It may be hard to come up with a reason as to why, but 2022 felt like a collective blur for many of us, perhaps a result of the depressing pace of the past few pandemic-dominated years, or maybe we were all just too busy for our own good. Regardless, the months just zipped by, merging into each other almost as much as some of the year’s most-hyped entertainment options occasionally seemed to — just how many Star Wars and Marvel streaming shows were there, anyway?

Not helping with our collective confusion was having to read the same headlines over and over again (did you happen to hear what Will Smith did at the Oscars?), giving us all a bad case of déjà vu!

Among such stories were major shakeups within Hollywood, including the sudden replacement of Bob Chapek as Disney’s CEO with that of another Bob (welcome back, Iger!), and some shocking and frankly blatantly cynical decisions made by the recently merged Warner Bros. Discovery. Of course this is a business at the end of the day, but cancelling the release of completed movies (sorry, Batgirl and Scooby-Doo!) just for the sake of a tax write-off is an evil move even by cartoon villain standards.

As is sadly always the case, more people were lost this year than we could ever fit into one column, with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II capturing the attention of the entire world. Other notable deaths included comic book legend Neal Adams, Jules Bass of Rankin/Bass fame, Irene Cara, Barbara Walters, Gilbert Gottfried, Harry Potter star Robbie Coltrane, Leslie Jordan, James Caan, Sesame Street cast members Emilio Delgado and Bob McGrath, iconic Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy, and legendary actress and singer Angela Lansbury, all of whom will be missed.

On a lighter note, audiences gave theaters the comeback they had been starving for, with Top Gun: Maverick behaving like an old school blockbuster on a level that hadn’t been seen in ages, and the myth of superhero movie fatigue proved to be just that, with four of them easily zooming past the $300 million mark in the States. And Avatar: The Way Of Water has proven, yet again, that you should never bet against James Cameron, as it quickly became the biggest hit of the year after less than a month in release.

Join us now for a look back on the rest of the year’s brighter and more animated aspects, as we present…

Ben’s Picks

It’s something we say every twelves months: “where did the year go?”, but this year it might never have applied more! Perhaps a consequence of life slowing down to a more leisurely pace since March 2020, to where people took time to take things in more, kept in touch with family and friends more, and did things like going for walks more and just simply enjoying the world again — as much as it was barraging us back with viruses and increasingly dynamic weather events — but as life opened up, that otherwise lovely spell of a Don’t Worry Darling 1950s style life with 21st century technology quickly sped up and seemed to zoom (not Zoom!) by ever faster.

Professionally and personally, 2022 has been a rollercoaster for me, and how! The year began with a pandemic-delayed film, The 355 (essentially a female-fronted Mission: Impossible yarn to which I had variably contributed some uncredited cutting) coming and going in January, before a longtime friend and collaborator tapped me to cut his directorial short film debut, Aping Edwin Porter, which we shot in February and posted between then and May (when, at the premiere, we staged a bit where I feigned being upset at a remark in his “thank-yous” and took to the stage and slapped him, in a nod to another infamous incident that had just appallingly occurred in front of a much bigger audience).

The film [right] hit the festival circuit over the summer and has incredibly garnered over 100 “best short” awards, nominations and nods so far, including several for editing and sound design. If anyone out there reading this is looking for a feature editor or wants to offer representation, I’m ready and waiting!

That high was somewhat tempered by a couple of “real life” hiccups, including Covid finally catching me in the summer. While not as bad as flu that hit me in 2008, it was worse than a bad cold, left me coughing uncontrollably, and still these months later a little drained. It is not an experience I wish to repeat!

Luckily, I’m still here, which seems as good a place as any to mark several personal heroes who did leave us: Angela Lansbury, Peter Bogdanovich and Sidney Poitier, to name just three out of many that were continuing to create new work and leave the bright lights of showbusiness a little more dimmed with their loss.

Escapism was again found on big and small screens, where new films began to flourish once more and old films found themselves restored and available again in the home. Topping everything had to be the sublime Everything Everywhere All At Once [below right], the Daniels’ film that seemed to creep up on everyone distracted by the empty numbingness of various multiverses to present its own very unique take on the same concept, via a hugely ambitious scope illustrating a very intimate story. Profound, hilarious, uplifting, different, erudite, silly and brilliant, I’m so glad to have discovered this one, and that it’s ended up making its own mark in the world.

Less successful creatively was the “final” Jurassic World movie Dominion, whose opening line set things off course from the start and never really recovered.

Having destroyed the island in the last one, and promising a new and different “world of dinos” scenario, we were quickly back on another island and simply going through the motions, where even the returning Park cast — as much as it was nice to see them again, and in much more than just cameos — couldn’t help this ultimately feeling rote and boring.

I wasn’t much better impressed by the other hyped films of the year, such as The Batman, and have yet to see Wakanda Forever, though wasn’t much of a fan of the first and admit to suffering a bit of Marvel fatigue and needing a bit more grown up nourishment cinematically speaking. But Maverick certainly surpassed expectations to deliver a first class experience even for those, like me, that didn’t like the first one, and I’d argue that Glass Onion is a better film than Knives Out, right down to director Rian Johnson’s frankly blatant explanation for what he was attempting to do with Star Wars, even if the chief suspect and last one standing were both fairly evident very early on.

I was left fairly dazzled by Baz Lurhmann’s Elvis [below right], a couple of caveats aside (including that I personally can’t quite get past the fact that the otherwise excellent Austin Butler looks very little like The King, and have yet to hear any reasoning on Tom Hanks’ incredibly baffling choice of accent for his insidious Tom Parker), and would love to see an extended cut I hope the director gets a chance to put out there and that I would snap up on disc.

Speaking of, this year was a quieter than usual for new releases and classics, with a fair bunch getting 4K “upgrades” that, while reviewers were eager to wax lyrical about “shadow detail” and the like, very rarely gave any real reason to buy again, especially given that many were shot on earlier, grainier stock to begin with (the one exception being the on/off/delayed release of seminal sci-fi Invaders From Mars, which has never had an HD release and, by all accounts, is truly phenomenal in its restored form, which I look forward to seeing as soon as possible!).

The Godfather turned 50 with a stunning new collection, and I was also pleased to add one of the final Hitchcock Blu-ray holdouts in Stage Fright to my shelf, along with the superlative restoration of George Pal’s The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm to the always enticing Warner Archive, the bonkers Return Of Captain Invincible in two cuts with a CD soundtrack (!), and — finally! — the excellent Arsenic And Old Lace from Criterion. Of the newer stuff, it was great to see Ken Branagh receive a screenplay Oscar for his personal film, the lovely Belfast, which no less than Spielberg is looking to build upon in the awards race with his own autobiographical The Fabelmans, a slightly lesser film that felt more insular and doesn’t reflect anything going on in America at the time other than in the fledgling director’s own family.

In animation — the reason we’re here, right? — I haven’t been truly wowed by anything in a while, though did appreciate Sony giving delightful Vivo a deserved physical release. But Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks and Illumination were otherwise MIA with future classics (I mean, as entertaining as Turning Red was, does anyone really expect it to make any best of the decade lists? And Sing 2 was sadly as lackluster as the first one was a breath of fresh air, though I still need to see The Bad Guys, but have heard good and bad about it, which is never a perfect sign).

Disney+ continues to be frustrating in its mix of good-not-great content — although I’m hoping to get to widely praised Andor before too long — and resolutely seems to want to pivot away from actual Disney productions that aren’t — yawn — Marvel or Star Wars. And, yes, before you bring up Disenchanted, please don’t: the less said about that enormously disappointing, ten-years-too-late misfire (and Zemeckis’ frankly bizarro Pinocchio) the better — mediocrity should never be “acceptable”, but this wasn’t even that!

Even newly available films didn’t particularly entice: Thor fizzled, Dumbledore disintegrated and Luck ran out, although most unexpected was the enjoyment of the also bizarre and bonkers Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers movie, which was just so random and wrong on many levels that it couldn’t be anything other than surprising fun. That was about it, though, leaving most of my interest in documentaries: The ILM Story‘s opening episode promises to be a series I’ll enjoy the more I can watch, and Leslie Iwerks’ The Imagineering Story followed up her previously terrific docs on her grandfather and Pixar, and was again joined by a companion book [above] — a great gift for any discerning Disney history fan! — that, a slightly disappointing lack of images aside, really gives one time to take in all that research (it is rightly labeled a biography!) in a very nice, weighty tome kind of way. Which, if I had a Christmas or New Years wish, would be just that: more time. And that’s just about where I came in, I guess! Have a good one!

Dacey’s Picks

Once again, I fell ridiculously behind on what I considered to be “required viewing” in 2022 — I still haven’t caught widely acclaimed movies like Turning Red, Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, or either of DreamWorks Animation’s excellent-looking offerings.  Alas, tending to physical and mental health took a lot of my attention this year. Perhaps I’ll be able to remedy this for 2023, but in this case, don’t consider these picks to be “the best of the year” so much as “the best of what Dacey found the time and energy to watch”!

In many ways, Avatar: The Way Of Water [above right] faces seemingly impossible odds — not only is it a sequel to the biggest movie ever, but also one that many rather inexplicably expected to bomb under the delusion that no one really cared about the original. At this point, though, should anyone really be shocked when James Cameron is able to shatter expectations?

It almost feels like a gross understatement to say that Water is gorgeous, as it’s a sensory experience that might leave you as out of breath as the swimming blue aliens are from how much you are openly gasping at the screen. Is it overlong? Probably. Overstuffed? Maybe. But when it reaches its final hour, you’ll have a hard time looking away, as Cameron fires on all cylinders to fully immerse the audience in action so jaw-dropping and intense that it must, yes, be seen to be believed. Pandora wasn’t the only place I found cinematic thrills, as superheroes remained a dependable source of adrenaline. While the DCEU might be in complete chaos right now, The Batman certainly wasn’t; a moody, hypnotic comic book outing that feels as daring as it does familiar.

On Marvel’s side of things, Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness was a gleefully violent, fun-filled rollercoaster, while the “TV special” Werewolf By Night was an exhilarating love letter to the Universal monster films of old, and a promising directorial debut for composer Michael Giacchino.

On Netflix, stop-motion was refreshingly prominent — even if they seemed to forget to actually market the films sometimes!

The House [above right] was a nifty anthology of three separate stories — which range from devastatingly scary to strangely sweet — making for some truly unique (not to mention R-rated) animation unlike anything else I saw this year.

I am a bit sorry to say I didn’t “love” Wendell & Wild, as it’s weakened by a plot trying to do everything everywhere all at once. Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key are lovably funny as the titular dim-witted demons, and one can’t deny Henry Selick’s talent and imagination, so it’s a shame he allows the focus to get so out of hand here (you could make a case that he’s best when he has strong source material to play off from). Fortunately, it’s at least very entertaining, and it’s possible I’ll like it more with a repeat viewing.

Where I won’t be an annoying contrarian is with Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, which really did live up to the hype for me and was as beautiful as others have been saying, gracing the viewer with a reassuring yet creepy handcrafted look that brings to mind the work of the late Will Vinton.

In fact, there’s such an astonishing level of detail that it might be impossible not to be in awe of it — so much work went into every frame of this film that its existence alone is an accomplishment.

From Disney, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers was the borderline demented spiritual follow-up to Roger Rabbit that none of us knew we wanted, but ended up being very thankful for, filled with so much hilarious meta-humor that it’s almost shocking the Mouse House itself actually made it!

Obi-Wan Kenobi, while supposedly being “divisive” (but what Star Wars content isn’t these days?), was something truly special for fans of the prequel trilogy, elevated by a fantastic performance from Ewan McGregor (who was also great in Pinocchio) and some spectacular lightsaber battles. Finally, The Owl House [above] continued to be terrific as it set exciting new standards for the studio, and it’s going to be very painful when it’s time to actually say goodbye to this amazing series when it ends in just a few months.

The biggest and most pleasant surprise for me in 2022 came in the form of something I wasn’t even expecting to like, and that was FX’s very adult comedy Little Demon [below right]. At first glance, it could be easy to write it off as another crass Rick & Morty imitation (not coincidentally, it’s from one of that show’s co-creators), and while it would be impossible to recommend it to “everyone” due to its pervasive violence, language and nudity, Little Demon is surprisingly subversive, relatable, and even poignant, managing to juggle its frequent fart jokes alongside themes of broken families and regret in ways that are bafflingly effective.

The voice cast is to die for — Satan has never been more appealing than when played by Danny DeVito — and there’s a promising sense of world-building that leaves me begging to find out what happens next. You wouldn’t necessarily expect this level of praise for a cartoon about the literal antichrist, but Little Demon feels sincere, heartbreaking, and bizarrely comforting. It deserves all of the love it can get…and more episodes ASAP.

Before I wrap this up, I must give some quick shout-outs to more “grown-up” fare, including House Of The Dragon which, despite having a smaller scale than Game Of Thrones nevertheless managed to feel just as massive, setting the table for what is sure to be a grand epic in its future seasons. And X and Pearl were a duo of horror titles within a fresh franchise from director Ti West that came out in the same year and, if that’s not impressive enough, were both delightfully twisted films in their own right that also happened to compliment each other perfectly.

Dan’s Picks

In some ways, 2022 turned out to be not that much different from 2021 as it was another curiously lazy period for me aside from an overwhelming work schedule. It was enough that I completely missed out on watching an animated feature. Nevertheless, I still managed to do stuff. I got to watch some fine programs when I could, attend numerous events, and was able to participate in a closed beta for the upcoming Street Fighter 6 video game. I even won an auction for a rough animation sheet of Milo from Atlantis: The Lost Empire! So perhaps beneath the surface, it was a rather productive year for me despite how inactive I otherwise was.

A show that really won me over from the start was Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury [right].

The first mainline Gundam series in five years distinguished itself from the rest of the franchise by taking a bold approach in telling a well crafted narrative that would not be what viewers would expect.

The lush, beautiful animation and emotionally epic music score wonderfully bolster the presentation of its uniquely developed and lovingly fantastic female leads Suletta Mercury and Miorine Rembran. I’m absolutely engrossed and am looking forward to what the amazing crew at Sunrise have in store for the rest of the series as it continues.

I’ve consistently had Critical Role among my “Best of…” entries the last few years. And why not? The weekly broadcast of animation voice actors playing Dungeons & Dragons was an absolute blast to watch as Matthew Mercer and company would craft together compelling stories and characters through tabletop gaming.

This year was extra special with the premiere of The Legend Of Vox Machina [right].

The animated adaptation of their first campaign adventures was a critical success featuring crisp, beautiful animation alongside outstanding music, great writing, and a top-notch cast. The future continues to shine brightly for the pop culture phenomenon.

For me, the live-action front would not so much be on the screen as they would take place on the stage. A trip to Broadway yielded opportunities to see Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster in The Music Man [below right] in its opening week, Wicked a second time, and Hadestown featuring the last regular performance of Amber Gray as Persephone.

The Music Man was so delightful as Jackman and Foster were having a ball. Wicked was as fantastic as ever, made the more special being at its home the Gershwin Theatre. Hadestown, though, was outstanding and an absolute thrill to behold from start to finish. It was a wonderful experience that made it tough for any film or show to compete with.

Truth be told, the programs that interested me in 2022 were documentaries. I was enamored with learning about how things came to fruition.

Two documentaries that stood out were the series Arcane: Bridging The Rift and the feature Mickey: The Story Of A Mouse. Both offered fascinating insight into the development of their respective subjects.

Arcane: Bridging The Rift provided a comprehensive deep dive into how the groundbreaking series was carefully crafted. Mickey: The Story Of A Mouse was a modest, yet no less intriguing look at the cultural impact the character had for nearly a century. Good documentaries like these were what captured my undivided attention.

One thing that picked up was my attending events. As my recaps could attest to, the San Diego Comic Con and the D23 Expo were amazing, worthwhile experiences that made my year and then some. From world premiere screenings to star-studded surprises, both were quite literally packed to the gills with so much greatness.

Another event that shined brightly was the opening reception of The Owl House Exhibition at Gallery Nucleus [right]. Featuring a fun, insightful panel with the animation crew, admiring the beautiful artwork displayed, and witnessing an exploding fandom in all of its glory, it was a fantastic time to be had that was unlike any other.

Rounding out the year, I could not begin to tell you of the jubilation I felt when Disney produced not one, but two Oswald The Lucky Rabbit shorts. While each one might only have been a minute long, every wonderful second of the long-awaited new animation was lovingly cherished.

The Owl House itself had an outstanding year, airing some of the series’ finest episodes to date ahead of the upcoming finale. The return of Bill Willingham’s Fables was warmly welcomed within a rather unremarkable year for comic books, although Marvel published two great mini-series in the excellent Dark Ages and, my favorite, the ultra-hilarious X-Terminators.

Randall’s Picks

Like the real world, the entertainment industry is feeling the effects of huge change. The worst of the Covid pandemic seems to be behind us, but we are now in the midst of a “tripdemic”: there’s conflict in Europe, and we all know about the crazy inflation at the grocery store and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, movie theaters are focusing on showing what supposed blockbusters they’re being offered, even as the media giants try to navigate a new paradigm in which they largely insist on streaming-focused content.

The streamers, though, are finding the road to the new world a little choppy, as competing services have returned us to the cable mindset of needing to buy whole packages of content (now multiple streaming services) in order to find what we want to watch. And so it goes.

In this confusing and tempestuous new world, the film studios have decided to play it as safe as possible for their corporate masters. This is hardly news at this point, but 2022 was another year of franchises and sequels, sticking with the familiar rather than attempting much new – at least, in theaters. Disney’s only film from their own studio was Strange World, which admittedly was not a sequel, but it was also not very interesting or groundbreaking, aside from some ballyhooed representation. Its poor box office is a reflection on its quality, perhaps, but also the weak promotional push that Disney decided to give it before quickly moving it to streaming. Pixar had the all-new Turning Red [above right], which I enjoyed well enough, though mostly for doing a nice job of showcasing the multiculturalism I see in my native Canada. Their Lightyear, however, spun off from the Toy Story franchise, was a somewhat muddled and unappealing film.

DreamWorks did better with The Bad Guys, which had a pleasantly refreshing animation style, and a good story, but still won’t go down as one of their classics. Interestingly, their late-year release, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish has been much better received than the 2011 original, which I actively disliked. Illumination kept its winning streak of fun but forgettable films alive with its popular Minions: The Rise Of Gru, which smoked the nearest animated competition at this year’s box office, over three to one!

Other big studio films went direct-to-streaming, including adequate sequels like Hotel Transylvania: Transformania and The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, and the underwhelming and appropriately named Disenchanted (blending live-action and animation). Rescue Rangers, at least, managed to stay fun and clever for the franchise’s fans. Apple TV+ began its association with Skydance with Luck, though its questionable premise and lackluster trailer didn’t have me tempted to get the service to see it.

I think that the best place for animation these days is Netflix, which has really sought out bolder and more interesting and diverse projects. Richard Linklater’s Apollo 10½, utilizing his specialized animation-over-live-action style, was a charming and nostalgic look back at 1969, and it was great to see Henry Selick’s latest stop-motion masterpiece, Wendell & Wild find a home there as well.

Speaking of stop-motion animation, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio [above right] was also brilliantly accomplished, in all the ways that Disney+’s Pinocchio lame and misguided remake was not. I don’t think that I have ever really loved a del Toro film, but I was very impressed with the brilliant technique employed in his animated film, with a story that showcased his usual preoccupations with war and death.

I also caught The Sea Beast, which impressed with its visuals and storytelling, and only fell flat in its ending, which failed to adequately explain the motivation of its “villains”. Cartoon Salon, after one attempt at an Apple partnership, is now at Netflix with their latest, My Father’s Dragon, though I still need to watch it. Regardless, for me, Netflix is really the place to be to see the best of this year’s animated films.

Not all franchises interest me, so I likely will not see the new films based on Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Bob’s Burgers, or Beavis And Butthead. Meanwhile, DC may be having its problems in live-action, but they continued their strong showing in the animation arena, with the surprisingly well-received theatrical DC League Of Super-Pets [above], and strong direct-to-video outings for Green Lantern: Beware My Power and Batman And Superman: Battle Of The Super Sons (Catwoman: Hunted being less interesting). Warner Brothers also offered Scooby-Doo and Tom & Jerry more direct-to-video adventures too, and even Tweety got King Tweety, proving that some things remain eternal.

James’ Picks

2022 was a rough but ultimately amazing year for me personally. After years of planning, my wife and I finally made the move from our long time home in Tennessee to Orlando, Florida so we could be closer to the Most Magical Place on Earth!

It took nine months for us to get everything done, and we barely made our goal of having it all finished before the end of the year. But as of the last week of December, we are officially in our new home, living just four miles away from Disney World [above]!

Unfortunately, all that work has meant I’ve been missing in action around Animated Views. 2022 has been my lightest year in terms of output, having posted just two reviews (both the first half of the year) and only 18% of the site’s news items.

I’d like to thank the entire AV team for being so patient in allowing me the time to make this move. But hopefully being this close to major hubs of two giants of animation (Disney and Universal) will afford Animated Views some opportunities we might have missed out on not having someone in the area. (Looking at you, Destination D23 in September!)

In between all the many, many, many chores I’ve had to do to sell one house and buy another, I was able to see a few things this year. But again, 2022 was probably my worst year when it comes to getting through my watchlist. Of the 27 Oscar eligible animated films this year, I saw…five! So I don’t think it would be fair to do my usual personal top three ranking. In the coming months I’m hoping to do some major catching up, so maybe by the time the Academy Awards rolls around I’ll look into doing a belated piece with my best of the year.

Of the five things I did see, my favorite was easily The Bad Guys [above]. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed an animated film that much in theaters…and much, much longer still since that film was from DreamWorks! And the film that surprised me the most was DC League Of Super-Pets. I went in expecting a toy commercial, but found a lot of fun for fans of the DC comics and superhero movies in general.

Again, major thanks to my fellow AV staffers, and also to you our readers too, for all the understanding during these long months of transition in my life. I’m really looking forward to 2023 being much more productive. (And a lot less stressful!)

2023 marks the tenth anniversary of us asking you, our readers, to turn critic and choose your top animated films of the year and, to celebrate, we’ve created an archive of past results you can peruse to see your picks of the past!

