The Top 20 Animated Films of 2000-2009

Ever since 1927's "Steamboat Willie" first graced movie theaters, animated films have greatly evolved from the classic hand-drawn style best seen in Walt Disney's films, to the breakthrough of fully computer-generated features. There have been a host of great animated movies this past decade, and here are the top 20.

20. Bolt (2008)

In the 1997 drama The Truman Show, Jim Carrey's character lived in a picturesque bay town, unaware that his entire life has been manipulated for a 24-hour reality show. Imagine how tough that would be! To essentially live a lie, even though you honestly believe it's the truth. For a dog named Bolt (voice of John Travolta), life is all about thwarting evil with amazing superpowers while saving the life of his owner Penny (voice of Miley Cyrus), at LEAST once a week. Unfortunately, Bolt doesn't realize that his heroic life is merely setup for a weekly television show, and he truly believes that he has superpowers! After accidentally being separated from his studio handlers, Bolt begins a trek back to Hollywood, all while still believing he's the superdog he was "groomed" to be. A funny, light, enjoyable comedy with a hilarious supporting vocal performance by Mark Raxton as the overeager hamster Rhino.

19. Chicken Run (2000)

In the dawn of high-tech computer animation, you'd think that filmmakers would immediately discard the previous means of making animated films, be it hand-drawn, or stop-motion. But every now and then, some folks go back to the good-ol' fashioned means of making animated movies, and legendary British animator Nick Park sure has made a successful career out of it. The creator of the Wallace and Gromit movies, Park once again dipped into the stop-motion well with his highly original and extremely funny Chicken Run. A story about talking chickens living in a farm not unlike a WWII concentration camp run by a sadistic woman named Mrs. Tweedy (voice of Miranda Richardson), the poultry repeatedly try to run away, Great Escape-style, only to be caught every time. It's only until American rooster Rocky (voice of Mel Gibson) arrives that the chickens may have a real chance of freedom. A creative, enjoyable romp with a diverse array of characters and a great (British) sense of humor.

18. Beowulf (2007)

Leaps and bounds have been made in the creation of CGI characters, the zenith reached when Andy Serkis performed as the Gollum character in the Lord of the Rings films via motion-capture technology. Since then, many have attempted to hop on the mo-cap bandwagon. In 2004, director Robert Zemeckis ventured into the field with the Christmas film The Polar Express, where actors went beyond mere vocal work and actually acted out their characters wearing mo-cap suits. Though moderately successful, Express was criticized for the lifelessness exhibited by the animated characters (especially in their eyes). Now Zemeckis has returned to the mo-cap game with Beowulf, based on the epic English poem of the same name. Here Zemeckis greatly improves upon the believability of the characters, and the action is absolutely astounding to behold, and that's what truly matters here, rather than the performances (though still decent in their own right). And plus, a CGI Angelina Jolie gets (kinda) naked. 'Nuff said.

17. Shrek 2 (2004)

The first Shrek introduced the concept of pop culture references in animated kids' movies (even if those references flew over the heads of the target audience), and after the massive commercial and critical success of the first film, a sequel was only inevitable. Though Shrek 2 isn't as good as its predecessor, it still ably delivers on the laughs and still rests on a terrific vocal cast. Now that grumpy ogre Shrek (voice of Mike Myers) and Fiona (voice of Cameron Diaz) are married, they must travel to the Kingdom of Far, Far, Away, where Fiona's parents (voices of John Cleese and Julie Andrews) rule the land. The only problem? The in-laws don't know that their daughter's husband is big, green, and not-so-human. The pop culture in-jokes are plentiful (from Spider-Man and From Here to Eternity, to Zorro and C.O.P.S.), and the cast is completely upstaged by a fabulous Antonio Banderas as the swashbuckling Puss 'n Boots.

16. Lilo and Stitch (2002)

One of Disney's last 2D films before switching completely to CGI, Lilo and Stitch is a delightful and funny tale about an indestructible, rambunctious outlaw alien (dubbed "Experiment 626") escaping to Earth, landing in Hawaii, and being adopted by a lonely girl named Lilo (voice of Daveigh Chase) who believes that he's a dog. With glorious watercolor-style animation and a clever screeplay, Lilo and Stitch also benefits from having a soundtrack filled to the brim with classic Elvis Presley songs (always a welcome addition to any movie).

15. Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Like Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, and Ben Stiller, you have to be real careful finding a movie crafted to suit Jack Black's spastic, high-energy style. Sometimes it can be really funny (High Fidelity, School of Rock) and sometimes it can be incredibly annoying (Envy, Year One). Luckily, his energetic persona was a perfect fit for his vocal role as roly-poly panda Po in Kung Fu Panda. A blast to watch from start to finish, Panda follows our tubby hero as he aspires to become the greatest Kung Fu master in the world. After an unexpected prophecy proclaims Po as the next Dragon Warrior, much to the chagrin of the local Kung Fu warriors (voiced by Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, and Seth Rogen), Po must train to fight against a former Kung Fu disciple (voice of Ian McShane) who's on his way for his revenge. Not only is Kung Fu Panda is hoot thanks to Black's hilarious performance, but the action sequences are out of this world, with choreography worthy of a Bruce Lee film.

14. Cars (2006)

Most of Pixar's films have revolved around anthropomorphized creatures or objects of non-human origin, from toys and bugs, to fish and monsters. In real life (especially back in times prior to the 1980's), cars were so diverse that in a strange, aesthetic way, they had their own "personalities" about them. So naturally, Pixar's next feature featured just that. In a world populated by living, breathing vehicles, hotshot stock car Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) is the rising star in the world of auto racing. Arrogant and self-centered, McQueen is preparing for a final race for the Piston Cup when, after a late-night traveling mishap, is left stranded in the rundown town of Radiator Springs, where he is forced by the town's judge Doc Hudson (Paul Newman) to repair the road that McQueen destroyed. A light, enjoyable feature, with stunning animation, a clever story (clearly influenced by 1991's "Doc Hollywood"), and a scene-stealing vocal performance by Larry the Cable Guy (yes, you read that right).

13. Happy Feet (2006)

Ever since 2005's March of the Penguins, those cute li'l Antarctic birds have been more popular than ever. I mean, come on! They're so freaking cute! And with George Miller's Oscar-winning jukebox musical Happy Feet, penguin-mania went on the rise. In a colony of emperor penguins where everyone is expected to sing a unique "heartsong", young Mumble (voice of Elijah Wood) is the outcast. Completely tone-deaf, Mumble does have talent unseen by his colony: he's a terrific tap dancer, a talent which causes greater tension amongst the others. A wonderful film with great musical selections (ranging from Prince and Stevie Wonder, to Sinatra and The Beatles), and a powerful environmental message.

12. The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

David Spade has always been a one-character actor. In pretty much every movie he's been in, he's portrayed the smug, sarcastic jerk with not a single "nice" bone in his body. It can get old, but in this hysterical tale about a self-centered Amazonian king turned into a llama, Spade is the perfect fit for the role. In a South American jungle nation, King Kuzco is a bratty teenage ruler who plans on turning a small, nearby village into his own summer home, upsetting the villagers, especially farmer Pacha (voice of John Goodman). Meanwhile, the king's sinister advisor Yzma (voice of Eartha Kitt) secretly plots to kill the king by poisoning, but after a mishap, Kuzco is instead transformed into a llama, and is thrown into the jungle by Yzma's dim-witted henchman Kronk (voice of Patrick Warburton). Making great use of old-fashioned handdrawn animation (with special attention to Inca design and architecture), New Groove is a sly, sweet, and seriously funny exercise in voice acting. Spade and Goodman are wonderful in their roles, but the true scene-stealers are Kitt, deliciously fiendish and melodramatic, and Warburton, whose monotone inflection and delivery make for some of the film's funniest moments.

11. Coraline (2009)

Usually, "creepy" isn't a style you want for a children's movie, but director Henry Selick proved that notion wrong with his now-classic stop-motion The Nightmare Before Christmas, where potentially frightening imagery and story content stimulates the viewers' minds rather than scare them. Coraline (voice of Dakota Fanning) is the only child of Mel and Charlie (voices of Teri Hatcher and John Hodgman), who are too busy crafting their gardening catalog to pay much attention to their daughter. Bored and lonely, Coraline finds a secret wall in her room at the new house, which leads into an "Other World", where button-eyed dopplegangers of her parents reside; only this time, the "Other Parents" pay Coraline all the attention in the world. Based on the novel by fantasy maestro Neil Gaiman, Coraline is a beautiful, mindbending, and utterly imaginative fairy tale worthy of Alice in Wonderland-like acclaim.

