Top 12 Best Movies Based on Comic Books

Hello, loyal readers and fellow geeks, welcome to another issue of Dustin's Dirty Dozen, this week delving even deeper into the world of panels with the top 12 movies based on comic books. Before anyone gets their panties in a bunch about their favorite movies not making the list, just know that this is one of the hardest lists I have had to make to date. A lot of movies I love (based upon the source material) didn't make the list, because this is mainly for movies that can stand on their own even without the source material. I know a couple of these stray pretty far away from the comics, and some you might think can't hold up in the mainstream market of today, but its my list and my opinion, which is why I am guessing you read this in the first place. So, to make us wait no longer, let me get started.

12) Batman (1989)

Tim Burton may be one crazy son-of-a-gun, but he knows how to make a decent film every now and again. As far as live action Batmans go, Micheal Keaton will always hold a special place in my heart for his performance in this and the sequel. I thought for the longest time that no one would ever be able to top Jack Nicholson's Joker, and in some ways I was right (not taking away from Heath Ledger), especially when you take into account the type of Joker that he was (mainly based off the older comic books where Joker killed people with electric hand buzzers and laughing gas). When you take the brilliant directing, the two stars and the script, then put it all together, you get something truly amazing that has held up for over two decades. 

11) Hellboy

Another brilliant director at the helm, Guillermo del Toro, takes this film and of course gives it his own amazing touch with the convincing monster creation. Not that Ron Perlman needs any help looking like a monster in the first place, but seeing him in the red paint and shaved horns sort of made this movie as good as it was. Not to be overshadowed by the freakishly huge man, Doug Jones plays the most convincing Abe Sapien that anyone could. The scenes were gorgeous, the acting amazing, directing on a completely different echelon; the movie all in all was just outstanding.

10) Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Michael Cera's second best role in his acting career, right after the bit he played in "This is the End," and amazingly enough the character was based off of an awesome comic book. Something also has to be said for Mary Elizabeth Winstead seeming to grow some roots as a chameleon for the actress community. This movie basically just showed us that not all comic book movies have to be based on books that are serious and feature big name heroes (no, I didn't forget that the mask was originally a comic book). With stupendous visuals, some of the best acting that any actor in this movie has shown audiences before, and hilarious video game references throughout, this movie was a real winner. 

9) Captain America: The First Avenger

Of the "pre-Avengers" movies that led to eventual epic, this one was the best, by far. I'm not necessarily the biggest Captain America fan to begin with, but this movie was close to changing my mind about the character, if not making at least a step in the right direction. Chris Evans gets to add yet another comic book-based movie under his belt after already doing "The Losers," "Fantastic Four," and "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World." Hugo Weaving lends us his acting legend for the most convincing and real super villain that has come to us at the time this movie was released with The Red Skull, and Tommy Lee Jones even gets in on the action, giving us a command, albeit short lived, performance. Consider this article a written version of me holding my breath for "Captain America: Winter Soldier."

8) Kick Ass

When I first heard of this movie,, I was keeping current with the "limited" comic book series that was only four issues deep at the time. So my first reaction was "damn, Hollywood must really be stretching for ideas if they are basing a movie off of a series that isn't even complete," and never have been more wrong to make such a rash first impression. Even with it straying away from the source material at points, the movie was still gold, and most surprising of all, was filled with "no name" actors. Aaron Taylor-Johnson making a good first impression on the big screen with his Kick Ass characters, and Chloe Grace Moretz finally being able to escape the curse of playing bit characters in movies. The second most surprising part of this movie was them making Nicholas Cage actually seem like a real actor for a couple of minutes. The sequel gave us some good parts as well but couldn't quite capture the lightning in a bottle like this did. 