So…which movie did you select this year to join those previous winners?

Your top animated film of 2022 was Pixar’s Turning Red, with a score of 58 out of a perfect 100. It appeared on 73% of all ballots, and was the number one selection of 37% of voters.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio took second place with a score of 37/100. 43% of you voted for it in your top three, while 29% chose it at the top.

DreamWorks earned the third and fourth place spots: The Bad Guys scored 23 out of 100, appeared on 32% of all ballots, and was picked as the #1 film by 10% of voters, and Puss In Boots: The Last Wish scored 20/100, while showing up on 42% of all ballots and getting 3% of the first place votes.

Finally, Disney’s Strange World was the fifth place pick with a score of 13/100. 24% of voters put it on their ballot, with 8% of voters putting it at the top.

Well, that’s all, folks! As always, we thank our wonderful and loyal readers for sticking with us for as long as you all have, and look forward to bringing you more content throughout the new year. Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy, and stay tooned!

— Dacey and the entire Animated Views Team.

For most of us, 2021 was thankfully a lot calmer than the collective nightmare that was 2020. But at the same time, we didn’t quite get back to where we all wanted to be. Many of us continued to feel safer at home. Returning to our former way of life felt frustratingly out of reach.

And while the vaccines becoming readily available did a world of good for the general public, we still kept reading stories about the virus spreading, leaving us uncertain as to what was “the right thing” to do. And no one seemed able to agree on what that was!

Ironically, just as the world started to gradually begin reopening its doors, Disney made the announcement that they were shutting the ones of their recently acquired Blue Sky Studios, home of Scrat [above], for good. It was a move that somehow felt both shocking and inevitable, with the logic for the decision presumably revolving around the perceived need for budget cuts in the aftermath of Covid-19. Yet regardless of the reasoning behind it, the news was sad for animation lovers everywhere.

Always something of an underdog despite their frequent success, Blue Sky consistently exceled as far as their visuals went, never delivering a film that looked the same twice, whether it was their flagship Ice Age series, the wildly creative toy box world of Robots, or the spectacularly colorful Horton Hears A Who! What a shame that their (supposedly nearly finished) Nimona isn’t going to see the light of day now. Blue Sky will very much be missed.

For a while, 2021 behaved a lot like its predecessor as far as box office returns were concerned, with movie theaters remaining empty despite studios trying their darndest to fill seats. This must’ve made the victory of Godzilla Vs. Kong [right] a monster-sized sigh of relief for venue owners, with it becoming the first true blockbuster since the initial shutdown.

It turns out that when you take the two biggest cinematic beasts in the world and have them face each other, people are going to want to view the spectacle on the biggest screen they can find (although, let’s face it, the human characters may as well have not even bothered to show up for this outing!).

Equally promising was the pop culture phenomenon that was Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train [below right]. After breaking seemingly every record in Japan (during a global pandemic no less), the action-packed adventure exploded in the US as well, becoming the biggest anime film since 1999’s Pokémon: The First Movie.

Part of a so-called “genre” normally restricted to a niche audience in the states, Demon Slayer has broken out into the mainstream thanks to an accessible storyline — girl turns into demon, boy must fight other demons to change her back into a human — combined with stunning animation and exhilarating fight scenes, and Mugen Train provided its loyal fanbase with plenty of thrills.

But movie theaters, alas, faced problems that extended beyond patrons needing to “mask up” before buying their popcorn, as streaming services became the dominating the force in how people chose to consume their entertainment.

Some films skipped being shown at the multiplex entirely. Others had “theatrical windows” which sometimes only lasted a matter of days (in the case of Disney’s Encanto, it was a month; Illumination’s Sing 2 was just 17 days) before they were available on home platforms.

The Mouse House appeared to be content with allowing their once indestructible Disney Channel to slowly fade away, prematurely cancelling popular shows such as The Owl House in favor of placing a priority on creating “exclusive content” for Disney+.

And Warner Bros. made the controversial decision to have their entire theatrical catalog for the year available on HBO Max the same day of release.

It was perhaps predictable that such actions would result in some lawsuits, most notably a high profile one from Scarlett Johansson over Black Widow [below right], but if there is a “war” going on in the industry right now, then streaming is winning it, for better or for worse.

True, there were still some huge box office hits last year. Spider-Man: No Way Home, against all odds (and some would say common sense), managed to gross $800 million (that’s more than Titanic made, kids!) during a time when public health officials were urging everyone to avoid crowds. At the end of the day, however, if a movie didn’t have “Marvel” above the title, it more likely than not wasn’t going to sell many tickets anyway.

Even F9: The Fast Saga struggled to bring in the kind of profits the mega-franchise has become used to. Is there hope for non-IP productions to find success through projectors in the future? We would like to think so, but only time will tell.

As always, there were more deaths than we could ever do justice to in a single article, with notable ones including Superman: The Movie director Richard Donner, Cloris Leachman, The Little Mermaid voice actor Samuel E. Wright, Christopher Plummer, Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim, Ed Asner, and — as a particularly painful way to end 2021 — universally beloved comedian Betty White, who passed away only weeks before what would’ve been her 100th birthday.

Well, that’s enough seriousness from us. We hope you enjoy our annual look back at the past year (even if it comes just a little later [“Sorry, my fault — Ben“] than we might’ve been hoping!). As always, we tip our hats to you, our readers, for keeping this website going. Animated Views is a labor of love for all involved, and we’re grateful to each and every one of you who normally pay us a visit. And so, we present The Best Of 2021: The More Things Change…

Ben’s Picks

To paraphrase another famous sequel’s tagline, “just when you thought it was safe to go back into the cinema”, 2021 did in fact turn out to be a fairly predictable rerun of 2020, albeit with more vaccinations and hope that the year might have seen an end to the pandemic. But, nutty humans being what they are (I’m glad I’m not one of ’em!) meant that not everyone saw the advantages of getting jabba-dabba-dood, and not all countries imposed it based on so-called “choice”, which of course is a fallacy — we all have to pay taxes, drive with insurance, not kill our neighbors, etc, so why not just follow “the rules” and help your fellow humans? And so it rages on, somewhat diminished thanks to those vaxes, but still a concern for us vulnerable types…

In film, it was just as much of another crazy year out of the cinemas as it was on screen. Could leftover Wonder Woman 1984 be any more of a weirder start to what the next twelve months would bring, also launching an insane year of Warner Bros. movies that opened in our living rooms the same day as the (still mostly closed) theatres?

In the same realm, Zack Snyder’s Justice League [right] was almost perfectly redeemed, except for an awfully out of tone, cheaply tacked on ending. The much lesser of two semi-evils, the “Snyder cut” is a great, big, joyous mess of a movie — but it would be absolutely terrible if it wasn’t!

Now, CGI moustache shenanigans aside, I really didn’t mind the 2017 version. Sure, it was a hodgepodge of competing Snyder and Warner-dictated Whedon visions, but in the afternoon I spent watching it and the overblown emptiness of Hulk vs Thor’s Ragnarok, it was Justice League that I came away liking much more. When you compare it to the new version, it’s actually a pretty good, condensed, more character-friendly version of what Snyder was up to, which was exactly what Warners wanted after (fan!) complaints that Batman Vs Superman had gone too dark and off track…!

The Oscars didn’t fare much better, in a strangely surreal stripped down version in which Promising Young Woman bafflingly won something when it offered nothing we hadn’t seen before in other female revenge thrillers, of which there are many better ones. The Father provided an engrossing, labyrinthine “plot” with an extraordinarily nuanced performance from Anthony Hopkins, while the soft and gentle Nomadland‘s Best Picture win was just lovely. Animated Feature winner The Mitchells Vs The Machines was not always coherent due to being so overwhelming with bombast, noise and a hyperkinetic tone, but undeniably the mix of visual styles was standout: freeze any of this CGI pic’s frames and it looks hand painted, and extraordinary. Elsewhere, Marvel came along again with a trio of feature offerings, none of which I have seen still after being somewhat burned out with Falcon and Loki disappointments (though WandaVision was great), and even James Bond couldn’t escape a virus in the end.

Other venerable franchises notched milestones, too: Lord Of The Rings was twenty, and Dirty Harry, Alex, and his Droogies, turned fifty, while much more fun on the (anti)hero front was THE Suicide Squad, which was just all kinds of big screen bonkers even though most saw it on TV, also where Supergirl‘s final season fizzled out apart from a pitch-perfect last episode, a tone that has largely carried over into the Superman & Lois series, which I have been enjoying.

Less well received was the strangely lackluster In The Heights, and Nobody came from the writer of John Wick, who should sue himself for plagiarism. Bigger and more bombast came from the (second!) almighty showdown between Godzilla Vs Kong, which was insane enough to be enjoyable, as were the Disney and Pixar offerings of the year (the superlative Raya, lovely Luca, the interminable Encanto), even if nothing was really outstanding outstanding, perhaps after being spolied for too long where there are no real surprises anymore. That said, both Cruella (campy, fun) and Last Night In Soho (a terrific ghost story) proved what’s old is new again, being a pair of wildly engrossing throwbacks, while Peter Jackson’s extraordinary The Beatles: Get Back [above] was a genuine trip back to the 60s!

In fact, it was down to good old physical video discs to once more give other old-fashioned old favorites the chance to sparkle again, with Criterion finally going 4K on home video and offering up a superlative collection of supplements for their Citizen Kane, and the sad deaths of such personal favorites as Richard Donner, Cloris Leachman, Christopher Plummer and, especially, Stephen Sondheim took us back to rewatch their greatest works…as well as the new, sadly redundant version of West Side Story.

Which brings us to the end of the year, when wacky Warners brought us a bizarre new Matrix that felt more dated than the twenty-two year old original. Thankfully, Spider-Man: No Way Home was on call to save the day, with a film that just provided a massively thick wad of perfectly formed Hollywood escapism and entertainment.

No, it doesn’t make a stick of sense, and gets just as tangled up in its own web of time and space meddling as, honestly, the end of my favorite film of all time, Superman: The Movie (thanks, Donner!), but to do that just as effortlessly and nostalgically, by way of the actually-not-worst-kept secret casting in history [above], was some feat, and it even somewhat redeemed the not-so Amazing Spidey flicks, and finally got me to see what everyone else has seen in Tom Holland’s take on the character, too.

I look forward to seeing what other surprises opening up the multiverse of madness brings us soon, to sharing our thoughts on such matters, and hopefully a more solid return to “normal” in the coming months. Take care out there!

Dacey’s Picks

2021 was a strange year for me. While it was unquestionably “better” than 2020, I went through a lot of physical health issues (including two hospitalizations), and much to my sorrow didn’t make a return to my “home away from home” — the cinema. That said, I did take some personal steps forward which I am proud of myself for, and for the most part, the media I did find time for I largely ended up enjoying.

Sometimes, a show comes along that just feels “special” for want of a better word, and in the case of The Owl House [right], that has certainly been an appropriate description.

Unlike anything the Mouse House has ever made before, the first half of its second season was exciting to experience, with a borderline dark sense of humor and some terrific action scenes.

But what makes it revolutionary are its themes. With teenage lovebirds Luz and Amity, audiences both young and old have been able to see themselves in two characters as deserving of a happy ending as any other Disney couple. We often hear about how representation matters, and that’s of course true. When it’s handled with the compassionate hands of creator Dana Terrace, it can also be profoundly beautiful.

I’m ashamed to say I’m very behind on my animated movies right now. I still have yet to watch The Mitchells Vs. The Machines (which I own a hard copy of!) or even Encanto (meaning I’m the only person left on earth not aware of why no one talks about Bruno).

However, I was impressed by Raya And The Last Dragon, which continued Disney’s winning streak for feature films with great animation and a pacifist message worthy of Studio Ghibli.

True, I could’ve done without some of Raya’s “modern” dialogue (and Kelly Marie Tran may have been miscast), but darn me if I wasn’t crying buckets during the emotionally satisfying ending. And Sisu the dragon is a hoot!

Also falling into the “wholesome” category was Street Gang: How We Got To Sesame Street [right], a must-watch for anyone who has ever adored the wonder of Jim Henson or grew up with Big Bird and Cookie Monster in their lives.

By far the most extensive Sesame Street documentary ever produced, this is a journey through the early years of a children’s television landmark, featuring rare behind-the-scenes footage that should leave longtime fans in awe. Never has Mr. Hooper’s death hit harder, nor has “Letter B” ever felt more haunting and funny than they do in the context they’re given here.

In a way, it’s a shame that Brian Henson sounds so bitter over his father’s legacy when interviewed, as the history of “the street” hasn’t always been sunny days. Still, this is largely a celebration which reaches an almost ethereal level, and audiences who seek it out will find it deeply rewarding.

As has become the norm, Marvel seemed to dominate every aspect of pop culture once again, but that doesn’t shortchange the accomplishments of DC Films.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League might’ve been my favorite movie of the year (despite technically being from 2017), as it did the impossible and surpassed the hype surrounding it. With massive battles and enough drama to pack a powerful punch, it’s a superhero epic for the ages, and a full vindication for the vision of its director.

On the more comedic side of things, The Suicide Squad was another brilliant comic book extravaganza from James Gunn, firing on all cylinders as a bonkers, violent, hilarious, and surreally poignant thrill ride. Margot Robbie remains perfect as Harley Quinn, but the entire cast is fantastic, and it makes me even more pumped to find out what Gunn does with The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special later this year.

Also providing quirky entertainment for grown-ups was Helluva Boss [above, right]. What started as a brutally zany crossover of Looney Tunes and The Office has evolved into so much more, and as an independently produced YouTube cartoon, it’s truly on the top of its game.

The production values rival those of similar shows that air on cable television, the elaborate musical numbers are always a delight, and the demonic assassin heroes have all become quite lovable. The future looks bright for this unusual little gem, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

As far as live-action is concerned, Dune: Part One was every bit as awesome as everyone said it was, and sets the stage for what’s to come in a big way. Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley was an absolutely mesmerizing love letter to noir cinema, while still feeling fresh and original in its own right. Belfast was Kenneth Branagh’s best work in years, a bittersweet, semi-autobiographical tale which features many loving tributes to classic films. And Malignant deserves a shout-out for being the most insane horror movie I’ve seen in a long time, sending jaws everywhere to the floor with a plot twist no one saw coming.

Off the screen, I was very happy about the release of Bluey: The Album. The show has a sophisticated musical score which is unique for each episode, and it’s wonderful to see it getting the respect it deserves.

Frozen II: The Manga [right] was an unexpected but very welcome adaptation of a wonderful film, filled with breathtaking illustrations that should please all fans of Elsa and Anna. I did, in spite of how much I liked, witness a true dud in 2021 in the form of Santa Inc., which might be one of the worst shows I’ve sat through…ever. Painfully unfunny, infuriatingly self-righteous, and misguided on almost every conceivable level, I was far too generous with the “2 out of 10” score I gave it in my review!

Dan’s Picks

In all honesty, 2021 came off as a curiously lazy period with regards to my media intake. I only went out when I felt it was worth the effort, as with many, when select events started to open back up, as cautiously as they were willing. But I otherwise stayed home. The interesting part was that I spent more time playing video games and watching reaction videos than anything else, so I ended up missing out on a bunch of media I probably should have watched at some point and still need to, most notably The Mitchells Vs. The Machines and Centaurworld. Yet I feel rather content with what I was able to see and experience.

Arcane [right] absolutely topped 2021 for me. No one could have imagined that an animated series adapted from the video game League Of Legends would turn out to be arguably one of the best shows created. Yet Riot Games, Fortiche Production and Netflix managed to deliver an outstanding program that was as majestic as it was heartbreaking.

Featuring a wonderful narrative that was carefully crafted and emotionally tear-jerking, awe-inspiring animation that beautifully mixed computer generated imagery with hand-drawn illustrations, and a fascinating ensemble of characters voiced by a delightful cast of performers, Arcane succeeded beyond expectations and is a true game-changer. Nothing else this year came close to being in the same league with this legendary masterpiece.

On the theatrical end, I was quite enamored with Raya And The Last Dragon [below]. The fantasy epic utilized the influence of Southeast Asian cultures and lore to create a lush and beautiful world in Kumandra that was breathtaking to watch come alive. It further showcased Disney’s apparent interest over the last couple of decades to diversify their animation library with unique styles, stories, and characters while managing to maintain the studio’s magic touch to stand out.

For me, the film’s charm was in the dynamic between Raya and Sisu, playing off one another’s personalities in wonderful ways that are heightened by the lovely voice acting from Kelly Marie Tran and Awkwafina respectively. It really was an enjoyable feature and one that hooked me in from start to finish.

After taking 2020 off, the Marvel Cinematic Universe roared back to life in grand fashion and showed little signs of having slowed down their momentum of producing good, entertaining programs as they kicked off Phase Four in 2021.

The big stand-out for me among the films was Spider-Man: No Way Home. Unabashedly my favorite feature of the year, No Way Home was a glorious love letter to Spider-Man fans with an emotional journey that superseded the hype and delivered a triumphant hallmark for Marvel. I also really enjoyed Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, showcasing the studio’s continued interest in diversifying their films in taking one of their lesser known heroes and developing a beautiful, touching martial arts adventure.

Critical Role, the weekly Dungeons & Dragons broadcast played by animation voice actors, had quite the eventful 2021. The second campaign closed out with a thrilling finale on the scale of the Final Fantasy video games. There was a mini-campaign in Exandria Unlimited ran by guest dungeon master Aabria Iyengar and featured new players in Aimee Carrero (She-Ra And The Princess of Power), Robbie Daymond (Sailor Moon), and Anjali Bhimani (Overwatch). And a third campaign was started with Daymond staying on for a while as new and returning characters began their journey in the most chaotic way possible. In addition, more comic books were released and a novel published. All the while getting ready to release the highly anticipated animated series The Legend Of Vox Machina in 2022.

With the launch of the PlayStation 5 the previous year, 2021 provided players like myself an appetizer of what the next generation of video games could offer.

And there were indeed a few delicious titles that took advantage. Psychonauts 2 proved to be worth the sixteen year wait, following up on the cult favorite original with dazzling visuals and animation along with an insightful narrative. Ember Lab introduced themselves to the medium with their beautiful debut title Kena: Bridge Of Spirits [right], presenting their love for classic gaming with some of the most gorgeous animation to date. And Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart triumphantly showcased the power of the PlayStation 5 while also displaying feature film quality animation as well as fun, exciting gameplay to be relished.

Rounding out 2021 for me are some honorable mentions. Vivienne Medrano and her team at SpindleHorse Toons continued to produce quality animation as they resumed through the excellent first season of Helluva Boss. Dana Terrace and Disney enchanted with an amazing first half to the second season of The Owl House. Fan gathering events slowly re-emerged as the San Diego Comic Con held a heavily scaled down, yet no less enjoyable special edition. Los Angeles Comic Con was boldly exciting, albeit rather chaotic in having their show packed with eager attendees. But the fun surprise for me was the discovery of Secret Cinema, running an interactive participatory Arcane event in Los Angeles to coincide with the release of the animated series that was fantastic and a blast to engage in.

Randall’s Picks

Like many others, my entertainment was relegated to my home theater in 2021, only to be exposed to a lot of mediocre content that largely recycled more than innovated. Still, there was much that entertained me on streaming and Blu-ray. Perhaps my favorite major animated release of the year was Pixar’s Luca [right], which presented itself as a minor film overly inspired thematically by Finding Nemo and The Little Mermaid, but managed to become its own charming tale of friendship, set in a lovely Italian town. It didn’t seem to receive the same accolades as 2020’s ambitious, plot-challenged Soul; but I consider Luca to be the better film, despite its less lofty intentions. Sony’s The Mitchells Vs. The Machines was a winner, too, utilizing cutting-edge graphics and a superb visual style. Meanwhile, films such as Disney’s Raya And The Last Dragon, and Encanto largely stuck to gorgeous but by now familiar visuals. And, while it’s great to see more diversity in casting and locales in the Disney films, the tales and themes tend to be somewhat timeworn.

Away from the Disney empire, another sameness pervades other American features, with their tales of perky loser heroes and buddy comedies, largely presented in similar styles. It doesn’t help that most films seem to be sequels these days: Addams Family, Boss Baby, and Sing all got them. Spirit got a new film, too, but its kiddie TV show reinvention hardly qualifies as a true sequel to the underappreciated 2002 hand-drawn feature. DreamWorks disappoints me the most, as it really did begin as a fresh voice in animation, before succumbing to the economic needs of the marketplace long ago. Unfortunately, I did not get around to seeing any new Euro or Asian animation this year. I need to rectify that, as that’s where the real action seems to be.

As for films intended for home video [right], Batman: Soul Of The Dragon took an interesting, grounded kung fu film delightfully set in the funky 1970s, and then nearly ruined it by awkwardly plugging Batman into the story. The Justice Society: World War II movie was a disappointment, relying on a modern-day Flash tie-in and telling only a part of a story.

Elsewhere in the world of home video, I was glad that Cartoon Saloon’s Wolfwalkers became available at the end of the year, but in both the UK and North America consumers have been forced to buy it as part of an Irish Folklore Trilogy set even though most fans would already have the first two films in their collections. This can likely be blamed on demands from the streaming service Apple+, who have a financial interest in Wolfwalkers. Similarly, Paramount forced a movie collection on us by putting out a set of all the hand-drawn Peanuts films, with two having been previously available on Blu-ray, and the last two exclusive to the set.

But the boneheaded home video move of the year goes to Disney, who finally put their remaining two animated classics – Make Mine Music and Melody Time – onto Blu-ray, but only exclusive to the North America-based Disney Movie Club. Worse, they used lesser audio for the Blu-rays of these musical fantasias, and even worse yet they retained the deletion of the first sequence in Make Mine Music (originally omitted on the early 2000s DVD release), to the immense disappointment of Disney fans everywhere. Those that want to see The Martins And The Coys on home video have the option of a Japanese laserdisc or a UK DVD, but not the new Blu-ray.

On the positive side for home video, Warner Archive put out a few Saturday morning shows on sparkling Blu-rays, including fan favorites The Herculoids and Thundarr The Barbarian, plus a welcomed third volume of Tex Avery Screwball Classics. (Thank goodness they brought George Feltenstein back in time to get that one mostly right, after a less-than-stellar second volume, the preparation of which was also affected by pandemic issues.)