10. Ice Age (2002)

It must've been a real bummer to have lived during the Ice Age. After all, you're just an animal trying to get by, when your planet is gradually undergoing a deep freeze that'll kill most everything there. So while all the animals are migrating to the south, a misanthropic mammoth named Manny (Ray Romano) decides to go against the trend and simply not care about where everyone else is going. Of course, you'll run into a few inconvenient roadblocks along the way, such as an obnoxiously goofy sloth named Sid (voice of John Leguizamo), a human baby separated from its tribe, and a shifty sabertoothed tiger named Diego (voice of Denis Leary) whose intentions may not be altruistic. A hilariously funny movie with simple CGI animation, Ice Age benefits from a great cast of characters, including Leguizamo's hysterically funny Sid, and the mute squirrel Scrat (voiced by Chris Wedge, the film's director), who makes for one of the funniest animated characters of all time.

9. Over the Hedge (2006)

Hollywood's been known to be a bit preachy when it comes to social critiques or moral messages. Whether it be about the environment, civil rights, or just plain being nice to one another, many a film (mostly dramas) tend to be a wee bit melodramatic in the execution of its message. Take over-consumerism and deforestation, for example. Perfect social issues for a movie, right? Well, what if we took away the focus of these two issues' impact on humans, and instead focused on animals? And what if we made the movie into an animated comedy? Well, luckily for us, the hilarious adaptation of the comic strip "Over the Hedge" makes its position known, but in a subtle and easily accessible way. A close-knit group of forest animals awaken from their hibernation only to discover their forest being chopped away to make room for a suburban development project. The animals then meet RJ the raccoon (voice of Bruce Willis), a sly charmer who supposedly has a plan to help the woodland creatures find all the food they could imagine, unaware of RJ's own con-artist ulterior motive. A clever jab at consumerism, Over the Hedge makes great use of a funny screenplay and a superb voice cast, the standout being the hysterical Steve Carell as the hyperactive squirrel Hammy.

8. Ratatouille (2007)

In the animal kingdom, you can't think of many creatures who have a worse rep than rats. After all, they're nasty, disease-ridden scavengers with a tendency to invade restaurants at a moment's notice. But in Pixar's Ratatouille, the story is told from the rodents' perspective. Remy (voice of Patton Oswalt), a rat living with his pack in a French country home's attic, dreams of things far beyond his current scavenging existence: he dreams of becoming a chef like his idol, television chef Auguste Gusteau (voice of Brad Garrett). But after being accidentally separated by his group and being washed away to Paris, Remy happens upon Gusteau's restaurant, where he plans on fulfilling his seemingly impossible aspirations. Yet another delightful notch in Pixar's belt, with a terrific cast, and animation that makes even a computer-generated Paris look more enchanting than ever.

7. The Incredibles (2004)

By 2004, the superhero movie craze was at a fever pitch, with some worthy of praise, and some worthy of heavy ridicule (Catwoman, anyone?). With so many archetypes, cliches, and classic story conventions, eventually there would need to be a movie that'd send up the entire genre. Brad Bird (director of the now-classic The Iron Giant) decided to do just that, but also with enough love and homage to make the proceedings all the more fun to watch. A loving mix of the Fantastic Four, Superman, classic Jack Kirby comic stories from the '50s and '60s, and a little bit of James Bond thrown in for good measure, The Incredibles was yet another home-run for those geniuses at Pixar Studios. With a fabulous script and direction by Bird, gorgeously colorful animation to die for, and flawless vocal performances (especially by Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, and Spencer Fox), this story of retired superheroes-gone-surburban is a terrific (super, even) work of art.