7) Superman (1978)

What can I say about this movie besides that without it I can almost guarantee that we would not have the comic book movies of today. The graphics may be a little (or a lot) dated to today's standards, but you just can't turn a blind eye to the movie that gave comic books some respectability on the big screen. Of course, the actors are legendary now for their roles; Christopher Reeve sets the standard for all actors that would dawn the red "S" after him (or at least should have been a point of reference in Brandon Routh's case). The scenes are going to live on in our memories forever, and hopefully one day this character can be given his due once again in years to come, even if I hate him.

6) V for Vendetta

Anarchy, Martial Law, Conspiracy: All great plot drivers for a movie and given to us brilliantly by rookie director James McTeigue. Hugo Weaving again givies us iconic and unreachable work as main character and "terrorist" V. Natalie Portman, thankfully being torn away from the "Star Wars" curse of not being able to find subsequent work after appearing in the franchise (taking a page from Harrison Ford) and finding a good home as love interest and "sidekick" Evey. Brilliant choreography, dialogue, and cinematography to join the acting and directing make this a must watch for anyone, even if you are not into the comic book world.  

5) Watchmen

Zack Snyder had to be getting a little full of himself after making this movie, when he followed it up with "Sucker Punch" and "Man of Steel" (at least "Sucker Punch" was half way decent). I guess I don't blame him with how absolutely amazing it was (given, this is definitely straying from the source material, but not dictating my decision making process). I would say for the year it was made, it had to have had the best writing I saw, when you take into account the four-year term of Nixon and how he would handle the Cuban missile crisis or just the ending itself. The acting was amazing across the board, but the two that stole the show were Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian and Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach. All in all it was original (given the source material) and inspiring, if nothing else, for future movies to think about their concepts of nudity.

4) Iron Man 3

Aww, no first "Iron Man," huh? Deal with it. Somehow, this movie managed to escape the curse of not living up to the original by being superior to the first in almost every way possible (not that the first movie was bad at all). It gave Tony Stark some much needed depth and psychological crises that the character had been calling for ever since his trip to the silver screen. It gave us the most superior Iron Man villain in comparison to any of the previous installments, and even made his character original and inspiring, made even more so by Ben Kingsley's amazing acting. It not only gave Iron Man closure, but seemingly the actor that played him as well (since the series was the main revitalizing point of his career). It gave us iconic scenes and brilliant cinematography, that, if it wasn't for Pacific Rim, would have been the best of the year, if not the decade. Something has to be said for this movie also showing us that, even after the triumph that was "The Avengers," these movies will not sit back and just expect a box office from the characters that they are attached to, but instead give us a truly amazing piece of cinema to live on in our collections and hearts. Many thanks to director Shane Black for following up "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" with an equally amazing movie.

3) Sin City

I have a major hard on for noire-styled films, especially ones that are based off of a comic book given to us by a legend in the field, Frank Miller. Even if you take away the fact that the movie basically translated the comic book word for word (only leaving out bits and pieces, here and there), you still have an amazing piece of cinema given to us by over-the-top director, Robert Rodriguez. The cinematography was insane and showed us just what could be accomplished with the proper amount of green screen. I don't even know who I can give more respect to among the actors, when you have top performances from Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Tommy Flanagan, Micheal Clarke Duncan, it is almost impossible. Let's just say everyone was amazing and should be given all the respect in the world for their parts. If you haven't seen this movie yet, you seriously have to question where your values are in life, because you have missed out on one of the great movies of our generation.

  

2) The Dark Knight

If Heath Ledger was alive today, I am positive that he would have made a name for himself among the acting legends that have lived in our heads for decades. Unfortunately, he only left us with a movie which should be a standard met by any Batman movie to come (one even "The Dark Knight Rises" couldn't live up to). I guess we will all have to respect that, as sad as it is. I don't think I can really say anything about this instant classic that hasn't been said before, but I guess I'll just reinforce how absolutely astonishing this movie was. The storyline was the choice element to pay attention to in this movie, even taking into account Heath Ledger. The story gave us a hero making himself out to be the villain for the greater good, a roller coaster ride of emotions to include the fake death of a certain main character and the fall of a great citizen into darkness. Anarchy was the biggest plot device of this movie, and what better character to steer our anarchism ship then the Joker? When I said that this movie should be a standard met by any Batman movie to come, I may have been too narrow minded; I think it should be the standard for DC entertainment. Period.