Universal surprised us by putting out a Woody Woodpecker Blu-ray disc, though a larger set of Lantz cartoons in HD would have been welcomed. Kino Lorber also put out some old-school animation, with Jetsons: The Movie and Rankin-Bass’ The Daydreamer, not to mention the less family-friendly Fritz The Cat films. And Thunderbean got some releases out [above], with More Stop Motion Marvels, and a dazzling Blu-ray upgrade of Rainbow Parades.

Moving slightly away from animation, I appreciated the good stab at old-school Muppets in Muppets Haunted Mansion, and loved the deluxe Blu-ray sets for Gerry Anderson’s Supermarionation shows Supercar and Fireball XL5 that came out in the UK. From the publishing world [below right], one surprisingly good read this year came from the always reliable TwoMorrows. Issue 129 of Back Issue was a wonderful look back at Bronze Age comic book adaptations of classic cartoon television properties; with articles on such characters as Rocky and Bullwinkle, Mighty Mouse, Underdog, and all of Hanna-Barbera, it was a great read from start to finish. Fantagraphics also continues to impress with their classic Disney comic reprints, such as Paul Murray’s Mickey Mouse and Carl Barks’ Uncle Scrooge.

As for live action superheroes, I loved seeing the long-awaited and very hyped Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which was not perfect in its operatic indulgences, but was far more satisfying overall than the abbreviated Whedon version. Marvel’s Black Widow and Shang-Chi were solid if unremarkable, but at least they veered a little bit from the standard formula by giving us a (slightly) more grounded action film and a mystical martial arts spectacular. (I have not seen Eternals yet, but I look forward to trying something different, even though I understand that reviews were mixed.) Disney+’s Marvel shows started off with the undeniably clever and wonderful WandaVision. The following Falcon And The Winter Soldier was quite enjoyable (even if the aims of the antagonist group were never entirely clear), Loki was a mess despite its terrific cast (did even the writers understand the premise?), What If? was a grand experiment in speculative fiction, and Hawkeye was terrific comic book-y fun. The year ended with a bang for superheroes with Spider-Man: No Way Home. I admit I had fun with it, but I was actually disappointed with the convoluted plot, muddled messaging, and messy ending. Into The Spider-Verse did it better.

James’ Picks

After a rough 2020, the past year brought a few rays of hope but not a complete return to normal. I’m sure that meant something different for each of us in our own lives, but for the entertainment industry that meant some movies finally returning to theatres, while many others held out on the small screen for another year. Again, whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is probably different for each of us as well!

Hopefully in 2022, we can put most of the dystopia behind us. But until then, dystopia was the theme of some of the best animated films released in 2021. The year’s slate as a whole wasn’t the strongest, but featured a lot of solidly made entries that were entertaining enough and made choosing a top three list somewhat difficult.

Ron’s Gone Wrong [right]is one of those rare movies that has a message for those who want to receive it, but isn’t pushy about it if you just want to enjoy the show.

The writers did such a wonderful job of almost surreptitiously demonstrating to the main character and the audience that friendship is not a one way street. And social media, which only shows part of our lives and doesn’t involve any real interactions with those commenting and liking, is literally a digital version of a one-way street — making building a true friendship difficult. Kids experiencing relationships through their phones isn’t necessarily a bad thing. During the pandemic and lockdowns it was a life line.

But Ron’s Gone Wrong reminds us that may have forgotten (or maybe teaches those too young to have realized) that it’s the people on the other ends of these devices that we should be forming bonds with, not the devices themselves.

The Mitchells Vs. the Machines [right] is yet another film featuring a techno-pocalypse. Unlike Ron’s Gone Wrong where social media gets in the way of people forming relationships, here it’s the characters themselves putting up barriers.

The story centers around a father and daughter who just can’t understand why the other doesn’t understand them — even though they are both more alike than they seem to think.

What really gives the movie its emotional heft is something that a lot of stories aimed at kids ignore: the parents’ perspective. Parents get short shrift in a lot of animated films. (Assuming they’re even alive! Looking at you here, Disney!) But in The Mitchells Vs. the Machines, not only does the father learn to see and appreciate things from his daughter’s point of view, she is encouraged to take a step back from the hustle and bustle and other distractions of a teenager’s life to really see and comprehend what he has sacrificed for her. That’s a plot point grown-ups watching with their kids will appreciate… even if some may find some of the social-media-style-asides a little weird.

Several films were worthy of my number three spot so, as I have often done in the past, I’m awarding it to the one I didn’t expect to be here.

Vivo [right] is one of those types of films from studios not named Disney, Pixar, or DreamWorks, that always worry me, especially when they feature singing/rapping animals! But, like a lot of recent Sony animated films, this one was a pleasant surprise. What really drew me in was a choice made early in the film that let me know the filmmakers were willing to take some risks in the direction the story would go. The plot has the too often used cartoon road trip as its foundation, but doesn’t fall into the episodic trap. The journey is interesting enough, has some fun characters along the way, and isn’t too predictable. The film has a fairly solid emotional core that by the end will have you actually caring about what happens to the characters. I’m not the biggest fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music, but thankfully the ratio of “works” to “doesn’t work” is more on the plus side than usual. Vivo may not be an Oscar contender, but it is entertaining and obviously made with care.

While I didn’t get to see it yet, I’d like to take special note of the movie Flee which made history this year as the first film to be nominated for three of the four best feature Oscars: Animated Film, Documentary Film, and International Film. It didn’t win, but it was a very impressive achievement nevertheless.

While I’m not excited by too much on the 2022 calendar, hopefully, much like the year itself so far, things will start looking better!

Now it’s time to find out what you said in our Readers’ Choice Poll and, for just the first time in the ten years we’ve been asking Animated Views readers to rank the best animated movies of the year, we have a tie at the top!

The Mitchells Vs. the Machines and Luca both recieved a score of 37 out of a perfect 100. To break the tie, we go to first place votes, where The Mitchells was the clear winner, with 30% of voters choosing it as their top pick — twice the votes as the next top vote-getter. The film appeared on 44% of all ballots. Luca picked up only 14% of the first place votes but appeared on more ballots, at 58%.

Third place went to Encanto, who just missed out on making it a three-way tie with a score of 36/100. It picked up 15% of the first place votes and was on 58% of all ballots. Raya And The Last Dragon came in fourth with a score of 27/100. It earned 15% of the first place votes and appeared on 36% of all ballots. And Ron’s Gone Wrong took the fifth spot with a score of 9/100, getting 3% of the first place votes and appearing on 15% of the ballots.

Well, as a certain cartoon pig says, “That’s all, folks!” We hope that you have a wonderful (and safe!) rest of 2022, and we’ll see you again next year — hopefully a little earlier this time — for our recap on what the next few months hold. In the meantime, please make sure you get those shots (and boosters!) as needed going forward. That’s how we truly go back to normal…someday!

Stay tooned!

— Dacey and the entire Animated Views Team.

What started out as a seemingly normal and even mundane year quickly escalated into a global crisis the likes of which modern society had never witnessed. All of a sudden, everything about our lives changed. In addition to the devastation caused by the pandemic, social unrest dominated the headlines, and the political landscape felt more split apart than ever before.

Through it all, there were some bright spots, the least of which being the communal sense of everyone experiencing something together (even if it was socially distanced). We all got better at Skype and Teams (or used them for the very first time), and found out a new meaning for the word Zoom. We did our best to keep in touch with loved ones, and may have even given that old-fashioned action of sending a letter via snail mail a try!

With the Oscars now having closed awards season (a little later than usual), it’s time once again for our site’s annual look back at the year that was (also a little later than usual), with our staff favorites from what the world of entertainment had (or was able) to offer, including Pixar’s Onward [above], along with your picks for what you chose as the best animated movies of 2020 from our Reader’s Choice poll!

This year, modern entertainment naturally found itself unable to catch up with everyone’s moods. A notable (if not accidental) exception was Rick & Morty [right], which perhaps more so than any other television series, became a demented sort of comfort food, speaking to the exhausted state of the world with its outrageous yet often depressing brand of comedy, allowing us a moment to laugh at our own collective misery.

South Park showed up — however briefly — to provide some levity on an extremely topical level. And the Animanaics [below right] made a triumphant return to screens, remaining as hilarious as ever, but slightly more cynical, as even they couldn’t help but feel at least somewhat fatigued by the recent events around the globe (even singing an entire song about it).

Of course, one industry that got hit harder than most was movie theatre presentation, with cinemas forced to shut their doors a year ago and being left unable to fully recover since then. Already struggling to get butts into seats, the inability to maintain any level of steady income could represent an alarming and potentially near-fatal blow — and things are still looking pretty dire!

With auditoriums not being an option, Hollywood turned to their ever-growing secret weapon — streaming services — to release their big budget would-be blockbusters, not making matters any easier for theater owners.

Initially, Universal’s decision to have Trolls: World Tour skip theaters entirely (apart from some drive-ins) may have seemed harmless enough (and arguably even justifiable), but it proved to be the opening of Pandora’s Box as other studios were quick to follow the lead, with Mulan and even Pixar’s Soul never being shown on a big screen in the States. Indeed, Disney made it very apparent that Disney+ is currently their most prized golden goose, with The Mandalorian continuing to earn (almost) universal praise from fans and critics alike. For better or for worse, this seems to be happening at the expense of its once unstoppable cable channels, which cancelled their successful DuckTales reboot unexpectedly as streaming becomes the Mouse House’s new priority.

Streaming wasn’t the only way the landscape was changing, however. In an attempt to be more mindful of racial injustice, the animation industry recast the voice actors of characters on several cartoons, including long-running hits like The Simpsons and Family Guy [below].

Rather ironically, these choices were all made based on skin color, and however good the intentions behind them may be, it does seem like a solution to something which isn’t actually the problem.

As always, there were too many passings to ever give the proper amount of respect in a single article.

Among the notables were Sir Sean Connery (who many probably don’t know lent his voice to the pioneering 1996 special effects film Dragonheart), beloved Jepoardy host Alex Trebek, Shrek 2 co-director Kelly Asbury, Chadwick Boseman, Kobe Bryant, and Scooby-Doo! creators Ken Spears and Joe Ruby — both departing within mere months of each other.

With all of that out of the way, we once again thank you — our readers — for sticking with us through good times and bad. Though we inevitably had fewer movie reviews last year (due to a lack of, well, new movies!), we’ve strived to continue to provide you with the same quality content that our site has become known for. And now, without any further delay, please enjoy what we can only tenuously call The “Best” Of 2020: The Year The Earth Stood Still!

Ben’s Picks

2020 already started on something of a cautionary note for us, with my wife working for a local council and word in January that a Chinese delegates trip may have to be postponed because of an initial outbreak that, back then, didn’t seem to be anything to be too concerned about. Once the thing had passed through more of Asia and hit Italy the next month, I remember saying, “here we go”, having been too well versed in my Twelve Monkeys and Planet Of The Apes lore and seeing how those films depicted the spread of “viruses through air power“! By the end of February we were calling a halt to our twice-weekly movie nights and by the end of March we were all going into lockdowns the world over.

The first lockdown was “fun”, the feeling that “we’re all in this together” creating a bond between the sensible people that got what was at stake, or at least could see where this was going and did their bit to protect themselves and, by extension, everyone else. It astounded me what a bunch of selfish and stupid creatures human beings have turned out to be, especially in the higher echelons of power, although there are some bright spots out there (like the smarter minds that made the vaccines!) that give a little hope for the future of our species. I’ll leave it to James to expand on these more positive aspects toward the end of this article: my job here is seemingly to provide the dystopian opening!

My own industry, the business of show, took the toughest hit, with cinemas and live theatres closing and production of all kinds first coming to a halt (wiping out, for me, my entire year’s earnings), before complicated ways and means provided a path, if not always viable or practically productive, of continuation for those who were not particularly vulnerable, although I was also not so lucky there, given those pesky “underlying health conditions” we heard so much about. What the film studios did have, in abundance, was classic library titles, and it was fun to see the likes of Jaws, The Empire Strikes Back and Jurassic Park return to the limited big screens and drive-ins that were open and hit the number one spots again years after their initial successes!

Catalog played a huge part at home, too, with studios rediscovering home video and, Paramount especially, putting out lovely new editions of titles that had never been given Blu-ray releases, including The Court Jester and The Greatest Show On Earth. Of course, streaming was the big breakout, with Disney+ launching just at the right moment, as it turned out, and while the shift to smaller screens was a death blow for movie theatres, it was a boon for home audiences, with Artemis Fowl [above] leading the way as the first of many to premiere (and not “premier” as the premium bolt-on later had it) in this way, and even if it did end up being a fairly inauspicious debut (more Foul than Fowl?) it was also something of a career achievement to finally get my name on a Disney picture.

In a year where we were trapped in our own homes, movies allowed us to escape and go anywhere, and other anticipated titles soon made their inevitable online debuts. Many of them fell flat for me, including Blunder Woman 1984, a film so camp and all over the place that it still kind of has to be seen to be believed and didn’t even live up to being as good as something that was made in 1984! Bill And Ted Face The Music was likewise looked forward to, but ended up coming and going, and on the even lower end of the scale, the disappointingly bmud Tenet proved to have been a saved cinema trip. The One And Only Ivan was a film I absolutely detested for being one big fluffed up lie, though Mulan provided a serviceable but ultimately uninspired live-action update.

On the flipside, we greatly enjoyed the latest The Call Of The Wild, and a total surprise was Bob Zemeckis’ The Witches [right], which was delightfully fun. I was also able to catch a good number of this year’s Oscar hopefuls thanks to various streamers, and probably agree that Nomadland was the only “winner” in a quite subdued group. Mank was everything but about the writing of Citizen Kane, and The News Of The World and The Midnight Sky were well crafted but never gripping, although Netflix proved itself again in the series arena with the superlative The Queen’s Gambit. Top of the heap, of course, was Pixar’s sublime Soul, that I was so pleased to see accepted by a wider audience than it might have been, and Onward, which I didn’t love quite so much as many but was still leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.

In the absence of great new films, we resorted to looking back on titles from our collection — although none from Thunderbean Animation, for whom 2020 marked yet another annual date missed for an order from a few years back (c’mon Steve)! It was weird not to have our usual audience with us, so I pressed a few furry friends [top right] into action as our viewing mates. It’s quite odd to look left to share a joke with the Pink Panther and Feathers McGraw, but also quite comforting in a strange way! We can’t wait to kick the furries off (although not our big pup who hogs the sofa!) and have real people back to watch classics old and new as we finally make our way through 2021: The Sequel — don’t worry, this one has a happier ending! — and start to get back to the way we were…!

Dacey’s Picks

In too many ways, 2020 was defined by a sense of anxiety and sorrow. Finding solace of any kind could be difficult, but it arrived in the unexpected form of the second season of Bluey [right], an Australian toon about a family of talking dogs which might be something of a modern pop culture treasure.

Though aimed at children, it is perhaps even more rewarding for adults, giving us something rarely seen in animation: a show about parenting. Bluey is amazingly funny, deeply empathetic, and allows a surprising amount of tears. Combine that with fluid animation and a ridiculously sophisticated soundtrack, and you have a series which is downright euphoric. Well done, Australia!

Just as heartfelt — and possibly at risk of getting overshadowed by the other Pixar title of the year — was Onward, which might be the studio’s most personal film to date. Elegantly combining the escapism of the fantasy genre with the all-too-real inevitably of mortality, it’s a simply beautiful story of grief and finding seemingly ungraspable closure, balancing its heavier themes perfectly with plenty of excitement and humor. Surpassing virtually all expectations for it, Onward is one of Pixar’s best, and I hate myself for missing out on being able to experience it in theatres.

There were some films I was fortunate enough to watch at the multiplex before everything got shut down, including the absolutely delightful (if not very family-friendly) Birds of Prey [right], a thoroughly entertaining and darkly comedic outing for Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn that manages to feel unique amidst an onslaught of other releases from the comic book genre (even if Harley’s iconic cosplay-friendly Suicide Squad outfit is kind of missed here).

Essentially a live-action Saturday morning cartoon for adults, the movie is positively bursting with energy, allowing for its entire cast to shine, including a scenery-chewing Ewan McGregor as the big bad.

On the small screen, Disney’s excellent Elena Of Avalor came to a close with a mostly satisfying series finale (even if its final season was arguably a tad too ambitious for its own good). Also ending was Nick’s Rise Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. An “acquired taste” thanks to its oddball visuals and rapid-fire offbeat jokes, it might actually be a criminally underrated show, with some of the most energetic animation on television today. What a shame its conclusion felt a tad rushed (one gets the impression Nick pulled the plug on it early), but it still got wrap things up with a ton of adrenaline-fueled action and some emotionally rich moments.

Falling into the “pleasant surprise” category was Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! [right], a truly charming straight-to-DVD caper that takes everything fans love about the franchise and makes it work for a current audience (plus, the gang gets to team up with Batman’s Scarecrow. How cool is that?!?!).

On the much more mature end of the tube, HBO’s Perry Mason reboot proved to suit the morbid mood of 2020 quite well, with moodily cinematic production values, a terrific cast (including the always great John Lithgow), and a bleak storyline which manages to somehow find the faintest traces of hope in spite of all of its darkness.

There were, as is almost always the case, some disappointments to the year (well, apart from the ones everyone was already going through). I actually didn’t think the mega-budget Dolittle was that bad, though I suppose I can credit that to Robert Downey Jr. making everything he’s in better by default. But even if Iron Man himself wasn’t around for the ride, it would still be leaps and bounds better than the horror fairy tale Gretel And Hansel, in which the biggest fright is how dull it is, and while I appear to be in a minority with the opinion, I found the remake-in-name-only of The Invisible Man to be unpleasant, dumb, and even mean-spirited.

Dan’s Picks

There is no question that 2020 will go down as one of the roughest years in human history. What the pandemic showed me was that we were not the enlightened species we often try to make ourselves out to be in entertainment media. For me personally, things surprisingly weren’t all that bad. I managed to keep working, only ever doing so remotely for just a week or so, and I got around to remodeling my room that had been years in the planning. Still, the pandemic did postpone a lot of things I would normally go out to experience, such as Comic Con and visits to Gallery Nucleus. And yet the fantasy realm would offer some neat content that managed to keep me enthralled against real world troubles.

At the top of my list for 2020 was Vivienne Medrano. Following up on the success of the Hazbin Hotel pilot in 2019, which got picked up by A24 in 2020 to be developed into a full series, Medrano and her team at SpindleHorse Toons have continued to independently produce high quality animation funded primarily through the crowd-funding service Patreon. These fantastic programs include starting a full season of sister series Helluva Boss [above], the Bad Luck Jack short film to Medrano’s old web comic ZooPhobia, and music videos for Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss. Medrano was a shining beacon through the darkness of 2020 and I believe she will shine brighter for years to come.

At the very beginning of 2020, Disney Channel started airing a show called The Owl House [right]. Creator Dana Terrace developed an absolutely fun series that managed, in short order, to build in acclaim and popularity along the lines of Gravity Falls. What started as a nice, interesting premise transformed into a thrilling narrative as the series progressed, set in a bizarre and beautiful world that spun the fantasy genre in fascinating directions, and would be populated with a delightfully diverse cast of great characters that broke from conventions in unique ways. The Owl House was one of the finest shows to emerge in 2020 and I have confidence the series will continue to be amazing in the future.

I am hoping that Onward ultimately does not get lost in the shuffle, because it was too wonderful of a film to not be a stand-out of 2020 for me. I managed to catch it in theaters just before the lockdowns kicked into gear and it was a delightful adventure to behold on the big screen. Onward was bolstered by a really good story, some stylishly beautiful animation that brought to life a fascinating and fully fleshed out world, and a solid cast headlined by the incredible performances of Tom Holland and Chris Pratt. Director Dan Scanlon made a film that should be better appreciated than being regarded as a box office disappointment for simply being released during the pandemic.

Critical Role also took a hit as a result of the pandemic. The live stream of animation voice actors playing Dungeons & Dragons celebrated their fifth anniversary of broadcasting when they had to pause briefly to figure how to proceed under social distancing conditions. Furthermore, the release of The Legend Of Vox Machina animated series had be to moved out from the scheduled 2020 release. Yet they managed to adapt and continue their exciting sessions while also releasing an official Dungeons & Dragons campaign sourcebook, launching a charity foundation, and developing new internet shows, including an animated program that recaps their current campaign adventures to date.

With many turning to video games as a means of getting through stay-at-home orders, it seemed like a convenient time for the ninth generation of consoles to launch. And Sony’s release of the PlayStation 5 [above] proved to be a wildly successful one. Featuring a great launch line-up that included Astro’s Playroom, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and Demon’s Souls, the leap to the next generation of gaming had arrived and was on full display. Visually the games looked absolutely stunning, with improved graphical output that edged closer and closer to the level of high end animated features. I’m hyped for the fun and exciting games that are coming soon to the PlayStation 5!

Rand’s Picks

It was challenging to prepare this article, as I think we all struggled with putting “best” and “2020” into the same sentence. That past year was a rough one. For me, personally, I have to admit that it wasn’t so bad, overall, compared to what many others had to endure; but certainly we have all had to deal with a lot of changes, and made sacrifices of one sort or another during the pandemic.

So, what, in the world of entertainment in general and animation in particular, was I still able to enjoy? Goodness knows we all needed something to distract us in 2020. As theaters sadly closed down, streaming took on even greater importance, and I enjoyed time spent with Disney+, whether watching the shows and movies that I don’t already have on disc, or premieres of new shows and films. The Mandalorian [above right] proved to be, if not exactly groundbreaking, at least a somewhat comforting return to the Star Wars universe, more in keeping with Dave Filoni’s superb animated programs than the ill-prepared sequel films.

Disney’s Mulan was yet another uncomfortable (but slickly made and somewhat entertaining) hybrid of animated film remake and live action muddle. Of Pixar’s two films this year, I heavily favored Soul, finding its deconstruction of the “chase your dreams at all costs” myth to be a bit genius, even if the plot has holes galore.

The fabulous Criterion Channel got plenty of views from me, including their collection of Bill Plympton cartoon films. I got less use out of Netflix, generally, but had strong appreciation for its ongoing production of animated films such as Over The Moon and The Willoughbys. The conclusion to its beautifully done Godzilla anime was disappointing, but the ride getting there certainly made for interesting sci-fi.

