Give me more animated movies
Posted: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 7:00 AM by Paige Newman
Filed Under:
Movies
I’m no expert on animated movies. I loved them when I was younger, but since I don’t have kids of my own, they’ve never been a priority. Until now.
Focus Features |
If you missed seeing "Coraline," you missed a completely unique and thrilling cinematic experience.
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Last year, “WALL-E” turned out to be my favorite film of the year. And this year, the best film I’ve seen so far is “Coraline.” While movies with live actors seem to crank out endlessly familiar stories, today’s animated films feel bracingly original.
So I was thrilled when msnbc.com film critic Alonso Duralde gave
“Monsters vs. Aliens” a “see it this weekend” review. It immediately shot to the top of my must-see list. And I will definitely see it in 3-D. Honestly, I can’t believe the advances since the old days of the clunky blue-and-red glasses.
But like I said, I’m no expert, and once again I’m looking to fill my Netflix queue with some good titles. My sister Brooke, who teaches kindergarten, and is therefore required to see everything kid-related, recommended a few, including “Spirited Away” and “Howl’s Moving Castle.” I found a couple of great lists on the
Movie Blog and
RottenTomatoes.com as well as
Cracked’s list for traumatizing kids and
director Terry Gilliam’s favorites.
As a kid, my absolute favorite animated film was Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp.” I love the Peggy Lee songs and the romance and, of course, the classic spaghetti-eating scene. And years later, I couldn’t help but laugh appreciatively when I saw “Last Days of Disco” and heard the character Josh lament about the film’s message by saying:
“What's the function of a film of this kind? Essentially as a primer on love and marriage directed at very young people, imprinting on their little psyches the idea that smooth-talking delinquents recently escaped from the local pound are a good match for nice girls from sheltered homes. When in ten years the icky human version of Tramp shows up around the house, their hormones will be racing and no one will understand why. Films like this program women to adore jerks.”
Could be. But I still love it.
Other favorites include “Finding Nemo” (and basically all the Pixar stuff), “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut,” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” When I get a taste of something good, such as “Coraline” and “WALL-E,” I just want more. So please post your animated-flick recommendations in the comments.