1) The Avengers

If the box office and anticipation for this movie wasn't enough, the fact that this film stands alone as one of the most amazing MOVIES of all time should say something. I can't stress enough just how much respect I have for Joss Whedon for not only making this movie, but some of my favorite series of all time. Any other person might have taken one the highest grossing box offices and ran, but not him; he will be back to give us a sequel and  spin off show that both have some monstrous shoes to fill. I just love that this movie could have been the most absolutely disappointing movie of all time after being hyped up for four years, but instead gave us something to be enjoyed for the rest of our lives and our children's lives. Take your pick on the reasons why this movie was so good: acting, story, cinematography, dialogue, etc. Everything in it was superior to any other movie released during the year, and I'll even go as far as to say of our generation. So, here is to hoping that the sequel doesn't suck, but it should be hard for it to with Joss Whedon at the helm again.

Honorable Mention) X2

Of this unspeakably long series, some credit has to be given to the second installment for actually being good (not that the first one was bad necessarily). After living through the disappointments of so many sequels, we still have this movie to look back on and say "hey, at least they weren't always so shitty."

Next Time on Dustin Dirty Dozen: Top 12 Worst Movies Based on Comic Books because I haven't done a list of horrible movies in a while and I still want to talk about comics.

Top 12 Comic Book Animated Movies

*Spoilers throughout this article*

Hello, loyal readers, and welcome to another issue of Dustin's Dirty Dozen. This issue will be on the top 12 comic book animated movies, marking the end of animation month. This list will not include the hybrid comic-animation series' (I.E. "Wolverine: Origins" or "Iron Man: Extremis"), nor will it contain any of the Marvel anime that was popular on "G4TV." However, it will cover the other animated pictures from both DC and Marvel. I hope you all enjoy, excelsior!

12) Ultimate Avengers 1 & 2

"Marvel" doesn't do too well with animation, but every once in a while a gem will come through all of the crap. This is an example of one of those gems (or rather 2); albeit, not exactly first place material. The voices in this range from good to awful, so I can't really make that a justification as to why this should be on here. One of the main reasons this made the list was for my favorite scene in both films, the Hulk fight, wherein the Hulk actually picks up Thor's magically imbued hammer. The hammer is supposed to be impossible for anyone but Thor (or whomever the hammer deems worthy) to lift; despite this, Hulk lifted it anyway. Besides that, you have a great prelude to the live-action films that Marvel came out with afterwards; and all-in-all, a good time.

11) Superman: Doomsday

Let me just put this out here, I am not a fan of Superman in the least; I think he is too overpowered and boring (joined that band wagon long ago), and his character could have been so much more. Maybe that is why his most popular moment (his death) made the list, because I love seeing him get owned. Even though the event itself turned out to be a hoax and superman turned out fine in the end, it was still an important point in comic book history. My favorite scene in this movie has to be the fight scene between Doomsday and Superman; really, that is the only point in the movie worth noting, but makes it good enough to make this list.

10) Green Lantern: Emerald Knights 

"Green Lantern: Emerald Knights" took on the role of telling the multiple stories of a number of Green Lanterns (much like "Batman: Gotham knight"), and turned every story into something amazing. Nathan Fillion, found his way into the voice of Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), and proved himself amazing enough to make repeat appearances. The best scenes of this movie were definitely between Mojo (the Green Lantern planet) and Laira's back story. Laira had amazing action sequences, and Mojo is just Mojo... he is a planet. He is a planet with the power of the Green Lanterns; just let that get into your head and join the rest of us in awe. 

9) Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths

I love parallel universes; the story arcs that follow them are always interesting and unique ways of looking at your favorite superheroes. So, of course, "Crisis on Two Earths" made the list based on that merit, but another good point was the voices. James Woods' acting for Owlman was sinister and sent a chill up your spine listening to it. Owlman's character was the best part of this movie by far; as a ruthless, cunning, and driven alternate to Batman, he stole the show and ended up being the baddest of bad guys. The fight between him and Batman is still one of my favorite scenes, especially Batman's line at the end: "There is a difference between you and me. We both looked into the abyss, but when it looked back at us, you blinked." Just has Batman's essence wafting over it.

8) Superman/Batman: Public Enemies

This is the closest DC came to rivaling the storyline of Marvel's superheroes, who are mostly looked at as outlaws. Finally, the characters of Batman and Superman gained a little more depth, making them go through society treated as the enemies of the free world. I love any movie that reinstates the amazing talents of Tim Daly and Kevin Conroy; they are the originals, and most people alive during the airing of the "Batman: the Animated Series" know Kevin Conroy as THE voice of Batman. The best scene in this (besides the friendly banter between the two icons the movie is based on) has to be the royal rumble between seemingly every bad guy in existence. You see all the people that use powers as weapons (such as ice, strength, size, etc) together and somehow it all just fits into one big ass kicking, the likes of which no movie could have done better. 

7) Wonder Woman

Oh, DC; it is too hard to make a live action Wonder Woman movie, yet here is an amazing Wonder Woman animated movie that holds the character in a new regard. Oh well, I guess we will have to deal with thirteen Ben Affleck Batman movies before we get the third member of "the big three." Anyways, this movie was amazing for two reasons; it held, in high regard, the Greek mythology of Wonder Woman's backstory, as well as the voices. Hades has to be the best part of this movie, showing him as a fat, arrogant, slob of a god, yet still so menacing and powerful. When he pulls out Ares' son from the pits of Tartarus and shows him to Ares as his slave, I couldn't help wanting to punch Hades for Ares. On the Female side of voices, you have Keri Russell playing the lead role as Wonder Woman, and Rosario Dawson playing the overly battle-hardened Artemis; both did amazing and made me wish for a recurring roles for them in future DC projects. On the male side, you have Nathan Fillion again as a fighter pilot and womanizer, Steve Trevor (Wonder Woman's semi-love interest), and Oliver Platt playing the aforementioned Hades and stealing any scene he was apart of. 

6) Batman: Year One

I may have loved "Batman: Begins;" however, this movie just seemed to be everything that the theatrical movie was missing. What the general public has to understand is that the comic book "Batman: Year One" which is what "Batman Begins" and this were based off, was mainly about Jim Gordon, with a few Batman scenes as filler. This movie celebrated that fact and made Jim Gordon the badass that he was supposed to be, while subsequently giving him more depth. The best scene in this movie has to be Jim Gordon giving detective Flass the beating of his life. If any other scene could come close to it, the scene in question is definitely Jim Gordon's affair, giving his character more of a dark and troubled edge. Voices in this were amazing (as always when Andrea Romano is in charge of voice directing and casting), and the major scene thieves were Bryan Cranston, Eliza Dushku and Alex Rocco. If there is any truth to Bryan Cranston playing the new Jim Gordon in the live action movies I know that he will do well since he has already done it. Alex Rocco always plays the best gangster, and Eliza Dushku hopefully will be our next Catwoman with the performance she has given here serving as her resume.

5) Batman: Under the Red Hood

The comic book this is based off of is considered one of the hardest slaps to the face of all time in the comic book community. The comic book (A death in the family) killed off Jason Todd (the second incarnation of Robin) after DC took a poll from the readers on if they should and said "he would never come back;" so when he did, it sent off more than a few loyal fans. I don't know how they did it, but, this movie is one step in the right direction of fixing that mistake. It made the revival of Jason Todd seem more believable; although it's hard to be any less believable than Superboy punching something so hard that reality itself breaks. The acting was awesome even without the original "Batman: Animated Series" cast being in it, with performances from Jensen Ackles as the Red Hood and Wade Williams as Black Mask stealing the movie.