On the non-animation side, I think my favorite home video release was the gigantic and glorious Gamera box set from Arrow, which I was lucky to have preordered and paid for before putting my collecting on a pandemic hold. The huge slipcase [above right], which was a quick sell-out, held tons of fun films, plus all the bonus features, English dubs, and swag that Criterion couldn’t get Toho to approve for their Godzilla set. Both Arrow and StudioCanal also put out terrific and much-deserved collector’s sets for the 1980 classic version of Flash Gordon.

The best Blu-ray release for me was naturally The Puppetoon Movie Volume 2, a disc that I looked forward to so much that I volunteered to help out behind the scenes, including writing the press release. And the disc came out gorgeous, too, featuring many excellent restored shorts of George Pal’s wonder and magic. Close to that would be the much-awaited first two volumes of Tex Avery shorts from Warners and, on the independent side, it was good to see Steve Stanchfield polish off a number of long-awaited projects from his Thunderbean Animation label.

James’ Picks

2020 bad…blah, blah, blah! You lived through it! You already know! You’re visiting a site like this to get away from the the doldrums of real life and focus something that brings you some modicum of happiness for a while. So without further ado, let’s jump in to some of the best animation 2020 had to offer on the big…and small screens.

Soul [right] is a film with lofty aspirations, and it hits the high notes almost every time. I love the ambition Pixar showed in green-lighting a story like this. This is a film that could have gone wrong in so many ways. They took a crazy concept and an idea with a huge scope and made it relatable the same way they always do — by focusing it all down onto a small number of characters we come to care about. The animation is some of the most beautiful and interesting in the Pixar canon. The spirit of New York City is palpable in every scene it is featured in and, like the actual city itself, is filled with life and a wonderful lived in quality that sometimes is hard to capture in computer animation.

Joe and his fellow humans are some of the most detailed Pixar has ever given life to. And the style of the soul counselors deserve special praise. Their Picasso-esque designs were extremely compelling and their animation and movement were a lot of fun. The eclectic music may not always be as immediately hummable as a Newman or Giacchino score, but both the jazzy and the ethereal work just as effectively and help sell the authenticity of each world. Soul will make you think a lot more than it will make you laugh, but the end result is a virtuoso performance — and a reminder about how precious life is and that we should make the most of the time we’re given.

As good as Soul was, my favorite animated movie of the year was Onward [right] — and not just because it’s the last move I watched in an actual theatre! It has all the humor and heart you expect from the best of Pixar, and it’s the strength of the characters that drives it all forward. The brothers at the center of this film are easily the equals of other great Pixar duos like Woody and Buzz, Mike and Sully, and Marlin and Dory. In fact, outside the parent-willing-to-do-anything-for-their-child dynamic in Finding Nemo, Ian and Barley may be two of the most easy characters to empathize with on that list. In a world of endless buddies-on-a-journey movies, the wizards of Emeryville check every box to ensure this one doesn’t feel the same as the rest.

Pixar has always had a knack for world building. And the mashed up fantasy realm/modern world setting may be not only one of their funnest, but the one with the most potential. Much like the Dungeons & Dragons inspired game it revolves around, the Onward world could be an unlimited canvas where so many other possible stories are waiting to play out. I’m looking forward to seeing future outings in the Onward world…hopefully out in a theatre in our real world!

For my third pick I’m going to go in a different direction than most people making these types of lists have gone. The Willoughbys [below right] is an odd little film, full of contradictions. The story is a dark but sweet. The animation isn’t top notch but it’s very charming. And the characters are dysfunctional but likable.

Just a recap of the basic plot should be enough to pull you in: The Willoughby children want to be adopted by a loving family, the only problem is that they’re not orphans…yet! Yes, it sounds pretty grim, but it’s mostly done in a light-hearted way. While the plot is a bit scattershot, the frenzied feel actually works well with the tone of the film.

What really pulls together the disparate pieces is the humor. It’s a very funny movie, but usually in a way that surprises you rather than just with cliched kids jokes. The animation is styled in a beautiful, craft-y, almost hand-made look that also softens some of the darkness of the plot. And the voice acting, though a little odd at first, really grows on you and helps make the film work. The Willoughbys is not on the same level as the best from Disney or Pixar. But it’s a lot better than many of the things that have made it to the big screen in recent years.

Seriously guys, I know 2020 has been a rough year. I hope you made it through mostly unscathed! Let’s make a pact to step away from all the doomscrolling and spend more time on things that bring us joy this year, whether that’s being out in the sunshine on a beautiful spring day, or sitting in your dark basement commenting on Animated Views articles! Here’s to a better future, starting right now!

Reader Poll

Now it’s time to find out what you said in our Readers’ Choice Poll!

Since the very first time we asked Animated Views readers to rank the best animated movies of the year back in 2012, Disney has always led with the most poll wins. But with your pick this year they have to make room at the top, because Pixar has now tied Disney with four annual victories.

Soul was your choice for the best of 2020. It earned a score of 64 out of a possible 100 points. It received 47% of the first place votes and appeared on a whopping (and second best all-time) 76% of ballots.

Pixar also took the second place spot this year with Onward getting 37/100 points. It took 16% of the first place votes and was on an impressive 55% of all ballots. Cartoon Saloon’s Wolfwalkers came in third place with a score of 25/100. It had a very respectable 14% of the first place votes and appeared on 33% of all ballots.

Rounding out the top five were Over The Moon scoring 11/100, 5% of the first place votes, and appearing on 18% of all ballots, and A Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon with a score of 10/100, 1% of the first place votes, and appearing on 19% of all ballots.

Well, that’s all, folks, from us, for now. Make no mistake, this pandemic is far from over — in many ways, 2021 is already feeling like a “sequel” to 2020 — but in the end it will eventually get better. Just be sure to keep those masks on and those hands washed in the meantime — and don’t pass up the offer of a vaccine (or that all-important second dose!) to do your part in moving forward out of this whole situation.

In the meantime, we’ll hope for a true return to whatever “normality” is by the time we see you for our next annual recap, and wish you a safe (and healthy) rest of 2021!

— Dacey and the entire Animated Views Team.

With the 2010s now behind us, we here at Animated Views thought it was a perfect time to look back at the best of what the past decade in animation had to offer. But instead of giving you our views, we placed the ball in your hands and asked “What are YOUR picks for the best animated films from the last ten years?”

Given how eventful those years were, it wasn’t an easy choice, as animation reached an almost unprecedented level of popularity. Some highlights:

• Illumination Animation surprised pretty much the entire industry when they exploded onto the scene with Despicable Me in 2010 and seemed to produce nothing but hits after that.
• Lucasfilm got into the genre (however briefly) with their first fully animated feature Rango in 2011.
• Pixar returned to the world of Toy Story twice — and earned just the third Best Picture Academy Award nomination in history for an animated film.
• Laika saw all four films they released in the decade get Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations.
• Warner Bros. went all in with seven releases over a five year period, all but one of which was certified Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes.
• After having never claimed an Animated Feature Oscar during the award’s first 12 years of existence, Disney underwent a resurgence, winning it three times starting with the release of Frozen in 2013.
• Sony landed commercial and critical praise after Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse swung into theaters in 2018.
• Other smaller productions, like The Book Of Life and Klaus, galvanized groups of devoted fans.
• And international releases such as The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya, Song Of The Sea and more continued to impress as they gradually found their way into the States.

Like we said, with so many options to choose from, you had a downright-near impossible decision. Fortunately you were up to the task! So let’s count down the top 25 animated movies of the decade — as chosen by you, our readers — in AV’s Best of the 2010s!

(And be sure to check out the end of the list for some interesting stats about your selections, a key to the icons, and details on how the scores were tabulated.)

2014

directed by
Tomm Moore

First Place Votes: 1%
On Ballot: 12%
Score: 6.0

2013

directed by
Hayao Miyazaki

First Place Votes: 1%
On Ballot: 14%
Score: 6.3

Randall's Review

2011

directed by
Stephen J. Anderson & Don Hall

First Place Votes: 0%
On Ballot: 9%
Score: 6.5

Ben's Review

2016

directed by
Travis Knight

First Place Votes: 0%
On Ballot: 18%
Score: 6.7

Ben's Review
James' Review

2014

directed by
Dean DeBlois

First Place Votes: 1%
On Ballot: 14%
Score: 6.9

James' Review

2010

directed by
Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud

First Place Votes: 3%
On Ballot: 12%
Score: 7.0

2019

directed by
Josh Cooley

First Place Votes: 1%
On Ballot: 26%
Score: 7.4

Dacey's Review

2015

directed by
Steve Martino

First Place Votes: 0%
On Ballot: 16%
Score: 8.1

James' Review

2019

directed by
Sergio Pablos

First Place Votes: 1%
On Ballot: 22%
Score: 8.4

2014

directed by
Isao Takahata

First Place Votes: 3%
On Ballot: 16%
Score: 9.4

2011

directed by
Steven Spielberg

First Place Votes: 3%
On Ballot: 14%
Score: 9.7

Ben's Review

2011

directed by
Jennifer Yuh Nelson

First Place Votes: 0%
On Ballot: 18%
Score: 10.5

2014

directed by
Don Hall & Chris Williams

First Place Votes: 1%
On Ballot: 26%
Score: 11.0

Ben's Review
James' Review

2012

directed by
Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman

First Place Votes: 0%
On Ballot: 18%
Score: 11.3

Ben's Review
James' Review

2016

directed by
Ron Clements & John Musker

First Place Votes: 2%
On Ballot: 31%
Score: 13.0

Ben's Review
James' Review

2014

directed by
Phil Lord & Christopher Miller

First Place Votes: 1%
On Ballot: 24%
Score: 13.3

James' Review

2012

directed by
Rich Moore

First Place Votes: 1%
On Ballot: 33%
Score: 21.2

Ben's Review

2017

directed by
Lee Unkrich

First Place Votes: 3%
On Ballot: 52%
Score: 23.3

James' Review

2016

directed by
Byron Howard & Rich Moore

First Place Votes: 4%
On Ballot: 50%
Score: 23.52

James' Review

2018

directed by
Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey,
& Rodney Rothman

First Place Votes: 7%
On Ballot: 48%
Score: 23.54

Dan's Review

2013

directed by
Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee

First Place Votes: 2%
On Ballot: 41%
Score: 23.8

James' Review

2010

directed by
Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois

First Place Votes: 14%
On Ballot: 33%
Score: 24.1

James' Review

2015

directed by
Pete Docter

First Place Votes: 5%
On Ballot: 52%
Score: 27.5

Randall's Review

2010

directed by
Lee Unkrich

First Place Votes: 14%
On Ballot: 41%
Score: 28.8

Ben's Review
James' Review

2010

directed by
Nathan Greno & Byron Howard

First Place Votes: 16%
On Ballot: 43%
Score: 29.5

Ben's Review
James' Review

		2014 directed by Tomm Moore First Place Votes: 1% On Ballot: 12% Score: 6.0
		2013 directed by Hayao Miyazaki First Place Votes: 1% On Ballot: 14% Score: 6.3 Randall's Review
		2011 directed by Stephen J. Anderson & Don Hall First Place Votes: 0% On Ballot: 9% Score: 6.5 Ben's Review
		2016 directed by Travis Knight First Place Votes: 0% On Ballot: 18% Score: 6.7 Ben's Review James' Review
		2014 directed by Dean DeBlois First Place Votes: 1% On Ballot: 14% Score: 6.9 James' Review
		2010 directed by Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud First Place Votes: 3% On Ballot: 12% Score: 7.0
		2019 directed by Josh Cooley First Place Votes: 1% On Ballot: 26% Score: 7.4 Dacey's Review
		2015 directed by Steve Martino First Place Votes: 0% On Ballot: 16% Score: 8.1 James' Review
		2019 directed by Sergio Pablos First Place Votes: 1% On Ballot: 22% Score: 8.4
		2014 directed by Isao Takahata First Place Votes: 3% On Ballot: 16% Score: 9.4
		2011 directed by Steven Spielberg First Place Votes: 3% On Ballot: 14% Score: 9.7 Ben's Review
		2011 directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson First Place Votes: 0% On Ballot: 18% Score: 10.5
		2014 directed by Don Hall & Chris Williams First Place Votes: 1% On Ballot: 26% Score: 11.0 Ben's Review James' Review
		2012 directed by Mark Andrews & Brenda Chapman First Place Votes: 0% On Ballot: 18% Score: 11.3 Ben's Review James' Review
		2016 directed by Ron Clements & John Musker First Place Votes: 2% On Ballot: 31% Score: 13.0 Ben's Review James' Review
		2014 directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller First Place Votes: 1% On Ballot: 24% Score: 13.3 James' Review
		2012 directed by Rich Moore First Place Votes: 1% On Ballot: 33% Score: 21.2 Ben's Review
		2017 directed by Lee Unkrich First Place Votes: 3% On Ballot: 52% Score: 23.3 James' Review
		2016 directed by Byron Howard & Rich Moore First Place Votes: 4% On Ballot: 50% Score: 23.52 James' Review
		2018 directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, & Rodney Rothman First Place Votes: 7% On Ballot: 48% Score: 23.54 Dan's Review
		2013 directed by Chris Buck & Jennifer Lee First Place Votes: 2% On Ballot: 41% Score: 23.8 James' Review
		2010 directed by Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois First Place Votes: 14% On Ballot: 33% Score: 24.1 James' Review
		2015 directed by Pete Docter First Place Votes: 5% On Ballot: 52% Score: 27.5 Randall's Review
		2010 directed by Lee Unkrich First Place Votes: 14% On Ballot: 41% Score: 28.8 Ben's Review James' Review
		2010 directed by Nathan Greno & Byron Howard First Place Votes: 16% On Ballot: 43% Score: 29.5 Ben's Review James' Review

• Only six of the top 25 movies weren’t nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar — most notably your ^#1 pick, Tangled.
• Twelve different studios are represented on the list. Disney leads all of them with 7 selections, followed by Pixar with 5, DreamWorks with 3, and Studio Ghibli with 2.
• We gave you 99 movies to choose from, with the option to write-in your own. In total, 103 titles received votes: 97 of the listed options and 6 write-ins.
• The two films receiving no votes were Ice Age: Collision Course and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.
• Two write-ins received multiple votes: It’s Such a Beautiful Day and A Silent Voice. The former was the highest rated write-in at ^#55. The others were The Angry Birds Movie 2, Colorful, The Little Prince, and Spies in Disguise.
• Rango was the only Best Animated Feature Oscar winner not to make the top 25 — but just barely missed, coming in at ^#26.
• Three movies nominated for the Best Animated Feature Oscar ended up in the bottom ten: The Boss Baby, Ferdinand, and Mirai.
• ^#1 Tangled had the most first place votes. ^#3 Inside Out and ^#8 Coco tied for showing up on the most ballots.
• Five sequels made the list.
• Five directors appear in the top 25 twice, three of whom have two films in the top ten: Byron Howard (^#1 & ^#7), Lee Unkrich (^#2 & ^#8), Rich Moore (^#7 & ^#9), Dean DeBlois (^#4 & ^#21), and Don Hall (^#13 & ^#23).
• 2010 was arguably the best year of the decade, with three of the top four films and four in the top 25: (^#1, ^#3, ^#4, & ^#20). Though 2014 has a strong claim as well with five films in the top 25 (^#10, ^#13, ^#16, ^#21, & ^#25).
• 2017 and 2018 only had a single title each in the top 25, though both were in the top ten.
• This really could be considered two lists: the top nine and everything else. The gap between ^#9 and ^#10 is wider than that between ^#10 and ^#25.
• Tell us what you think in the Animated Views Forum, where you can also view the complete list of ranked movies.

KEY
	Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature
	$100 million domestic box office
	Rotten Tomatoes adjusted score of 90%
	AV Readers' Choice Poll selection
	AV Best of the Year theatrical selection
	AV review score of seven or better
First Place Votes: rounded percentage of voters who chose the film as their #1 selection On Ballot: rounded percentage of voters who chose the film anywhere on their ballot Score: points were awarded to each film based on where it appeared on a voter's ballot; the final score was determined by totaling the film's points from all ballots, dividing by the maximum possible points it could have earned if every voter had placed the film at #1, then multiplying by 100; score is rounded to one decimal place, or two to break ties; a perfect score is 100

KEY Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature $100 million domestic box office Rotten Tomatoes adjusted score of 90% AV Readers' Choice Poll selection AV Best of the Year theatrical selection AV review score of seven or better

First Place Votes: rounded percentage of voters who chose the film as their #1 selection On Ballot: rounded percentage of voters who chose the film anywhere on their ballot Score: points were awarded to each film based on where it appeared on a voter's ballot; the final score was determined by totaling the film's points from all ballots, dividing by the maximum possible points it could have earned if every voter had placed the film at #1, then multiplying by 100; score is rounded to one decimal place, or two to break ties; a perfect score is 100

2019 represented the end of an era in many ways, not only for the obvious reason as the conclusion of the 2010s, but also as an extended goodbye to many of the biggest media franchises of the last several years. Whether they were film sagas or TV shows, it was perhaps the most appropriate time for “the end” to arrive for them (even if, in many cases, they are bound to eventually make a comeback).

Of course, the 2010s saw more changes to the movie industry than many would have ever anticipated. This was especially true when it came to The Walt Disney Company. When 2010 began, Disney had yet to finalize their purchase of Marvel Studios, hadn’t bought Lucasfilm from George Lucas, and it would have been a fantasy to assume they would one day own all of 20th Century Fox (the Mouse House taking over The Simpsons? Madness!). Even their feature animation division was in a completely different state, with their last film, The Princess And The Frog, struggling to even make it past the $100 million mark, causing then-creative executive John Lasseter to declare that Disney was “done with fairy tales.”

Of course all of that turned out differently. Disney’s purchase of Marvel Studios helped lead them to become a box office juggernaut the likes of which the world had never seen, with 2012’s The Avengers setting the bar higher than it had ever been before in terms of how much money a summer blockbuster could make. The acquisition of Lucasfilm the same year lead to the release of no fewer than five Star Wars movies, including Episode VII, something which most fans never thought would actually happen.

Just as notable in many ways was Disney reclaiming their mantle as the powerhouse of animated movies. With Tangled making a healthy $200 million when it opened in 2010, a string of critical and financial hits followed, including a little film called Frozen which became the studio’s biggest pop culture phenomenon since The Lion King.

Towards the end of the 2010s, the merger with 20th Century Fox was met with a mixed reception, as some of the properties they acquired through the massive move felt “at home” with the company (Avatar), while others didn’t fit into the shoes quite as snugly (Fight Club is now officially a “Disney movie”). But with Netflix having changed everything in terms of how people view television and movies at home (back when the decade began, they were best known for shipping DVD rentals by mail), Disney wanted to ensure they had plenty of content in order to be a worthy streaming competitor, finally resulting in the launch of Disney+ last November. In many respects, this allowed for Disney to have an efficient way of using all of the purchases they had made over the past ten years, starting with the premiere of the first live-action Star Wars TV show, The Mandalorian [above, top right], the rare event in which fans of the franchise collectively enjoyed something together instead of arguing about it non-stop.

Granted, the 2010s weren’t only eventful for Disney. DreamWorks Animation, after years of going back and fourth between various distributors, finally found a permanent residence once Comcast took them over in 2016. Many thought that might mean the end of the studio, but after the triumphant release of How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World [above right] last February, they appear to be in good hands now.

Pleasing audiences and critics alike, tying up all of the loose ends in a way rarely seen in animated movies, it was a definitive ending to the series (recent holiday TV special aside), and sets the stage nicely for what will hopefully be a bright future for DreamWorks.

Similarly, Avengers: Endgame — though not an “ending” by any stretch as the MCU looks to be an unstoppable force for an indefinite amount of time — seemed to thrill most moviegoers going by the insane amount of money that it made, even if it arguably didn’t feel “big enough” compared to Infinity War as it saved almost all of its fireworks for the final reel (although, to be fair, they were very good fireworks). This one was a bit of a risk-taker as well, killing off two of the franchise’s most popular characters, including the MVP, Tony Stark. Normally one might expect for such a move to lead to a collective outcry from the fanbase, but the reaction was just the opposite, with people seeming to agree that it was an appropriate “conclusion” to the story (and hey, Black Widow is already coming back to theaters this summer, so it’s not like these superheroes are “gone” forever).

Such universal praise was not given to the final season of Game Of Thrones [above right], the biggest TV show…ever, which seemed to had taken over the planet since its premiere in 2011, even with it being a premium cable series which was strictly for adults. Far more than anything else on television, Game Of Thrones had the ability to somehow keep surpassing itself. It always managed to surprise in some way, to push the envelope to the absolute limit of what was possible with a television budget, with production values which might have been second-to-none. And how else was such a series going to end? Game Of Thrones was never going to have an ending that made everyone happy, so it made sense for it to finish off in a way which was controversial, spectacular, tragic, yet still hopeful. In other words, everything which made it such a huge success in the first place.

Also central to many an online debate was Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, which found itself facing the uneasy task of trying to do damage control after the many divisive moves made by The Last Jedi while still trying to work as a continuation of that movie. For the most part, it managed to pull the right heartstrings, even if the new trilogy might end up going down as a somewhat uneven affair. The Last Jedi behaved as a sequel which more or less hated The Force Awakens, throwing entire plot threads away and twisting others around in a cynical manner. This left The Rise Of Skywalker to be stuck as a relative which wasn’t overly fond of The Last Jedi, but tried to be polite about it, and most fans will probably be grateful that the saga ended on the “traditional” note that it did (well, at least until Disney inevitably announces Episode X in a few years).

On the small screen, many more popular TV shows wrapped themselves up. After nearly ten years on the air, Hasbro closed the curtain on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic [above right], probably one of the more shocking breakout hits of recent memory, in that it exceeded any and all expectations that anyone had for the franchise when it first premiered, becoming an easily accessible cartoon which viewers of all ages could enjoy. Disney pulled the plug on Star Wars Resistance a tad prematurely (though it still has a handful of episodes yet to air), no doubt to make more room for the upcoming new season of The Clone Wars. For grown-ups, Orange Is The New Black — one of the pioneering series of the streaming ere — finally completed its sentence, while Veep ended its political career just as it was possibly becoming more relevant than ever.

