James Earl Jones being just as (if not more) well known for voicing Mufasa than Darth Vader. Disney will have a hard time topping this movie, and it all started with Shakespeare. 

Honorable Mention: The Fox and the Hound

Something has to be said for a movie almost bringing me to tears...but it didn't. That honor still belongs to The Iron Giant. Sorry, Disney; however, Kurt Russel was pretty awesome as Copper, and the same is said for Mickey Rooney as Tod. Nothing more I can really say than that.

Next time on Dustin's Dirty Dozen : Animation month continues: Didn't get enough Disney? No one ever does, so the next issue will be Top 12 Computer Animated Disney Movies!