4) Planet Hulk

The comic event that followed the "Civil War" in marvel comics was "World War Hulk," and it was brilliant in every sense of the word. "Planet Hulk" was the comic about the events leading to that amazing series, and it held up just as much as other off-shoots did. This was the movie adaptation of that comic series, and I can't help but love it all the same. Anything with Beta Ray Bill smacking the hell out of Hulk with Stormbreaker has to be nothing less than amazing. The best voice of the movie was the main one, Rick D. Wasserman as the Hulk, since the hulk had a lot more to say than "rawr." There is nothing more that I can say about this movie other than if you have any respect for comic books at all, you will go read the World War Hulk series...Now.

3) Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (Pt. 1 & 2)

Carrie Kelley is the best Robin in any Batman universe by far, and any movie designed with her in mind is going to be outstanding. Why is she the best you ask? Aside from being the most original of the four, she was also the one you could relate to the most: Obsessed fan girl that takes to the streets with a store-bought Robin costume, and gets to live all of her fantasies while she fights along side her icon in battle. Of course there is more to the movie than that, the best scene proving to be the Batman/Superman battle that ended in Batman's favor. Want to find out how? Please watch it.

2) Justice League : The Flashpoint Paradox

Remember when I said that I am a fan of multiverse storyline? Well that applies to time paradoxes as well. The voices in this movie are amazing. When you have the talents of Justin Chambers, C. Thomas Howell, and Michael B. Jordan, it's always going to be good. It's hard to pick a scene I like more. When you have a skinny, agoraphobic Superman; Thomas Wayne shooting up Gotham as Batman (instead of Bruce); and the love scene between Wonder Woman and Aquaman; the choice is almost impossible. Quite possibly the death of Hal Jordan was the best scene in the movie, but as I said, the choice is so hard. This movie, being the most recent installment from DC animation, is proof that the DC animated movies just keep getting better and better. It makes me unable to wait for the next installment.

1) Justice League: Doom

Perfection. I couldn't find one thing wrong with this movie and that is rare for me, being a cynical asshole. I loved the revival of the old "Justice League: Animated Series" cast, with the addition of Nathan Fillion, again taking the reins of Hal Jordan. The scenes are, again, almost impossible to choose from, to think about which one would be the best. Who could forget Martian Manhunter sweating out magnesium due to a poison-laced drink that was given to him by a disguised enemy, and thus being lit on fire. How about Wonder Woman being drugged, making her envision everyone she meets as Cheetah, which in turn makes her fight non-stop until her heart almost gives out. There is also a bomb being bolted through the Flash's wrist that makes him run forever, taking a page from "Speed," since if he decelerates, the bomb explodes. Hal Jordan is infected by the Scarecrow "fear toxin," and left to spend the rest of his days crying over a woman that he was too late to save. Superman is shot through the heart by kryptonite, and no one knows how to save him, since you can't simply pierce his skin. I guess the best though was Bruce Wayne being buried alive with the skeletons of his parents. I mean could you imagine that shit? Having a vendetta against your parents' murder, so strong, that you take a vow to stop crime in the city in which it happened, then being buried with their skeletons, left to spend the rest of your days looking at the very thing that drove you to a life of crime-fighting. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Too bad none of the ways to kill the Justice League actually panned out. Thanks, Cyborg.

HM) Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange is my favorite superhero of all time, and I am still waiting for a live-action movie with him as the lead. The cartoon movie was only ok, but I just know I would be hating myself later if I did not put this on here. "By the light-by the Truth-by Sangreal and sword and Pendragon's Fire-by Defender's might and Dragon Circle's destiny-BEHOLD THY BANE!"

Next time on Dustin's Dirty Dozen: More comics with the top 12 live-action comic book movies. 

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!"