As is sadly always the case, the year saw so many passings that they could never all be properly mentioned in a single article.

Among the more notable were Richard Williams [right], the Oscar-winning master animator behind The Pink Panther and Who Framed Roger Rabbit; Russi Taylor, the veteran voice actress who had been playing Minnie Mouse since Who Framed Roger Rabbit; and Carol Spinney, who had been a prominent figure in the childhoods of several generations as the man who brought both Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch to life on Sesame Street for nearly 50 years.

So with all of that being said, we thank you — our readers — for sticking with us for as long as you have. Our site is continuing to go through exciting changes, and we look forward to giving you even more new content to enjoy in 2020. In the meantime, allow for us to present to you The Best of 2019: And Then It Was Over!

Ben’s Picks

The year kicked off with catching up on a couple of holdovers from the previous one: the magical, marvellous Mary Poppins Returns, which continues to blow me away each time I see it, and the touching Stan & Ollie which, as a Laurel & Hardy nut, I felt managed to really nail the essence of The Boys. It was a great thrill to welcome my Animated Views cohort Randall Cyrenne and his family over to vaycay with us and share that latter film in our theatre (as well as many others!) with an appreciative audience [below right], the real way that any movie should be experienced, of course.

While we hand the Cyrennes here in London, we also took in the closing weeks of Disney’s Aladdin on stage, a production that we largely found lacking if still entertaining, though it was interesting to see before eventually getting around to running this year’s remake, which I kind of felt the same about, with some good moments marred by some odd creative choices. Likewise, the “live-action” CGI Lion King totally failed to impress in anything but its photorealism.

Much better was another Disney redo, and one that got a lackluster box-office reception but actually did everything right, taking the original film as inspiration but then soaring in its own new direction: Tim Burton’s Dumbo [below]. Seemingly an inspired choice initially, before the box-office made us unnecessarily wary, the film turned out to easily top the list of the Studio’s remakes and proves that these are best when they attempt their own thing rather than slavishly following an original, and it was another title that we enjoyed with Rand during his stay with us.

We also took in the Stanley Kubrick exhibition that saw many props and production artefacts on display in London, although poor Rand missed out, by just a few days, on the almost as equally impressive — especially since it was, incredibly, free! — Dark Crystal exhibit installed at the BFI to promote Netflix’s Age Of Resistance prequel series. The Kubrick show also included Jack’s infamous typewriter fromThe Shining, which got both a 40th anniversary 4K makeover this year as well as an eventual sequel in Doctor Sleep which, if one truly “gets” the first film on its many levels, not only lived up to nervous expectations but ultimately surpassed them.

Indeed, this felt like the Mary Poppins Returns to The Shining‘s original Poppins, if you follow my drift, creating a totally different kind of film to Kubrick’s, but in the exact same way and making the same kinds of changes to the source novel, combining elements from both film and book to bring everything into alignment with impressive skill.

Elsewhere on the big screen, Avengers: Endgame, Joker, Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood and, most disappointingly, Star Wars Episode IX: The What Of Who (!?) all underwhelmed for various reasons, though I found much to admire in moon mission documentary Apollo 11 (impressive on the biggest screen you can see it on) and perhaps my favorite film of the year, Elton John biopic Rocketman [below], a creatively brave and bonkers movie that I’m so glad is getting awards attention, especially for the excellent Taron Egerton.

On the books front, John was also the subject of an autobiography, Me, as was Julie Andrews, in the hugely enjoyable reminiscence of her Hollywood years, Home Work, and for animation fans there was JB Kaufman’s engrossing volume on The Making Of Fun & Fancy Free (which Rand got signed for me at D23 — thanks!) and Walt Disney’s Ultimate Inventor: The Genius Of Ub Iwerks, by his son Don, a wonderful new addition to the Disney bookshelf and companion tome to the Disney+ Imagineering Story series.

Ahh, yes, Disney+. Unfortunately, the UK has to wait until April to point our remotes and select that juicy new programming, frustratingly so after being the country that trialed the initial DisneyLife app (and in sharing the English language!) and not only delaying our look at the new Lady And The Tramp but having the surprise of a Baby Yoda totally wrecked for us!

Still, at least a Brit distributior did manage to score the home entertainment release of the year in The Complete Monty Python’s Flying Circus Blu-ray set for the show’s 50th anniversary, with astonishingly restored material that went above and beyond what should normally be possible with such elements.

In animation, sequels ruled and mostly only proved so-so, although I felt Toy Story 4 was a better film than the third, which overly recycled bucketloads from the first two, and became the continuation we didn’t even know we needed and, while I am still to see the onslaught of yeti-type movies, the good word around Laika’s Aardman-esque Missing Link has me eager to run that, as well as the Aardman-authentic new Shaun The Sheep sequel, picked up by Netflix, and the streamer’s own Klaus.

As the year rounds out, and in addition to who Dacey has already mentioned in our intro, I’d like to give a shout out for some much-missed people we have lost in the past year, including some genuinely cherished names for me in Doris Day, Stanley Donen, Neil Innes, Clive James, Dick Miller, Hal Prince, Caroll Spinney, Richard Williams (yes, he’s worthy of two mentions!) and, in a shock that hit me hard, my good personal friend, editor Terry Rawlings.

RIP to all these fine practitioners in the business of show that we all continue to get so much enjoyment from. I look forward to seeing what new delights await us over the coming months!

Dacey’s Picks

2019 proved to be a pretty big year for sequels, which absolutely dominated the animated marketplace. The picks of the crop were How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and Frozen II [right], providing what fans were hoping for while still delivering a fresh experience for them. The Hidden World, I would argue, was a crowning cinematic achievement on virtually every level, ending the trilogy in a fully satisfying (not to mention tear-jerking) manner. Frozen II, meanwhile, saw the return of Queen Elsa — who has quickly become one of Disney’s most beloved female heroes — in grand fashion, giving her a strong, moving story and two breathtakingly beautiful musical ballads for good measure. Both movies were great-looking as well, setting the standard for what modern animation is capable of.

The sequel talk doesn’t end there, though. Toy Story 4, despite all of the (perhaps justifiable) complaining when it was first announced, proved once again that people should never bet against Pixar. Of course it wasn’t as good as Toy Story 3 (how could it be?), but it was still an emotionally rich and warmly funny outing for Woody and the gang. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part may have actually been underrated, building on the original’s cheeky sense of humor while throwing in some catchy songs and a subtle level of poignancy.

Once again, the year gave us plenty to enjoy in terms of superhero blockbusters, but the best of the batch wasn’t a Marvel release as has become the norm, but Alita: Battle Angel [below], a jaw-dropping action epic with some potentially game-changing special effects (on multiple occasions I literally went “wow” outloud, simply in awe over what they were able to accomplish with the film’s fully computer-generated heroine).

On a much more “grown-up” note, I was floored by the fall’s brilliant Joker, a bold, daring, provocative, disturbing, and even exhilarating comic book drama which broke many rules of the genre. Also going against typical standards — and equally not suitable for children — was Brightburn, a surprisingly tragic, thrilling tale of horror which effectively imagined what would’ve happened if young Clark Kent hadn’t been a force for good.

Back on the more family-friendly side of things, Disney returned to their vault of classic movies once again, producing remakes which functioned essentially as re-releases but played like sequels as far as financial returns were concerned. Even Aladdin, which many had been eager to write off as a bomb, ended up being a $1 billion hit, pleasing audiences everywhere with its sheer likability even if I didn’t personally find it quite as magical as the recent Beauty and the Beast. Nevertheless, it proved to be a lot of fun — especially for us 90’s kids! — and Will Smith ended up being a pretty great Genie.

Similarly, The Lion King dazzled with its spectacular visuals, but it would’ve been nice if something new could’ve been added to the story, while Dumbo was more or less a quasi-continuation of the original cartoon feature, exploring what exactly happens once a circus has a flying elephant in their hands. It was almost a great movie, with Michael Keaton clearly having the time of his life playing the slimy bad guy, even if it gets brought down a peg for being almost laughably politically correct with its ending. Finally, the (wrongly titled) Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil deserves a mention simply because of how nuts it got, making it one of the most all-out crazy adventures Disney has released in quite some time.

There were also some non-sequel, non-remake titles that came out in 2019. For whatever reason, I haven’t gone to any of Laika’s movies on the big screen since Coraline (which is ironic, since I loved that one enough to go to it four times in theaters!), but I did very much enjoy Missing Link when I recently caught it on disc. With its gently naughty comedy and the overall “British” nature of its tone and voice cast (although, yes, Hugh Jackman is Australian), you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for an Aardman film. Even more delightful — and absolutely hilarious — was Spies In Disguise, one of the year’s most pleasant surprises, and Blue Sky’s best movie in years.

And speaking of unexpected delights, who would’ve thought that The SpongeBob Musical: Live on Stage [above] would’ve been as terrific as it was when it aired on Nick last December? With a perfect cast, wonderful songs, and social commentary that never felt overbearing, it was able to capture the show’s signature offbeat charm, and showed the best out there how to do a live TV stage musical the right way.

Of course, every year has one or two letdowns in it. For me the biggest disappointment by far was Terminator: Dark Fate, one of the most frustrating reboots/sequels I’ve experienced in a long time, not only killing off a lead character before the opening titles even appeared, but also feeling the need to “update” something which was already perfectly modern and feminist to begin with.

Dan’s Picks

Critical Role [right], the live internet stream of animation voice actors playing Dungeons & Dragons, once again tops my list. They had a big 2019, having one of the most successful Kickstarter campaigns in raising over $11 million to fund an animated series adaptation with Amazon Prime taking on distribution and ordering an additional season. The year also saw them become their own media company, launching new content, more live shows, and an art exhibition at Gallery Nucleus. All the while continuing to produce an outstanding, dramatic narrative to their game.

The animated features that stood out for me this year were Frozen II and How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. With Frozen II, I really liked what Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck did in expanding the mythology against magnificent visuals, some really good songs, and further developing a fantastic character in Elsa. With How To Train Your Dragon, Dean DeBlois brought the franchise full circle with a compelling narrative, beautiful animation, and perhaps the most heart-warming final several minutes any series could conclude with.

On the live-action front, my favorite singular feature was Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. I really love Quentin Tarantino films, and this one saw him continue to bring out the best in his actors while telling a unique story that was unconventional and enjoyable. But I will concede that the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole was amazing. Captain Marvel was fun, Avengers: Endgame was epic, and Spider-Man: Far From Home was awesome. That each grossed over $1 billion is a testament to how good and how beloved Marvel Studios has become.

The stand-out of the year for me was the independently produced animated television pilot Hazbin Hotel [right]. Funded primarily through the subscription-based crowdfunding service Patreon, it is definitely not family-friendly given its setting in Hell, as well as an over-the-top amount of seriously adult content. And yet Vivienne Medrano assembled a crew to create an incredible show featuring high quality animation, wonderful characters, and catchy show-tunes. Backed by a dedicated fanbase, I strongly believe we’ll see more episodes made in the future.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the groundbreaking Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Network Distributing released my packaged media pick with the “Norwegian Blu”-ray edition of the complete television series. Not satisfied with just remastering the footage, which looks quite lovely really, they went the extra mile in restoring deleted and censored content, both live-action and animated, to present the episodes as close as they could to how they were first broadcast. It’s been an absolute joy watching one of my favorite shows in a new light.

On the subject of Terry Gilliam, a shout-out for his finally making The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. As exemplified in the 2002 documentary Lost in La Mancha, this project had plagued him for roughly 30 years now. To see it realized on the big screen delighted me to no end. Sure it was far from his best film, but it nonetheless showed that he still had a penchant for incredible, dazzling visuals. Combined with some really fine performances by Jonathan Pryce and Adam Driver, this was as much of a heart-warming experience for me as any other in 2019.

Among the events I went to included a few at Gallery Nucleus for Frozen II, How To Train Your Dragon, and Star vs. The Forces Of Evil as well as the San Diego Comic Con. But Disney’s D23 Expo took the cake, once again providing a remarkable experience that was fun and magnificent.

This year’s show was made all the more enjoyable in that I got to hang out with Rand throughout and we had an absolute blast attending the big presentations for Disney Studios and Disney+ as well as checking out anniversary panels for The Little Mermaid and Tarzan, among others [including the upcoming Jungle Cruise movie, above].

Lastly, there was Disney’s streaming service Disney+. To me they started very strong with hundreds of quality programming from the past 90 years available, even if it’s not everything at their disposal. Furthermore, the original shows released so far have been great. The highlights for me were the excellent Star Wars series The Mandalorian, the outstanding National Geographic show The World According to Jeff Goldblum, and the wonderful documentary series The Imagineering Story. I’m looking forward to what they offer over the next few years.

Rand’s Picks

Theatrically speaking, I found this year’s crop of films to be fairly dismal. The one bright spot was Missing Link [below right], easily my favorite animated film of the year — a delightful surprise from Laika whose joys could not be adequately captured in its mildly underpowered trailer. It is truly a must see!

And what else was out there? Lots of sequels, that’s what. Okay, Toy Story 4 was respectable, though I didn’t love it, and I’m still not sure how I feel about the ending; overall, I would have been fine letting the series end at a trilogy.

I’ve just seen Frozen II and actually liked it quite a bit. It built nicely on its predecessor, which I appreciated, since I always thought Frozen was merely a good film with great songs. I welcomed Frozen II and was pleased to find that it fleshed out the story, answered some questions, and succeeded in being a compelling adventure of its own. I actually look forward to Frozen III, which I hope gets announced. Still, I would have preferred to see a fully original story from Disney this year, following last year’s mediocre Ralph sequel.

The third How To Train Your Dragon film was somewhat unsatisfying (and weakly plotted) to me, surely a film series with diminishing returns after a promising start. Films like Abominable and The Addams Family have their fans, but those films didn’t really set the world on fire or add anything to animation history either. Lego Movie 2 was…weird, though it did grow on me as it unfolded. I hope I never have to see such films as Ugly Dolls or Wonder Park — who goes to see films like those? And, after the mediocrity of The Secret Life Of Pets, did we really need a second one?

Meanwhile, to keep going the notion that Hollywood is out of new ideas, we have the Disney live-action remakes. Okay, I actually liked Aladdin [below right]; despite finding many faults in it, it won me over with some good casting, a new, strong song (even if it’s staging was so odd), and a few new bits added to the story.

Truth to tell, I also really enjoyed Dumbo, though reaction out there seems to be mixed at best. I was at least glad that Dumbo was only part remake, taking the story forward in what I thought was an exciting and well-realized way. (And compared to the debacle of the 2017 Beauty And The Beast, this year’s crop of remakes looked positively fantastic.) And then there’s The Lion King, sometimes mistaken for being live-action, partially due to Disney’s own marketing, when it’s a fully-animated CGI production. I did not hate the new movie, but it was surely an unnecessary film. From a perspective of technical achievement, however, it was really pretty amazing.

If any company out there could potentially make me happy over the next few years, it is Netflix. The streaming company, eager to create new content to compete with new services such as Disney+, is going into animation production in a big way, supporting a large array of upcoming projects. Their Klaus [below], released late in 2019, was a revelation — a hand-drawn, fully animated film with a unique look (and enhanced computer coloring), and a pretty good story as well. For me, Klaus delighted me more than any theatrical film this year, aside from Missing Link. Soon, Netflix will be streaming Aardman’s Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, after it debuted in other territories already in 2019. What follows promises to be a string of interesting and original films that I can’t wait to see.

Home video did manage to please me this year, in particular the folks at Warner Bros. Between Warner Home Video and the Warner Archive, we got high definition issues of such classics as 1940s Popeye cartoons, Hanna-Barbera series The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, and Scooby-Doo, and “Timmverse” show Batman Beyond, the latter two being offered in deluxe sets initially.

Even Shout! Factory managed to surprise us cartoon fans, with a release of The Plague Dogs that included the long-lost extended cut of the film. It’s also wonderful to see Shout! and GKids continue to distribute foreign animated films on home video in the US.

Of course, for me the true highlight this year was a summer filled with travel, beginning with a trip to visit Ben, my oldest Animated Views pal, and ending with a trip to D23 to meet newer AV colleague Dan for the first time in person. We had a terrific time, basking in all the pomp and ceremony that Disney could muster. It was a joy to share in such a unique experience with fellow Disney enthusiasts from around the world.

Theatrical Review: James’ Picks

Another year over, another year where nothing on the big screen wowed me. That said, there was a lot of entertainment out there this year that, while definitely not great, was at least pretty good. With no stand-outs, this was probably the toughest year I’ve ever had trying to narrow down my annual top three theatrical releases list. And even when I had the three I was going to go with, ordering them them was a hard decision as well. Before I reveal my picks, a few notes.

First up, sorry to all those who were hoping for a Sasquatch sweep of the top three. One of the recently released yeti films made my list, another did not, and the third actually came out last year so wasn’t eligible anyway!

Second, two movies missing from my list that many others might have ranked are Frozen II and How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. As I mentioned previously, a lot of films were of a similar quality in my mind which made choosing three difficult. Here’s a very quick explanation on why I decided to leave these two popular picks off. In the end I felt How To Train Your Dragon 3 was just too similar to How To Train Your Dragon 2. And Frozen II I thought had a much too convoluted plot, and overall felt like a sequel rushed out in order to make money rather than because they had a story they wanted to tell.

Lastly, in the past when there were far fewer animated movies to choose from in a year, I’d occasionally name the top two films and rank an “honorary” #3 pick that was worthy of some note for surprising viewers by coming out of nowhere to impress or surpassing low expectations. If I were to do that this year, I’d probably pick Playmobil: The Movie — a film that has been treated almost as a joke since it was announced, but ended up being well made and enjoyable.

Now, without further ado, here are my top three animated theatrical releases of 2019.

#1: Toy Story 4
I was one of the many naysayers, proclaiming before the film was released that there was no reason to make a fourth edition of Toy Story after things ended perfectly in the third outing.

What I and those many others missed, however, was that while Toy Story 3 ended Andy’s storyline nicely, Woody is the protagonist of this series. And while not a better film than the last, Toy Story 4 does send off Woody in Pixar’s usual emotionally-gripping style.

#2: The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
The Lego Movie 2 is very different in many ways from the original. It’s probably not as funny. It’s not coming out of nowhere to knock your socks off. And it’s not as profound as the first. But it has all the heart and the same emotional punch — maybe more!

That’s an impressive feat since the first movie did it so stealthily while here there were no secrets. Just goes to prove that like there’s no one right way to play with Legos, there’s more than one way to build an awesome Lego movie.

#3 Missing Link
For the longest time, I was not of fan of Laika’s films. Kubo And The Two Strings was the first I actually enjoyed. Missing Link makes it two in a row for me. The plot is a solid but no-frills affair with a leisurely pacing. Even the excellent voice acting has a more deliberate feel.

All of which makes Missing Link seem like a breath of fresh air compared to the fast-paced, break-neck impression left by most other films. And with that all wrapped up with Laika’s usual incredibly detailed and fluid animation, Missing Link is a film to be savored.

Readers’ Choice Results

Now it’s your turn to tell us what you thought with our Readers’ Choice Poll. For just the third time in the eight years we’ve been asking Animated Views readers to rank the best animated movies of the year you’ve chosen a Pixar film.

Toy Story 4 earned the top spot on the list with a score of 56 out of a perfect 100. It received 36% of the first place votes and appeared on an impressive 74% of all ballots.

Frozen II was the second choice with a score of 39/100. It got 26% of the first place votes and showed up on 49% of all ballots.

Third place went to How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World with a score of 36/100. It actually was on more ballots than Frozen II with 57%, but fewer people had it as their top choice, at 13%. Missing Link came in fourth with a score of 25/100. It was on 36% of the ballots and received 14% of the first place votes. And The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part took the fifth spot with a score of 7/100, getting 1% of the top votes and appearing on 15% of all ballots.

Well, that about wraps it up for now. Be sure to be on the lookout for our upcoming expanded “Best of the 2010s” animated movie poll, which should go live in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, here’s wishing everyone a happy new year, and…”stay tooned”!

— Dacey and the entire Animated Views Team

In many ways, the past year demonstrated more than anything the public’s need for escapism. With things looking pretty bleak in the “real world” — if you weren’t a fan of the level of divisiveness that dominated the news in 2017, chances are 2018 didn’t do much to make you feel better — audiences showed up for the movies in droves, delivering a record-breaking year amounting to nearly $12 billion(!) in ticket sales. This included no less than three mega-blockbusters, all of which — probably not by coincidence, being superhero epics distributed by Disney — broke $600 million stateside, a jaw-dropping box-office achievement to say the least which will hopefully help put to rest the argument that going to see movies in the theater will soon become a pastime of yesteryear.

But it wasn’t just men in tights or flying suits of armor that brought people to the multiplexes, as we saw nostalgia play a heavy role in 2018’s pop culture. So much of the year’s entertainment looked back to the past — despite Edna Mode famously saying that such behavior “distracts from the now”, Incredibles 2 still hit us nearly fourteen years after the release of the original. Elsewhere, we witnessed an embracing of the warm and fuzzy, with even the Transformers franchise returning to its 80s cartoon roots with Bumblebee. And there’s a reason Ready Player One connected with many in the way that it did, positively thriving with references to old movies, TV shows and video games, without giving up its status as an action-adventure that truly demanded to be experienced on a movie screen.

In that regard, though, perhaps one of the most under-reported entertainment stories of 2018 was the rise of Netflix streaming movies which otherwise would’ve seen full blown theatrical releases, such as Orson Welles’ posthumous final bow The Other Side Of The Wind, something which probably would have been the subject of much more discussion among film fans had it not been overshadowed by much of Netflix’s other content. This included, to the surprise of many, Andy Serkis’ long-in-production Mowgli: Legend Of The Jungle, the big budget adventure that had been set to go to theaters last October before it was acquired by the streaming service.

Granted, Mowgli was always going to face the hurdle of coming only two years after Disney’s live-action Jungle Book remake, with its Oscar-winning special effects setting the bar pretty high for anything that followed. Yet that may be exactly why Mowgli was denied the chance to be seen on the big screen as it was no doubt intended to be, with it instead — fairly or not — ending up essentially being a straight-to-TV premiere, albeit one with a little more prestige and fanfare behind it. If this is the future of cinema (and with Disney’s upcoming Lady And The Tramp revamp set to be an exclusive to their own streaming service, there’s a good chance it could be), it will be interesting to see what it means for the industry.

It will be equally intriguing to see what Pixar honcho John Lasseter bidding farewell to the Mouse House will mean for its animation division. However one feels about the circumstances surrounding him leaving the company, Lasseter’s contributions to Disney over the past 20+ years are borderline overwhelming, not just because of Toy Story, but his work as a creative consultant for the studio as well. Though a figure of controversy even before last year’s story broke (I think a lot of us would’ve been curious to see what American Dog would’ve been like before it ultimately became Bolt), his skills when it came to “understanding” storytelling would be hard to debate. Luckily, the future looks bright with the baton being passed to the dependable hands of Pete Doctor and Jennifer Lee, so fingers crossed that Disney Animation is able to continue their winning streak in the years to come.

Sadly, as always, there were too many passings of public figures to ever do justice to in one article, but it goes without saying that one of the most significant was Stan Lee, a man who gave more to pop culture than he could ever be given proper credit for. Even with his old age, his death still hurt, as on some subconscious level we thought he might live forever. Just as saddening was the unexpected passing of Stephen Hillenburg, who created one of the most popular cartoons of all time with SpongeBob SquarePants.

And, speaking of getting older(!), you all probably know that 2018 saw the 15th anniversary of Animated Views, which we celebrated with a brand new design for the site, which is pretty sharp-looking if we do say so ourselves. It’s sometimes hard to overstate what a website owes to its fans, but we couldn’t have reached this milestone without you guys, and so we give a huge and sincere thank-you from the bottom of our hearts, and look forward to bringing you even more new goodies in the months to come!

And on that rather sentimental note, without further ado, let’s dive into…

Ben’s Picks

2018 wasn’t the greatest year for me, and I often found it hard to get excited about the movies being released, animated or otherwise, although admittedly there are still several offerings, such as Christopher Robin, that I have yet to catch up with! Having our own cinema is still a “new” experience that remained a highlight, and our twice-weekly movie nights, with a mix of classics, contemporary and curios, are a popular draw with friends and family. As such, I haven’t really made it out to the flickers, seeing as we now wait for the Blu-ray or, increasingly, 4K discs to come along. It takes something really special to get us up and out — I only made two trips to the movies this year, one of them being the blockbuster to end all blockbusters (until the next one, of course), Avengers: Infinity War, which deftly juggled its characters and spun its many plates with such style, making for a genuinely awesome spectacle and, dare I say it, what I found to be fairly intelligent and emotional eye-candy, if such a thing can exist!

I was also blown away by a completely different film experience in Peter Jackson’s extraordinary Great War documentary They Shall Not Grow Old, which brought faded, flickering images back to immediate and emotionally charged life.

In animation, the big studios (read: Disney, which basically owns entertainment now!) put out a pair of fine films in Incredibles 2 and what should have been called Ralph Wrecks The Internet, and we got an absolutely charming follow-up in Paddington 2 but, ultimately, they were all sequels and so offered little genuinely new. I’m not the biggest fan of anime features in general, but there didn’t really seem to be a breakout hit this year from any of the wannabe-Ghibli studios, or for that matter any other independent release, either.

Which made me one of the most shocked that — and, yes, I’m going to call this — Sherlock Gnomes (albeit, yes, technically another sequel) came out of nowhere to became the surprise delight of the year! Well made and looking good, especially in its textures and lighting, the film also features one of the most ingenious uses of the Holmes mythology that I don’t believe I’ve ever seen before, spinning the characters on their heads and overall being much better than it supposedly had any right to be. Away from animation, I found much to enjoy in a trio of summer blockbusters that surprised as well as delighted. Ready Player One may not have enchanted every viewer, but it was everything I wanted it to be; Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom took things in exhilarating new directions for a consummate thrill-ride, and just how does Tom Cruise and Chris McQuarrie’s Mission: Impossible run keep getting better and more layered with each new outing!? I can’t wait for the just-announced next two!

My second trip to the cinema was squeezed in just before the new year, when curiosity got the better of me and we ventured out to see Mary Poppins Returns, which I’d hoped would be as good as the soundtrack was promising. Naturally, the original movie is a touchstone that this sequel doesn’t so much replicate as it does essentially repeat: this is the Force Awakens or Jurassic World of Poppins pictures. In the music, one can pick out not so much the themes from Walt’s 1964 classic but actual notes and phrases, so practically perfectly are they woven into the score, which also hints at those other glorious 60s musicals such as Oliver!, Half A Sixpence, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (even using the same Pinewood Studios garden bridge as that film for a further connection!) and My Fair Lady, also referenced for the stunningly throwback poster artwork, however ironically given the Julie Andrews connection, with composer Marc Shaiman and his orchestrators even managing to pinpoint that specific Irwin Kostal sound.

What it really felt like to me, given director Rob Marshall’s reverent approach, was that Walt had put a sequel into production right after the first one was such a smash, but then passed away in 1966 and it kind of sat on the shelf, either unfinished or unreleased out of tribute to him for a couple of years, and then someone proposed cleaning up the print and finally releasing it for its 50th birthday.

While it’s still playing, I do suggest seeing it on a big big-screen with full sound to get to the closest you’ll ever be to feeling what the original was like, so wonderfully brave as it is in being absolutely old fashioned, without any modern touches at all. Yes, it’s slightly overlong (but so, in honesty, was the original and every other big 60s musical of its time) and Meryl Streep struggles to fill Ed Wynn’s boots, but Emily Blunt makes Mary her own, and loses herself in the role so as to occasionally match Julie, especially in the Cover Is Not A Book animated sequence.

A returning Dick Van Dyke (twinkly, awesome, legend) and Angela Lansbury (who with her Disney history just feels so right here) got applause for their bits from our appreciative audience, the only slight disappointment I felt being how Mary actually leaves right at the end, after being offered what would have been a perhaps more satisfying mode of transport…and I’ll say no more. With tons of nods to the original, including such delicate touches as the title font and Peter Ellenshaw-inspired backgrounds, this is the first film in ages with an overture — an actual overture! — that plays for its opening titles. No film has that anymore! You’ll either love it or not get it at all, but Mary Poppins Returns is just such a sweet and innocent throwback to how films used to be, and it’s all the better for it. Dare I say it’s super…

Lastly, a quick mention for a genuine screen legend’s 90th birthday. Mickey Mouse flickered across the screen in the November of 1928 and changed the course of animation and the movies themselves forever after. The first true animated film star not to have been first discovered in the funny pages, his career was celebrated in a beautiful Taschen publication, Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History, which rivals Taschen’s own Disney Archives book from the same time the previous year. With page after page of in-depth writing and rare artworks, this is a handsome way to celebrate Mickey in style. Happy birthday, Mr Mouse!

Dacey’s Picks

If there was one thing we saw in 2018, it was that if “superhero fatigue” is something that audiences are going through, it sure isn’t showing at the box office! Of the top 15 movies of the year, seven were of the genre, and it should be said (if it hasn’t been said already) that we are currently experiencing a golden age for comic book films. The biggest of the batch — and the third highest-grossing film of all time behind only The Force Awakens and Avatar — was Black Panther, filling a cultural hole which hadn’t been filled without neglecting to deliver insane action in spades. But even its spectacle was dwarfed by the massive scope of Avengers: Infinity War, an event film which truly lived up to the title of “event,” wowing audiences around the world while also shocking them into silence before the end credits rolled with something as simple as a literal snapping of the fingers (if you saw the movie opening weekend, you know how quiet those packed theaters got).

Providing more lighthearted fare was Venom, a sleeper hit which thankfully didn’t take itself too seriously, providing a twisted sense of Deadpool-style humor even as it remained safely within the reins of its teenager-friendly PG-13 rating. And despite all of the negativity DC Comics gets from the press, Aquaman ended up being their sixth consecutive motion picture to cross $200 million, delighting with its undersea voyage into a world of visual splendor (still playing in theaters, it is highly recommended that the film be seen on the biggest screen you can find).

Superheroes weren’t only to be seen in live-action movies, however, as they were also central to three of the year’s animated films. Incredibles 2 was extremely solid entertainment — as everyone expected it would be — even if as a sequel it felt like it was being very “safe” in how it played its game. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course, but when compared to the original (which had a climax involving its villain attempting to kidnap a baby just to spite its parents), the “stakes” just weren’t as dramatic, even if the film was still a great romp. More of a surprise, as weird as it may sound, was Teen Titans GO! To The Movies, a cartoon-to-the-big-screen release which many probably thought was a terrible idea until it actually came out. With catchy songs and some demented yet still family-friendly comedy, I recommend it to all who enjoy poking gentle fun at heroes in capes (even if they haven’t seen a single episode of the TV show).

But by far the most notable of these films was Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, quite possibly the best animated movie of the year. Also falling into the category of “why are they making this?” until people got to see some footage from it, the “Avengers flick where all of the members are Spider-Man” is a monumental achievement on almost all fronts, positively flooring me with its groundbreaking animation, cheeky jokes and fully original storytelling. Outside of the world of caped crusaders, audiences sought out other forms of thrill rides, whether it was the latest Mission: Impossible or Jurassic World extravaganzas, with both franchises exclaiming that they have plenty of juice left in their tanks despite being more than 20 years old (and speaking of getting old, Tom Cruise looks like he hasn’t aged a day since the first Mission: Impossible came out!).

Also quite fun, even as it faced backlash for making “only” $200 million, was Solo: A Star Wars Story, the best film in the series since The Force Awakens (and a lot more satisfying than The Last Jedi). Finally, it may be impossible for me to gush enough about the sugar rush of adrenaline that was Ready Player One (that Shining sequence? WOW!), easily the most shamelessly “Spielberg” Spielberg motion picture since at least The Adventures Of Tintin.

In the world of animation, Disney went into somewhat uncertain waters for them, releasing the first big budget sequel to one of their animated movies since The Rescuers Down Under (of course, that depends on whether or not you count Fantasia 2000 and 2011’s barely talked about Winnie The Pooh as “sequels,” which I personally don’t). Ralph Breaks The Internet showed that the Mouse House is capable of both critical and commercial success with such cinematic fare, though the big “test” of that will be this year’s upcoming Frozen 2, something which is going to face immense pressure to be great due to the phenomenal success of the original. Playing against its own seasonal conventions was Hotel Transylvania 3, which received a warm welcome during the hottest months of the year since it did, in fact, feel like a Summer Vacation. In terms of non-sequels, Smallfoot ended up being one of 2018’s most pleasant surprises, managing to be unexpectedly insightful and topical while also including some pretty great musical numbers.

Yet to a large extent — arguably in part due to the exhaustively draining headlines that dominated the year in the “real world” — it was nostalgia that saw a spotlight in 2018, as Christopher Robin and especially the absolutely wonderful family fantasy Paddington 2 warmed the hearts of filmgoers everywhere. Also feeling “needed” in response to the world’s current climate was Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, a subtly touching and just all around nice documentary about a man whose kindness has rightfully been celebrated as of late. And while it may have taken a spoonful of sugar to go down for some, darn me if I wasn’t grinning ear-to-ear — and wiping away tears — during Mary Poppins Returns, a jolly holiday indeed which fortunately didn’t even attempt to be as Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious as its predecessor.

On the small screen, oddly enough, it was Family Guy which became relevant again, with its 300th episode being one of the most poignant poignant half-hours of television the show has ever produced.

DuckTales continued to be an excellent reboot of the 80s cartoon classic, with enough wit to engage fans old and new alike (a shout-out must be made to the heavily Mickey’s Christmas Carol-influenced holiday episode as well). On a much, much darker side of TV, Westworld was once again one of the most exhilarating shows of its kind, pinning viewers to their seats even if they debated its various (and plentiful) plot twists later on.

Every year does contain its fair share of disappointments, however, and this year was no exception, though in my case I found myself being let down by movies that were widely liked by others. Even with a likable cast of crooks and would-be jailbirds, Ocean’s 8 didn’t have enough nail-biting in it to make it fully exciting as a heist film. But more frustrating, for me at least, was the new Halloween, a needlessly cynical escapade in horror which wanted to be both a sequel and a reboot in relation to the original, going so far as to “erase” the underrated Halloween II in order to do so (in an infuriating manner, I might add).

Dan’s Picks

It seemed to me that 2018 was a very interesting year in animation and entertainment. Disney had a dominant year, particularly in animation with the critical and commercial success of Pixar’s Incredibles 2 and their own Ralph Breaks The Internet. Netflix continues to make strong moves with new well-received animated shows like The Dragon Prince and She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power. What’s more, I couldn’t help but notice big numbers of content promoting diverse cultures and ethnicities trickling out to acclaim and fanfare.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is one of, if not the best Spider-Man film to date. The story of Miles Morales and his meeting the various Spider-Men and Women from other dimensions managed to turn what could easily have been a complex and confusing adaptation of a comic book premise into an amazing moviegoing experience that was just breathtaking to watch, particularly on an IMAX screen. Featuring outstanding visual design and animation, an emotionally wonderful narrative with heart, and an excellent diverse cast of characters, I stand by my belief that this could possibly be a game-changer in animation.

While the excellent Avengers: Infinity War become the fourth highest grossing film of all-time, it was Black Panther that arguably won the year. Ryan Coogler directed a beautifully photographed film featuring an outstanding ethnic cast and a delightful narrative that was thoughtful and heartfelt. The film broke ground in a big way, becoming the highest grossing solo superhero feature, the highest grossing film by a black director, the best reviewed live-action superhero film, and a cultural phenomenon whose impact continues to be felt.

I would be remiss if we didn’t mention 2018 being the 90th Anniversary of the mouse who started it all. And Disney’s D23 made sure to celebrate Mickey Mouse in fine fashion with a wonderful panel at the San Diego Comic Con featuring current voice Bret Iwan, legendary animator Mark Henn, and Walt Disney Archives director Becky Cline telling some funny anecdotes and informative stories. D23 Gold members also scored an excellent gift box of Mickey Mouse memorabilia such as original script pages for Steamboat Willie, the McCall printed pattern for Mickey and Minnie dolls, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice record cover, and other goodies.

Gravity Falls may have ended in 2016, but the brilliant Disney series of twins Dipper and Mabel’s summer with their Grunkle Stan continued on, topping my pick for off-screen material of 2018. Shout! Factory issued a glorious Blu-ray of the complete series with the collector’s edition containing a bonus disc of fun extras, such as stories creator Alex Hirsch tells with his own twin sister Ariel. Hirsch would also publish the Lost Legends graphic novel. Featuring four stories that were wonderfully written and illustrated, they could have easily been episodes.

While it was pretty much the only event of note I attended in 2018, the San Diego Comic Con was no less spectacular. This year featured an excellent 10th Anniversary panel for Star Wars: The Clone Wars that was capped off with the roaring excitement of its return, a lovely retrospective on the 1984 Supergirl film after which I got a free copy of the Blu-ray and met Helen Slater, and a great look at the returning Invader Zim as well as just managing to meet the cast and crew. But the real fun moment for me was when the cast of Star Trek: Discovery gave out doughnuts to folks in line on Day Two morning, allowing a chance to meet actor Anthony Rapp.

My discovery of the year goes to the beautifully crafted Life is Strange video game series. Applying the supernatural to an emotional coming of age story of friends Max and Chloe, the episodic series first published by Square Enix in 2015 garnered mainstream attention in 2018 with key releases. The prequel title Before The Storm released a gut-wrenching epilogue, the first episode of Life is Strange 2 a new story and set of characters launched, and Titan Books released a fun hardcover guide to life/art book and a dramatic sequel comic to the first title. This is a great series to experience.

But of course, Critical Role was once again at the top of my list for best of the year. The live internet stream of well known animation voice actors playing Dungeons & Dragons started a new campaign that was just as exhilarating and dramatic as the first. 2018 saw the series gain two animation spots, an outstanding commercial for sponsor D&D Beyond that hearkens to the 1980s, and a beautiful new anime-inspired show introduction with a cool new theme song. Combined with the release of a second art book, an appearance in a Spider-Man comic book, and even a billboard in northern Los Angeles for a time, 2018 was a big year for Critical Role.

Rand’s Picks

While this was not perhaps a banner year for animated films, I still found projects to enjoy, though primarily at home. Only a few of the live action superhero epics got me out to the theater this year (Avengers: Infinity War deserved its praise, and was as awesome as we had hoped), while my home theater generally sufficed for most everything else. (Okay, I admit that I took my wife out to Crazy Rich Asians, which was fun, too.) A look at Wikipedia finds over 100 animated films released worldwide this past year, including direct-to-video offerings, and I certainly have only seen a small handful of those. So much of the American stuff seems uninspired, while much of the international stuff is largely inaccessible.

The one animated film that I made it out to see in the theater was Incredibles 2. I was a little let down by it, however. While it was certainly well made, it failed to thrill or excite me much. If there is one more film out to tempt me to get to the theater, it would be Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, which looks incredible itself. Disney only gave us a sequel (Ralph Breaks The internet), which I’m looking forward to, but not enough to rush out to see it.

On Blu-ray, I enjoyed Early Man from Aardman; I would not give it too much awards consideration necessarily (well, maybe this year, which was weak overall), but it was at least unusual and well crafted. I also liked the oddness of Isle Of Dogs, Wes Anderson’s typically weird but enchanting film.

Looking at the other studios, DreamWorks and Blue Sky had no film out this year, and neither did Laika. Interestingly, Sony Pictures Animation was the most active of all the majors, with Spider-Verse and Hotel Transylvania 3, plus the work they did on Peter Rabbit and Goosebumps 2 — a mixed bag to be sure, but Spider-Verse alone should make up for last year’s Smurfs: The Lost Village and The Emoji Movie.

The most gratifying thing I watched at home this year was perhaps Mary And The Witch’s Flower [above], a film by Studio Ponoc, who are trying to continue on in the Ghibli tradition; this first effort was not perfect, but it was quite impressive. Meanwhile, I appreciated the direct-to-video product coming from DC: Gotham By Gaslight was fairly well done, with a surprise twist that pleased me and kept the story from simply being a retread of the graphic novel. Batman: Ninja was so crazy and over the top that some panned it, but I found it to be ridiculously fun. The Death Of Superman did not have the same visual flair, but the story was surprisingly affecting, and leagues better than the first animated telling of the story in Superman: Doomsday.

On TV, I was mostly pleased with the ending for Star Wars Rebels. While I rarely found the show as appealing overall as its predecessor, Clone Wars, Rebels was still an outstanding program that did the franchise prouder than a few films I could mention.

Home video also got some classic material out for us older or more discerning fans. The Disney Movie Club gave us a very welcome two-movie set for Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. While devoid of any bonus features (I’m thankful I still have my deluxe LaserDisc set!), it was extremely gratifying to see these films unedited and in high-definition. DMC also put out exclusives for Piglet’s Big Movie and Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search For Christopher Robin, to tie in to the Christopher Robin film release. DMC’s exclusives can only be bought by club members, unless you wish to be gouged by aftermarket sellers on eBay.

More easily found are the offerings from Warner Archive, either from their own site, Amazon, or a few other online retailers. WA recently released a wonderful Blu-ray set of color Popeye cartoons from the 1940s, and more volumes are in the works. It was also nice to see their Blu-ray release of Rankin-Bass’s Flight Of The Dragons come out early this year. One should also mention that Warner Home Video came through with a superb Blu-ray set for the fully remastered Batman: The Animated Series, making legions of fans happy. And Shout! Factory began a promising relationship with Disney that saw them release a superb complete series Blu-ray set for Gravity Falls. One hopes for more such sets in the future.

James’s Picks

Animated Views celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2018. We mainly critiqued discs back in 2003, and didn’t start reviewing films while they were in theatres until several years later. I did the first such review back in 2007, and have had the honor of writing over 70% of our theatrical reviews since then.

But maybe that has jaded me! Or maybe I’m just a natural curmudgeon! Because on our scale of 0-10, I haven’t rated a single widely released film eight or better since 2014! Yes I can be picky. And, yes, I consider a score of seven to be a very good film. But I haven’t been wowed in a long while.

The Academy had 25 entries submitted for Best Animated Feature qualification this year. But a majority of them were foreign or otherwise limited release films. Only eleven played in more than 1,500 theatres. I saw nine of those movies — sorry Sgt. Stubby and Sherlock Gnomes! While it’s another year for me with no eight, nine, or ten ratings, all my top picks for 2018 are “super” in a manner of speaking!

#1 Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
Admit it. When you heard Sony was going to make an animated Spider-Man movie without help from the MCU geniuses, you rolled your eyes. When you heard it was about the “Spider-Verse” you audibly groaned. But Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse was almost as pleasant a surprise as Sony letting the MCU geniuses handle the live-action version of the character.

Anyone reading my reviews for any amount of time knows I’m all about the story. And while Spider-Verse doesn’t go too deep, it does give this new version of the web-slinger a solid origin with characters we start to care for and want to learn more about. But perhaps the best thing about the film is the unique visual style that feels comic-book-y without being gimmicky. Knowing Sony, they’re already planning to exploit the success of this Spider-Man movie all they can. Hopefully they can do so while keeping the fresh look and fresh take from this film while adding even more depth to this classic hero.

#2 Incredibles 2
The superhero film genre has come a long way since 2004, when the first Incredibles film was released. The X-Men were just two films in, Tobey Maguire’s second Spider-Man film was coming, and not a single movie from the MCU, Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, or even the Fantastic Four had been released.

Back then audiences were hungry for superhero fare and Pixar provided something great. Audiences today are over-stuffed, so Pixar would have to do something to stand out from the crowd. Changing the superheroing focus to Elastigirl and having Mr. Incredible have to deal with jealousy and Jack-Jack proved to be the right recipe! While the ending could have used some work, the film had something a lot of other comic book movies lack — a focus on everyday normal relationships. They call their spouse after a long day at work. They take the kids out to dinner. Then they save the world again. That emphasis on the human part of the hero is at the heart of what makes Incredibles 2 so super.

#3 Teen Titans Go To The Movies
There are a lot of superhero movies out there these days. I mean, a lot! I love the genre but even I think the pace needs to slow down. With the glut of the comic book genre in pop culture today, the Teen Titans come at exactly the right time to mock everything people love and hate about these kinds of movies!

The film is also a great fit with the zany humor Warner Animation has featured in their other recent titles like The Lego Movie and Storks. That means the laughs may be more important than plot sometimes. But with endless plot from Marvel’s ten-year long soap opera and DC’s overly serious and dark tone in their extended universe, some pointed satire and general mockery is a welcome change!

Readers’ Choice Results

Now it’s time to find out what you said in out Readers’ Choice Poll and, for just the first time in the seven years we’ve been asking Animated Views readers to rank the best animated movies of the year you’ve chosen a film not from Disney or Pixar!

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse earned the top spot on your list with a score of 58 out of a perfect 100. It received 43% of the first place votes and appeared on an impressive 71% of all ballots.

Incredibles 2 was the second choice with a score of 48/100. It got 21% of the first place votes and showed up on an almost equally impressive 70% of all ballots.

Third place went to Ralph Breaks The Internet with a score of 27/100. It picked up only 8% of the first place votes but was on 47% of all ballots. Isle Of Dogs came in fourth with a score of 23/100. It actually earned more first place votes than Ralph with 13%, but fewer people had it on their ballots, at 32%. And Mirai took the fifth spot with a score of 10/100, getting 2% of the first place votes and appearing on 17% of the ballots.

Well, as a certain cartoon pig (not Spider-Ham!) is famous for saying, “That’s all, folks!” — at least for this article! There’s loads more animated news and views to come throughout the new year so, as usual, “stay tooned”, and we wish you all a great 2019!

— Dacey, and the entire Animated Views Team!

All of which made the world of film look rather drab and colorless, not helped by a general lack of noteworthy hits or creative accomplishments, especially in animated film, where Disney-Pixar’s Coco hoovered up awards season prizes as much for its depiction of “diversity” as it was simply because it’s about the only animated feature this year that was, one: fairly original, and two: made any kind of real commercial and cultural impact. So what else was out there? As the various guilds and academies awarded their honorees, we asked our own merry band of intrepid writers and reviewers to look back for…

Ben’s Picks

Thankfully it seemed that 2017 wasn’t going to reflect the year that came before in terms of celebrity and filmmaker deaths, of which the number felt way too high in 2016. The casualties this year were much more of the career variety, of course, with the likes of Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and – yikes! – Pixar’s own John Lasseter becoming the faces named and shamed as the entire Hollywood establishment was called out for decades of the “casting couch” culture that was well-known about even outside of the business, let alone within it. Falls from graces toward the end of the year became an almost weekly occurrence, a sport that had some insiders placing theoretical bets on who might be exposed – if that’s the appropriate word – next. All of which led to revelations in other industries and workplaces, expanding to gender equality pay questions and topics that stretch far and beyond the issues of movie men being caught with their pants down. Change was and is afoot, with the ramifications to be felt in the entertainment landscape for years to come.

For many, Wonder Woman led the charge, even though the film had been shot and pretty much released long before the various current movements got underway, though that it was also directed by a woman makes for a tidy convenience that escapes the fact that Diana herself still adhered to the supposed male fantasy stereotype by having to have her boobs pushed up. Even Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a real love it or hate it affair, pushed its heroine to the fore at the expense of her two male costars – and any element from The Force Awakens that director Riann Johnson didn’t particularly care for! Structurally the film was a mess, and more and more poorly conceived the more I ponder over it. I still “enjoyed” it, for what it was, but nothing more.

As for the past several years, superheroes ruled the box-office, with a mix of films that ranged from the perfectly fine (the otherwise heralded Spider-Man: Homecomimg, which didn’t ultimately make the best use of its basic concept and boringly resorted to a usual smash-em-up climax) to the superlative Logan, a true anti-(super)hero movie that really delivered one of the best such experiences of recent times. And the much troubled Justice League finally hobbled into cinemas, up against another Marvel juggernaut, Thor: Ragnarok, which looked great from its previews.

What a surprise, then, to find Thor to be overlong, boring with its never-ending stretches of random comedy-filled dialog, and again ending with yet another pointless climax where everyone tried to smash up everyone else. Um, you’re Gods, guys, and therefore indestructible, unlike the audience who at least could nod off here and there while they continued to bicker redundantly. In comparison, the admittedly Frankenstein’s Monster of Justice League was a breath of albeit disjointed fresh air, especially the return of Danny Elfman’s Batman theme and his use of John Williams’ Superman – only the none too epic use of a narrower than expected 1.85 frame prevented the film from feeling as epic as it could and should have done. Showing again how effortlessly it can be done right was Marvel’s other big hit, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2, which stuck just as big grin on my face for its entire duration as the downright awful Beauty And The Beast had me grimacing throughout, in a film so directionless and misguided that I am perplexed by its huge box-office haul.

Film, generally, was a hit and miss affair across the board for me in 2017, and even some of the heavyweight dramas failed to spark much interest other than being stories that may well have deserved being brought to the screen but failed to become true film classics as a result, something that also ran true for me in animated fare.

Indeed, I honestly believe that if Coco takes the Academy Award for Best Picture at the Oscars this weekend – and it’s about as dead a cert as they come – then the “Pixar effect” that suggests voters who don’t see all the nominated films automatically pick the Lamp’s entry is a real thing. This isn’t because Coco isn’t a good film, or even the best of this year’s nominees, but because it’s the obvious quality effort that doesn’t require sitting through the other, supposedly lesser entries.

The accomplishment of creating any animated film can neve be denied but, for me, I’d have like to have seen the likes of Loving Vincent gain a little more traction, being a project that may not have fully successfully handled all of its story aspects, but brought back real technique to the medium. Again, I guess that commercial entertainment is more “fun” to watch (and vote for) against an independent work of art that no doubt found a tougher path to (limited) movie screens, but that Coco also shared undeniable similarities with the earlier Book Of Life also had me feeling that the slightly less original but bigger film had an easier ride. Not that Coco doesn’t deserve its gathered collection of awards kudos – as an example of studio animated fare it stands head and shoulders above the rest of 2017’s offerings…though that’s not necessarily a hard thing to do given the huge amount of non-classics in the making released in the last twelve months. Sure, there were some fun diversions, but nothing of the caliber and longevity of an Up or Inside Out. If the rumors of Pete Docter taking on Lasseter’s duties are true, it’ll be a shame to see his voice muted somewhat by his needing to spread himself thinner, even if I do believe he’s the only choice to ultimately fill those boots.

On home video, offerings weren’t much better, with the major distributors all but giving up on serving up classic fare. Warners brought limited joy with a set of Porky Pig cartoons, even if it was far from perfect, but it was again the independent likes of Thunderbean Animation that promised to provide true and rare golden age goodness (I say “promised” because despite all good intentions, I’m still actually waiting two years on for most of my orders to be fulfilled!).

The lack of truly great movies, both old and new, being made available on disc had me catching up with some older catalog titles, filling out gaps in my Criterion Collection wants and wish lists from several independent companies, as well as stocking up on some bookcase purchases including a number of consistently excellent Disney Editions tomes.

The greatest achievement – by far – for me in 2017, however, was the eventual completion of our self-built home and its state-of-the-art, 21-seat screening room, complete with true 4K projection, Dolby Atmos sound and genuine restored theater seating. Yes, I’m boasting, but it’s been a project so long in the making that I’m just pleased it’s finally done, let alone as simply awesome as it is. Movie nights have taken a big step up, with regular showings for family, friends and neighbors almost every week, and I’ve personally been enjoying catching up on several animated and big visual effects films that I had been saving from the past few years. Indeed, watching the recent Planet Of The Apes prequels back to back has been a noteworthy experience to really see how CGI has come on over the course of those three films, with this year’s War For The Planet Of The Apes not only absolutely flooring me with its visuals but in its whole philosophy and approach, too, making it possibly my favourite film of 2017 and, hopefully, the rightful winner of this year’s visual effects Oscar. Which is just about where I came in…!

Dacey’s Picks

2017 may have seen its fair share of animated hits, but what proved to be the genre which absolutely dominated the year was the superhero film. The standout may have been Wonder Woman, which wowed virtually everyone with its terrific action sequences and great storytelling. The very R-rated Logan, meanwhile, proved to be one of the most powerful films of its kind to date, with an Oscar-worthy performance from Sir Patrick Stewart as an aging Professor X.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2 provided the charm and excitement that fans have come to expect from Marvel, while Spider-Man: Homecoming and Thor: Ragnarok were even better. And heck, even though Rotten Tomatoes scores might’ve said otherwise, Justice League ended up becoming one of my favorite movies of the year, with swift pacing, a ton of humor, and plenty of massive fight scenes. In an era filled with comic book films, Justice League was refreshing in that it was one of the few that actually felt like one.

This is an animation website, of course, so we’ll talk about those films next. Coco was hauntingly beautiful, as one would expect from Pixar, while Cars 3 was somehow both better and worse than Cars 2, certainly working better as a “sequel” to Cars while not quite being as crazy and light on its feet (wheels?) as the Mater-centric installment. As a longtime “Brony,” I was happy to report that My Little Pony: The Movie delivered the magic of the TV series for both fans and newcomers on an epic scale, even though it’s hard not to be disappointed with how Lionsgate handled the marketing of the film. Finally, The Boss Baby was hilarious largely thanks to Alec Baldwin being in top comedic form as the titular character, while the uneven Despicable Me 3 was easily a low for the franchise despite still providing plenty of laughs (those darn Minions are always good for a chuckle even in a mediocre film).

Once again, Disney had a strong year. The latest Pirates of the Caribbean was a return to fun and adventure for the franchise after its rather underwhelming 2011 offering, but it was Beauty and the Beast that truly delivered one of the most magical moviegoing experiences of the year for me, not playing as a “remake” of the original so much as a reflection of it. As for The Last Jedi, it was certainly a lot more divisive among audiences than the much more “traditional” The Force Awakens, though it still managed to deliver plenty of cool moments, even if it didn’t “feel” quite enough like a Star Wars movie to me. Lastly, Olaf’s Frozen Adventure was a suitably warm and fuzzy Christmas special that should give fans of Elsa and Anna plenty of delight for years to come.

On the non-Mouse House side of things, John Wick: Chapter 2 was a fittingly satisfying dose of adrenaline, Wonder was a wonderful film which served as a plea for kindness (at a time when we might need it more than ever), the Jumanji sequel/reboot was about as crowd-pleasing and fun as anyone could possibly hope it would be, and The Greatest Showman – which has thankfully turned into a leggy box office hit – gave us the sort of old school musical that Hollywood never seems to make anymore, full of grand spectacle and toe-tapping songs.

On the smaller screen, Rick and Morty made a triumphant return to television, delivering the usual twisted sense of humor and a surprisingly poignant season arc which served as a parable against nihilism rather than an argument for it. For a more family-friendly audience, the DuckTales relaunch ended up pleasing almost everyone, fueled by nostalgia while still willing to embrace the new. Lastly, Nick’s outstanding Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot sadly came to a close, but it went down as one of the best animated series of recent memory. The upcoming Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will certainly have big shoes (or shells) to fill.

Dan’s Picks

I found 2017 to be an interesting year for animation. With animation features, it was about as relatively quiet as 2015 and, like two years ago, a Pixar film pretty much had the spotlight. While there were notable stand-outs like The Breadwinner, The Lego Batman Movie, and the box-office run of Despicable Me 3, it looked to me like it was all about Coco as the lone animated feature in a sea of Disney live-action powerhouses. So I veered left and took a look at other animation-related material outside of features for 2017 with some fascinating results.

A pleasant surprise in 2017 was Legend Quest. Known as Las Leyendas in native Mexico, the Netflix series featured nice animation and great storytelling that didn’t compromise simply because it was a children’s show. Scary monsters, a pair of unique heroines complimenting the male lead, and a fascinating respect for folklore and mythology to the point of being subtly educational, it stood out very well within a crowded lineup of strong Disney and DreamWorks shows. I’m looking forward to seeing what Ánima Estudios come up with for the announced second season.

This year saw online animated shorts rise in interest and popularity. Seemingly leading the charge had been Blizzard Entertainment, using them to explore the backstories of the colorful characters to their megahit video game Overwatch, continuing this year with some fine shorts. Disney and LucasFilm jumped in, spotlighting the heroines of Star Wars with the well developed Forces of Destiny series. And finally there was Mexico, launching the hilarious Villainous in the hopes of getting a full series through Cartoon Network and garnering a huge cult following.

Taking a page from Ben, I’d like to note some off-screen material I picked up in 2017. One I liked was Oswald The Lucky Rabbit: The Search for the Lost Disney Cartoons by David Bossert. Released in time for the character’s 90th anniversary, it’s a great read about the Disney cartoons and their rediscoveries. Another favorite was the awesome Mobile Suit Gundam Wing Collector’s Ultra Edition Blu-ray set. This release of one of my favorite animes featured the set exclusive picture drama of the Frozen Teardrop novels, a beautiful artbook, and more goodies.

The convention scene got very interesting in 2017 with Disney moving their D23 Expo to the weekend before San Diego Comic Con. Both had fantastic moments, but I think D23 slightly edges out by having the cooler surprises, like the Disney Princesses reveal for Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2, and more fascinating panels, in particular the Hercules 20th anniversary retrospective. But I also attended two real neat art exhibition and panel events at Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, CA, one for Beauty and the Beast and the other for Star vs. The Forces of Evil.

But at the very top of my list was the discovery of Critical Role. A web series from Geek and Sundry broadcasting the live weekly Dungeons and Dragons gaming sessions of voice actors such as Matthew Mercer, Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, and Travis Willingham, 2017 saw the show becoming a pop culture phenomenon. Bolstered by fantastic storytelling and excellent improvisational acting, the show had been a blast to watch. They just wrapped an incredible five-year campaign in epic, dramatic fashion as 2017 closed and are kick starting a new adventure to open 2018.

James’ Picks

Is it just me or have the animated slate of films the last three years been mostly lackluster? Of the 29 released in 2017, I saw almost half – all 14 wide releases. And while there was some fun to be had, there wasn’t much we’ll look back on in later years as memorable.

Coco gets the top spot this year. Like Inside Out two years ago, I wasn’t as impressed as most other reviewers with it, but it does so many things right that you can’t help but to appreciate it on those merits. The animation is wonderful. The living side of the divide is warm and appealing and contrasts nicely with the land of the dead which is bold and exciting. Music permeates the film – from Michael Giacchino’s great score to the fun and nicely performed songs. Pixar’s portrayal of Mexican heritage is respectful without being stuffy. And the voice cast is good all-around. Unfortunately, the story is a bit of a disappointment. The plot is just a little too facile and the emotional edge a little too forced. Coco‘s worth seeing for all the things it does right, but narratively it’s just a ghost of the type of story we’re used to from Pixar.

My second spot goes to my favorite of the 14 animated films I saw this year, The Lego Batman Movie. I was a huge fan of The Lego Movie and was thrilled when they announced this follow-up. The original was a fast-paced, hilarious, emotional surprise of a film, and The Lego Batman Movie attempts to be the same. They get a lot right. The humor, while not hitting the target quite as much as The Lego Movie, is still absolutely fantastic. The plot is a bit thin but stands up pretty well since its real purpose is to set up the characters, the action, and the jokes. The animation is wonderful and just fun to watch even without paying attention to the plot. The score is at times original and at times a tribute to the past, but comes together is a very enjoyable way; while the songs – both original and classic – are a big part of the film’s success. And Will Arnett is a worthy member of the pantheon of Batman greats. With the DC Extended Universe plodding along with the most dreary versions of the comic books ever seen on screen, a more lighthearted Lego Batman is the hero audiences need and deserve right now.

I considered giving Cars 3 the “official” number three spot. The writing is well done, the animation is top of the line, and they thankfully didn’t follow the fork in the road that gave us the intolerable Cars 2. But even though the story was fairly solid, in the end Cars 3 was a little too similar to the original model for me to reward with a spot on the list.
 
As long time readers may know, in years where I have trouble coming up with more than two films I feel are good enough to list as my top three, I usually give an “honorary” number three to a film that, while not a movie that would normally make this kind of list, was worthy of some attention for coming out of nowhere to impress, surpass low expectations, or surprise us with a unexpectedly good time at the theatre. And there are two candidates I had to choose from this year. I could have went with The Star, which was a simple, sweet, sincere, and entertaining movie – not too preachy, not too hip, and not trying to be anything other than what it was.

But in the end I decided to go with the film I went in expecting to have to power through, but came out of surprisingly entertained, and that was – believe it or not! – My Little Pony The Movie. I know, I know, you think I should have to turn in my film reviewer credentials! And no, I’m no brony! But let’s be honest. I went in to see this film with barely any knowledge of the franchise, expecting what any normal middle-aged adult male would be expecting from such a film. And I was as shocked as anyone when I realized 30 minutes in I was actually interested in the plot and not just counting the minutes until it was over! That alone would probably make it worthy of this honorary spot on the list. But it also had some nice performances, great songs, and a lot of humor and heart as well. Will I be getting a huge Twilight Sparkle tattoo across my chest? No. Will I be watching the movie again anytime soon? Probably not. Will I admit that I was wrong with my preconceptions about this film? Absolutely. Such a wonderful surprise…

That’s my top three wide release animated movies for 2017. Here’s hoping that 2018 brings us a better slate of films with great stories, memorable music, and yes, big adventure and tons of fun.

Randall’s Picks

2017 will not be fondly remembered by a lot of people on the planet. There was political wackiness, horrible natural disasters, and the passings of far too many famous people whose work we enjoyed. And on the animation scene…there was a lot of mediocrity. Sure, we got two Pixar films, with Coco being the hand’s-down favorite to take home the Best Animated Feature Oscar. But even Coco, as wonderful as it was, still told a story that appeared original but really had a few plot twists that even my kids saw coming right from the start. For me, though I too found the story a little predictable in how it tried to surprise the audience, it was a total pleasure to simply bask in the beautiful animation and exquisite storytelling. Oftentimes, even when you know where you are headed, the journey is still a blast, and such was the case with this wonderfully crafted film. Shall it win the Oscar, you will hear few arguments. Still, it cannot be viewed as Pixar’s very best, given the high bar they set for themselves years ago. Meanwhile, Pixar also gave us the sequel that few were asking for, Cars 3, an okay film that nevertheless served mainly as an apology for Cars 2, bringing little new to the table.

And once you get past Pixar, the mainstream offerings were pretty slim. There was no Disney Studios animated film this year, and DreamWorks only released the unappealing Boss Baby and the kiddie-aimed Captain Underpants. Sony brought forth three of the least-liked films of the year, The Emoji Movie, Smurfs: The Lost Village, and The Star. Illumination had only a so-so sequel, Despicable Me 3, and Blue Sky had trouble getting any buzz behind Ferdinand. Even if these films are decent (I haven’t been too bothered to see them, to be honest), they will be little remembered in coming years.

Warner brought out two Lego films, the best received being the odd but kind of sublime Lego Batman Movie. That left us with independent and foreign films to pin our hopes on, and I have not yet been able to see any of them, though The Breadwinner and In This Corner Of The World both look particularly promising, and I expect that some of the others will prove stimulating.

In terms of live action films, you had to love sci-fi or superheroes if you were going mainstream. Star Wars: The Last Jedi won the box office, but divided fans. I am still sorting through my own feelings for the film. I enjoyed it while I watched it, but it left me troubled afterwards. There were a number of absolutely great comic book films, with Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Logan, and of course the well-received Wonder Woman all earning praise as well as dollars. Justice League disappointed, finishing tenth at the box office this year, though I’m more eager to watch it again than Blade Runner 2049, a film that I thought was a masterpiece, yet did not really warm towards. The film I disliked the most in 2017, especially considering the anticipation for it, was Disney’s live-action/CGI mix Beauty And The Beast. While many were thrilled to see the beloved classic “come to life”, my wife and I were both left appalled at the casting choices (including, of all things, a lead who cannot sing) and the overly fussy and dreary design.

I didn’t watch too much animation on TV this year, but enjoyed reviewing Star Wars Rebels and Justice League Action, two shows that can entertain the whole family. My TV viewing goes mainly towards the remarkable crop of DC live action shows, which I mostly enjoy. I have also loved seeing so many catalog films coming out on home video from Warner Archive and many independents (Twilight Time, Kino Lorber, Shout Factory, Arrow, Powerhouse, Eureka…) who do fine work while licensing classic (and not-so-classic) films from studios that can no longer be bothered with putting out Blu-rays themselves.

Outside of film, I continued to thrill to the exciting comic strip reprints that brought forth such Disney newspaper comic strip classics as Silly Symphonies, Treasury Of Classic Tales, and Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. The coolest of these books may actually be the one that reprinted all of the Disney Christmas stories from the newspapers, featuring tales that combined a number of Disney characters (and usually Santa) in unique and fun ways. Seeing the Star Wars strip get collected was also a treat. IDW and Fantagraphics also brought out lots of great Disney comic books and collections.

Meanwhile, DC Comics enchanted me with stories of not only Superman and Batman, but also their amusingly mismatched sons; and numerous publishers teamed up to give us gonzo but enjoyable match-ups like The Green Hornet ’66 Meets The Spirit, Star Trek/Green Lantern, Tarzan On The Planet Of The Apes, and Wonder Woman ’77 Meets The Bionic Woman.

I have also been amused by the growth of Funko, who have been putting out a huge assortment of collectible figures that are reasonably priced and apparently selling like gangbusters. I did pick up a few Hanna-Barbera and DC Comics Pop! Vinyl figures myself this year. They are just so darned cute!

Your Picks!

And now it’s your turn! For just the second time in the six years we’ve been asking Animated Views readers to rank the best animated movies of the year you’ve chosen a Pixar film.

Coco earned the top spot on your list with a score of 62 out of a perfect 100. It received 51% of the first place votes and appeared on an impressive 69% of all ballots.

The Lego Batman Movie was the second choice with a score of 26/100. It got 9% of the first place votes and appeared on 40% of all ballots.

There was a tie for third place. The Breadwinner and Cars 3 both received a score of 11/100. They both took 5% of the first place votes. But The Breadwinner picked up slightly more second and third place votes, earning a spot on 19% of all ballots to 18% for Cars 3.

My Little Pony: The Movie took the fifth spot, just behind the previously mentioned films with 10/100, taking 3% of the first place votes and appearing on 18% of the ballots.

And that wraps up another year, folks! Did your own choices of 2017 make our lists, or did we overlook any films or other items that should have perhaps made our selections? Come join us in the Animated Views Forum to discuss your views and start the discussion rolling on what could feature in next year’s best ofs and hit big during awards season – not least because we’re in March already (!) it’ll come along sooner than you think!

Until then, enjoy the upcoming summer movie season and the many old and new delights it promises to serve up, and don’t forget to check in with Animated Views for the latest news and reviews – stay tooned!

— Ben and the entire AV team!

Flash-forward twelve months, and what a difference a year makes, with 2016 bringing us…um…more Avengers and Star Wars (as well as this, surely the funniest thing of the year), along with a heap of interchangeable animated features!

But it was a considerably better year for such fare, especially from the Disney camp, and here to wade through it all one more time and give their own picks of the year and last-second holiday gifts are our own band of merry reviewers and news contributors. Yes, it’s time for…

Ben’s Picks

And so 2016 ends as it began, as a new Star Wars film graces the big screen, with Rogue One proving, as with last year’s offering, that the Force is strong with Disney and that the franchise is in good hands. While not comparing to the original trilogy, Rogue easily beats Episodes I – III as the prequel fans have been looking for, even if the CG resurrection of Peter Cushing isn’t as good as the teenage Tony Stark in this summer’s Captain America: Civil War and the blink-and-you’ll-miss Princess Leia comes direct from the uncanny valley.

Cap 3 was a riot, refreshing the Marvel Cinematic Universe just when it might have begun to feel a little stale and remaining victorious atop the superhero genre, with rivals DC all but crashing and burning with their own, too hastily assembled team-ups. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the poignant independent Florence Foster Jenkins was a witty, warm, and not just a little bit wise reminder of top-flight filmmaking and superlative performances.

In a record-breaking year, Disney also reigned triumphant at the box-office, topping and tailing the year with its Disney Animation offerings of Zootopia – a comedy with something to say – and the exquisite Moana – still in theatres and highly recommended – while even Pixar’s Finding Dory made a billion bucks even though it just wasn’t very good, unlike supposed failure Alice Through The Looking Glass and moderate hit Pete’s Dragon, which both proved the Studio is at the top of its game creatively if nothing else. And who knew that Jon Favreau’s The Jungle Book would turn out as enchanting as it did?

In fact, Disney’s only real dud this year was The BFG, and that was really an Amblin production, where Spielberg’s usually assured touch eluded him. That rare misfire aside, Disney ruled and, in fact, I may have to declare Pete’s Dragon [right] to be the most unexpectedly enjoyable movie of the year.

Other studios couldn’t really compete: in animation we got sequels (Kung Fu Panda 3, yet another Ice Age), an independent (The Little Prince) that sadly got dumped by its distributor, and firsts that felt like sequels (Secret Life Of Pets, Trolls, Storks), but thank goodness for Kubo And The Two Strings to not only bring us a unique feature but also keep the stop-motion medium going strong. In live-action, things weren’t much better, with an over-abundance of big budget fare that outright disappointed (Independence Day: Resurgence being laughably bad) or was merely okay (Deadpool being not half as meta or clever as it thought it was), a perfect example being Star Trek Beyond, which was perfectly fine but unspectacular.

Smaller budget and independent films may have offered different angles but also struggled to make their mark, the result being one of the most wide-open Oscar races as we head into awards season, leaving the real gems to be catalog titles coming to Blu-ray for the first time, such as the classic Frankenstein and Marx Bros. Silver Screen Collection sets from Universal. Otherwise, home video stayed pretty stagnant this year, with an almost complete lack of “great” titles coming to Blu-ray, especially as far as animation is concerned (although we finally did get The Iron Giant collector’s edition the film deserved), where only the independent distributors are doing any solid work.

Once again, books provided more nourishment for the animation collector, with another collection of They Drew As They Pleased: The Hidden Art Of Disney’s Musical Years, The 1940s Part One from Didier Ghez, a welcome revision for JB Kaufman and Russell Merritt’s Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies: A Companion To The Classic Cartoon Series (but sadly only illustrating how sad it is that we can’t study these films on Blu-ray), and even the frivolous The Art Of Minnie Mouse gave us interesting visual riffs on one of Disney’s oldest characters.

Two books really excelled this year: The Walt Disney Studios: A Lot To Remember provided a genuinely fascinating look at the physical Studio itself, but by far the publishing highlight of 2016 must be Taschen’s awesomely assembled behemoth The Walt Disney Film Archives: The Animated Movies 1921-1968, the first in a planned five-part compendium [right] and expensive for sure, but lavishly produced, exceptionally engrossing and packed with art that even the most ardent of followers won’t have seen before; simply wonderful!

In other media, I was struck by Glenn Close’s reprise of her iconic Norma Desmond in the limited revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard in London’s West End, which was a unique and clever staging accompanied by new, gorgeously lush orchestra arrangements which I wish we had the opportunity to purchase and enjoy again on CD.

Sadly, 2016 was also marred by a high number of celebrity deaths, with a shocking number of well-known and well-loved filmmakers and performers, as well as too many personal friends much closer to home, passing away and unfortunately marking the passage of time as it seems to speed ever faster and faster by us. So please enjoy it all while you can, especially at this time of year, and I wish you all my best wishes for 2017. Stay tooned!

Dacey’s Picks

There are a few animated movies I have yet to see from 2016 (I’m probably going to be the only person here who doesn’t list Kubo as one of his favorite films of the year!), but of the ones I did, Zootopia [below right] was the standout. Disney could’ve simply made a funny movie with talking animals and entertained with that alone, but they went above expectations by delivering some of their most sophisticated storytelling to date and essentially producing an animated neo-noir thriller. The company’s winning streak continued with Moana in November, another terrific musical from directors Ron Clements and John Musker with appealing characters and great songs. DreamWorks also had a pretty good year – despite the controversy surrounding their purchase by Comcast – with Kung Fu Panda 3 being a visually spectacular and emotionally satisfying conclusion to one of the strongest animated franchises from the studio. And I’m almost embarrassed by how much I loved Trolls, which provided delightful, candy-coated escapism towards the end of what wound up being a pretty stressful year for me.

Good messages are nothing new to find in animated movies, of course, but this year seemed to be one in which they were especially positive. Zootopia‘s morals were perhaps the most effective – and timely – but films like Panda 3 and even Trolls also had encouraging things to say. One thing I noticed repeatedly throughout 2016 and very much appreciated was a real evolution in how male/female friendships were portrayed in animated movies. Trolls, Zootopia and, most surprisingly, Moana all featured bonds that were quite strong between opposite sexes without them necessarily having to turn romantic. That’s a very important and healthy thing for kids (and adults, for that matter) to see.

On the live-action front, Alice Through the Looking Glass was probably one of the more underrated films of year, which in spite of getting an arguably unfair critical beating was an extremely enjoyable time travel adventure with a hilarious performance from Sasha Baron Cohen. Also unsuccessful with the press – but a much bigger hit with audiences – was Suicide Squad, which not only provided me with exactly what I wanted in a summer blockbuster, but also finally gave the most iconic character from Batman: The Animated Series a chance to shine on the big screen. Margot Robbie was easily the MVP of the film (even outshining a very solid Will Smith), giving us a Harley Quinn who was sexy, funny, vulnerable, and ultimately lovable.

As for Marvel, they went on to prove why they’re the best at what they do, with Captain America: Civil War giving fans everything they expect from the franchise at this point. But it was Doctor Strange that truly dazzled, with jaw-dropping special effects and some of the most exciting action sequences since Mad Max: Fury Road. Finally, on a non-action movie related note, I must confess that I’ve always been a sucker for the Bridget Jones series, and if Bridget Jones’s Baby really is the end of it, then it has ended on a very funny, warm, and heartfelt note.

On the small screen, Nick’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles continued to be one of the best series reboots currently on television, offering a perfect balance of the goofy humor from the original show and sometimes shockingly mature – and intense – storytelling. Now past 100 episodes, it’s hopefully not in danger of being cancelled before it concludes. Disney Junior, meanwhile, is still on a roll when it comes to pleasing the smaller set: The Lion Guard wowed by quite possibly having the best production values seen in any animated show on the air right now, and displays just what The Diz is capable of when they produce their television in house.

The real shock, though, might’ve been Elena Of Avalor, a seemingly unnecessary Sofia The First spin-off that actually ended up being better than the show it was based on, with bright animation, fun characters and impressive guest stars that ranged from Hector Elizondo to George Takei (who, yes, got to say his most famous line). And Captain Jake And The Never-Land Pirates, once again, ended up providing Saturday morning-style adventures that both kids and big kids could enjoy.

In terms of discs, it was great to see Shout! Factory give 1986’s Transformers: The Movie [right] one of the best Blu-ray releases of the year, with a terrific restoration, nice extras, and pretty sweet steelbook packaging. And Brad Bird’s gem The Iron Giant – no doubt beloved by most who come to this website – at long last got the attention it deserved from Warner Bros, even if the collector’s gift set was a bit pricey for many.

As I said earlier, I have yet to see many of the year’s animated films, which means that I haven’t endured whatever terrors Norm Of The North might hold (although I remain morbidly curious), while The Wild Life seemed to enter and leave theaters with no-one really noticing or caring. As for personal disappointments, while I didn’t dislike Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice nearly as much as some others seemed to, it still wasn’t the epic big-screen superhero showdown I had been dreaming about for more than ten years. But the real letdown for me was Independence Day: Resurgence, which I had hoped would be a rollercoaster ride in the same family as last year’s Jurassic World, but was instead a jumbled, incoherent mess setting up a third entry that will almost certainly never get made…

Dan’s Picks

It goes without saying that 2016 was a dominant year for Disney, producing not one but two fantastic animated films in Zootopia and Moana, both so good I still have a hard time picking which I would consider better! Pixar released another winner in Finding Dory which, while not on the level of the original Nemo, was still a lovely film with heart and charm. One of Disney’s classics, The Jungle Book, was remade into a magnificent live-action feature, living up to the hype we gave it at the 2015 D23 Expo and then some; Marvel had the superior superhero features in Captain America: Civil War and Doctor Strange, and Rogue One [below right] was an excellent first effort from LucasFilm to tell a Star Wars story outside the main series. And this only covers the feature films Disney put out this year!

Disney television was just as successful: the final episode of Gravity Falls was an outstanding end to one of the best shows of the last decade; Star Wars Rebels continued to be excellent, highlighted by a heart-stopping battle between Darth Vader and Ahsoka Tano, and Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil ramped things up with great storytelling and character development.

Milo Murphy’s Law got off to a fine start as a follow-up to Phineas & Ferb, while The Lion Guard and Elena Of Avalor displayed the kind of quality animation usually seen in features. Even the pun-tastic Disney Channel special Lego Frozen: Northern Lights was a fun watch. Coupled with the popular and entertaining Marvel shows and Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures, Disney offered a great combination of programming for everyone.

If there was a blemish to the incredible year Disney had, it was the sudden end to Disney Infinity. While it was long known the House Of Mouse was pulling out of videogame development and looking to license their properties instead, Infinity was one of the best-selling franchises and one had hoped it would last for another five years as it offered gamers the dream opportunity of mixing the worlds of Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars as they saw fit. Infinity getting shut down also appeared to affect other toys-to-life games, as the once lucrative genre began to lose a little steam.

Outside of Disney, the big acquisition of 2016 was the purchase of DreamWorks Animation by Universal. Already back on solid ground thanks to the successful release of Kung Fu Panda 3, the DWA deal puts Universal into true contention with Disney for multi-media dominance, with DreamWorks delivering a strong year itself in the form of Netflix shows like the ever fantastic Dragons: Race To The Edge and the launch of the awesome Voltron: Legendary Defender. Even their second feature of the year, Trolls, managed to be profitable at the box-office!

Elsewhere in animation, the beautiful Only Yesterday finally had an official American release and held up extremely well for a 25-year-old feature. Final Fantasy XV had a huge marketing blitz ahead of its videogame launch, releasing a fine anime mini-series, Brotherhood, and a gorgeous CG feature, Kingsglaive. While far from what would be deemed a quality film, I rather enjoyed the goofy, if childish, Open Season: Scared Silly and not just because I got to partake in Sony Animation’s press day. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles returned to form on TV after a good deal of time spent in outer space, even if there was a fantastic crossover episode with their 1980s counterparts during that stretch, featuring the original voice actors.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was Warner Bros. tripping with its superhero outings: Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice and Suicide Squad, despite both doing very well at the box-office, received polarizing receptions that forced drastic action within DC’s film division, and the highly anticipated animated adaption of Batman: The Killing Joke was deemed mediocre due in large part to the addition of a first act that hardly had anything to do with the original story.

In fact, I would be among many to consider Batman: Return Of The Caped Crusaders [right] the best superhero film Warners would put out in 2016: set within the world of the 1966 series and even bringing back original actors Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar, this animated feature was a true delight in celebration of the show’s 50th anniversary.

But it was once again about conventions for me this year, kicking off with WonderCon and meeting voice actors Stuart Townsend and Zelda Williams as well as elite comic book artist John Romita Jr. In addition to early looks at Voltron and Thunderbirds Are Go, the highlight was the word premiere of The Iron Giant documentary The Giant’s Dream with a wonderful Q&A featuring Brad Bird. Then came the San Diego Comic Con, where I met Lucy Lawless and cast of the new Thunderbirds while checking out an early preview of Moana, celebrated anniversaries for Captain America and NickToons, and attended a fantastic Animaniacs Live! revue. Also part of the Con festivities was Nancy Cartwright, voice of Bart Simpson, launching her first art exhibition that was a delight to attend.

Next up was the newly christened Los Angeles Comic Con, formally Comikaze, as organized by Stan Lee’s POW Entertainment. Arguably the most chaotic of all, there was no shortage of opportunities, from celebrating anniversaries for Wonder Woman and Darkwing Duck, to meeting Cary Elwes, Rick & Morty creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, and the surviving cast of Batman (West, Ward, Newmar and Lee Meriwether). Finally, there was the amazing CTN Expo, one of the largest animation cons in the country. Meeting and getting sketches from story artist Anthony Holden, illustrator Genevieve Tsai and animator Bob Scott was fantastic, and there were wonderful demos from James Lopez, Russ Edmonds and Andreas Deja that were enjoyable and educational. These events, among others, made for a very memorable 2016.

James’ Picks

While 2015 was a fairly lackluster year for animated films, 2016 was better. Sure, there were no stand-out critical hits, but there was a lot of entertaining fare to be found.

But before we take a look back at the good stuff, let’s take one last moment to remember the bad — in fact, two of the worst animated films in some time. In January, I was apparently one of the few people in the United States to see Norm of the North, a movie that took every bad animation trope and cliche out there and made an entire film out of them. Then they threw in some pervy upskirt shots because…why not? Norm has the distinction of being the first film to earn a zero rating from Animated Views!

Six months later, Blue Sky gave us Collision Course, the fifth installment in the Ice Age franchise, and what may well be one of the worst major studio animated movies in decades. The filmmakers seemed to have taken the things that made some of the previous movies so good and then completely tossed them out the window. It was an embarrassing film to watch as an adult. Luckily, as 2016 comes to a close, we can put these movies behind us and speak no more about them!

Now on to the good! What may be a record 30 animated films were released in the United States in 2016. A little more than a third of them didn’t get wide releases, but that is still a staggering number and shows just how much animated films have become part of movie studios’ bottom lines. I was luckily enough to see exactly half of the total this year and, while I didn’t rate anything better than a 7 out of 10, I’d say at least 10 of the 15 films I saw were, at the very least, entertaining. I’m a fairly picky reviewer, so that’s a pretty big deal coming from me!

For just the second time since we started these end of year pieces, a non-Disney/non-Pixar movie tops my list as best animated film. Kubo And The Two Strings [above right] is everything most traditional fare is not: full of heart but not necessarily heartwarming, fun but not necessarily funny, surreal but more real than most animated films. Kubo gets a lot of credit for originality, which is a good thing in a story about storytelling!

The writers mess with audience expectations with more than just basic plot twists — which Kubo has too — by subverting the way we expect things to play out in typical animated movies. Your kids probably aren’t used to a story like this. And I haven’t even mentioned the stunningly beautiful animation and unique designs! Kubo And The Two Strings is real storytelling magic.

My number two pick is going to be a little surprising. And I have gone back and forth in my mind for a month about whether I really wanted to choose it. But after seeing it again recently, but this time with my kids, it became a no-brainer.

Storks [right] is not a perfect film, and it’s not high art. But it is absolutely hysterical, and one of the most enjoyable films I saw in theatres this year – animated or live-action. Zany, madcap comedy used to be what Warner animation was known for, and hopefully that is a tradition the company is reviving for themselves. In addition to the humor, the film is well-paced plot-wise, has some great voice acting, and features some really fun animation. Storks absolutely delivers.

As has happened several times in previous years, the final spot in my top three has a lot of potential candidates. But in the end, I went with the one I felt had the most depth – literally and figuratively. Finding Dory is a more than worthy successor to the original. Everything fans loved about Nemo can be found in this film, and it even surpasses it in one big way: fun. Sure the plot has a few too many convenient shortcuts and a completely over-the-top farcical finale that didn’t feel like it fit in the tone of the world the filmmakers had created. But no one is better than Pixar when it comes to making you care about characters. And, yes, that usually means tears for audience members! Despite the flak they take for them, Pixar sequels are more often than not fathoms beyond the forgettable follow-ups from everyone else.

That’s my top three animated movies for the year, but as I said before, there was a lot of fun to be had with many of the other films of 2016, so if you didn’t get to the theatre as much as you would have liked, be sure to stock up on Blu-rays and fill up your Netflix queue!

Randall’s Picks

Two big things stick out for me in my remembrance of 2016, the first being the re-emergence of Disney as the premiere animation studio.

Classic Disney fans will find this very satisfying, as it’s not just because Pixar’s only effort this year was Finding Dory (despite its financial success, I still see it as a sequel only the bean counters asked for), or the recent fall of DreamWorks Animation (okay, Kung Fu Panda 3 was predictably good, but Trolls was about the last thing I wanted to see this year), the foreseen inanity of a new Ice Age film from Blue Sky, or Illumination running out of gas with their mediocre Secret Life Of Pets; no, Disney had two certifiably great films come out this year.

Zootopia was a crowd-pleaser for families everywhere, but also had a surprising depth that will have folks getting more out of this film on repeated viewings as they get older; and Moana was another blast from the legendary team of Clements & Musker. With two solid hits this year, Disney was in fine form in terms of both box-office returns and critical response.

The second big impression came on the home video front, where it was two small outfits that came up big. While Disney pumps out re-re-re-re-releases that lose more than they gain each time out, and other studios have abandoned classic animation altogether, it’s been up to the little guys to bring cartoons and shorts to the forefront. Michigan-based Steve Stanchfield and his Thunderbean company have been a favorite of ours for a long time. Steve has been doing high-definition releases for a couple of years now, and he has been trying to ramp up production, with many titles in the pipeline.

Not as much came out this year as he had hoped, but he did produce a Blu-ray with a complete set of Cubby Bear cartoons [above right] from the early Van Beuren animation studio, and he is just now bringing out a set he calls Yuletide Flickers, featuring a large assortment of obscure live-action and animated short subjects. Even more exciting than Cubby, this year Thunderbean took preorders for their second Ub Iwerks set (after late 2015’s Willie Whopper), this one being a two-disc compilation of Ub’s Flip The Frog cartoons.

That one will be out in 2017, along with at least a few other discs that are sure to excite animation fans. Though there were only two new releases in 2016, Steve also put out numerous exciting “Specials” on DVD-Rs, for those that follow him on online forums or on Facebook. Meanwhile, Tom Stathes’ Cartoons On Film brought out a fascinating collection of silent Bray Studio cartoons on Blu-ray, with a Bobby Bumps collection promised for 2017.

It bears mentioning that my favorite animated film of 2016 was Kubo And The Two Strings, an incredible and epic work of stop-motion animation [right]. I also greatly appreciated GKids’ video release of April And The Extraordinary World, a traditionally animated (but on computer) film that utilized the steampunk aesthetic to good effect.

It was also good to finally see the semi-brilliant Studio Ghibli film Only Yesterday finally arrive in North America, just twenty-five years after it was made! Belladonna Of Sadness was a release of similar vintage and importance, though for adults only.

In the direct-to-video world, I might have to go with Batman: Return Of The Caped Crusaders, a nostalgic romp that sequel-ized the 1960s TV show, while providing commentary on how the character has been reinvented over the years. Though the script was really just so-so overall, and failed to reach the heights of the original series in terms of entertainment, it nevertheless provided a fun highlight of the year for those of us who grew up singing, “Nananananananana… Nananananananana… BAT-MAN!”

In publishing, I was certainly gratified to see IDW and Fantagraphics continue their reprinting of important Disney comics material, including IDW’s first volumes of both the Silly Symphonies and Walt Disney’s Treasury Of Classic Tales comic strips.

Your Picks!

And now it’s your turn!

For the fourth time in the five years we’ve been asking Animated Views readers to rank the best animated movies of the year you’ve chosen a Disney film.

This time Zootopia topped the list with a score of 59 out of a perfect 100. It earned 41% of the first place votes and appeared on a whopping 72% of all ballots.

There was a tie for second place. Kubo And The Two Strings and Moana both received a score of 32/100. Kubo easily outpaced Moana in first place votes, 21% to 12%. But Moana picked up more second and third place votes, earning a spot on 51% of all ballots to just 43% for Kubo.

Finding Dory came in fourth with 16/100, appearing on 32% of all ballots. And Your Name rounded out the top five with a score of 13/100 and appearing on 15% of all ballots.

And there we have it, folks! As unbelievable as it was, Disney managed to beat even their own massive 2015 with a heap of top-drawer offerings that look to only be continuing into the next year and beyond. Reboots and sequels stalled, although we had a huge number of animated offerings from other studios that provided more than just what even Disney could offer.

Did your own choices of 2016 make our lists, or did we overlook any films or other items that should have perhaps made our selections? Come join us in the Animated Views Forum to discuss your views and start the discussion rolling on what could feature on next year’s end of year lists.

Until then a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year to you and your families!

— Ben and the entire Animated Views team!