6. Persepolis (2007)

The recent strife in Iran has aroused revolution previously unheard of in the Islamic Republic, mirroring the violent upheaval during the Iranian Revolution in 1979, where the regime of the U.S.-backed Shah was overthrown by Islamic fundamentalists. But while progressives protest against the current Iranian government, the '79 revolution turned the country repressive against its people. For young, rebellious girl Marji (voice of Chiara Mastroianni), an oppressive society won't keep her spirit and resolve down. Based on the autobiographical graphic novels of Iranian-born French illustrator Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis follows the life of the iconoclastic Marji as she grows up under the regressive Republic (which she proudly defies, as she still listens to heavy metal music and still wears denim jackets), to when she escapes to France to start a new life. A tender, funny, and moving work, with highly imaginative 2D animation and a strong heroine in Marji.

5. Up (2009)

The sad reality of life it that for some of us, our lifelong dreams don't always come to fruition. We go through our lives as normal, with our hopes remaining squarely in the "pipe dream" category. Balloon salesman Carl Fredericksen (voice of Ed Asner) went his whole life with his wife Ellie hoping to live in the Amazonian landmark of Paradise Falls, but sadly, life and death got in the way. Now a widow, Carl's house is facing demolition. Not going down without a fight, Carl attaches hundreds, if not thousands, of balloons to his house, lifting up from the ground. Carl sets a course for Paradise Falls, only to discover that a 9-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell (voice of Jordan Nagai) has accidentally stowed away. A lushly animated, beautifully written, and perfect cast masterpiece, an emotional look at loneliness, our dreams, and the importance of there being no place like home.

4. Shrek (2001)

Let's face it, Disney movies have always been a justifiable target of satire and parody, what with its stock characters of spirited princesses, bland princes, talking animals, and grandiose musical numbers. Nowadays, satires have been commonplace in cinema, so why not take a (gentle) shot at Disney? Loosely based on the 1990 children's book by William Steig, Shrek not only jumpstarted a hugely successful franchise, but also brought Dreamworks into the forefront of animation. A kids' movie also meant to appeal to adult's senses of humor, Shrek is a terrific spoof of Disney, fairy tales, Aesop's Fables, and a smorgasbord of popular culture references. Mike Myers does a terrific job at the grumpy titular character, and Eddie Murphy is hysterical as the jabbermouth sidekick Donkey. A must-see.

3. WALL-E (2008)

In many a science fiction film, the future is depicted as cold, dangerous, and dystopian in nature. But what if the world got so bad that all of humanity abandoned the planet? 700 years in the future, mankind has become so consumeristic and sedentary that every left the highly polluted Earth behind, and now all reside in a huge starship/shopping mall. Back on Earth, robots have been left behind to crush the trash into cubes, but by chance, one little robot named WALL-E developed an interesting glitch: a personality. An animated movie mixed with a comedy, romance, and sci-fi film, WALL-E is a tremendous accomplishment in cinema. Proving that the old adage about a picture being worth a thousand words completely true, WALL-E manages to enthrall audiences with the story of a lonely, Chaplinesque robot with virtually no dialogue in the first third. A joyous, emotional, and terrifically-designed tale from start to finish.

2. Waltz with Bashir (2008)

As Persepolis proved, animation can serve as a highly effective medium when it comes to addressing real-life social issues and problems. Writer and director Ari Folman, who served in the Israel Defense Forces during the 1982 Lebanon War, truly had nightmarish stories to tell about the real horrors of war. One of the rare animated documentaries, Waltz with Bashir is a highly stylish, emotional, and powerful recounting of Folman's involvement in the war, focusing on the not-so-commendable actions from both sides. The film tells its story in the fashion of graphic novels and anime-style animation (reportedly combining Adobe Flash and classic animation), all while maintaining a true emotional core at the heart of the proceedings. A terrific movie, and a must-see for both those interested in history AND great filmmaking.

1. Finding Nemo (2003)

It's always difficult watching your children grow up. They start to become curious and adventurous, wishing to venture out into a world that you know can be big, scary, and even dangerous. For neurotic clownfish Marlin (voice of Albert Brooks), even letting his son Nemo (voice of Alexander Gould) leave the comfort of their home is cause enough to be overprotective. But after Nemo is snatched up by an Australian diver, Marlin must exit his comfort zone to find and save his son. A beautiful masterpiece in every sense, Finding Nemo is Pixar's greatest triumph: a tender, gorgeously made, and incredibly funny tale about the power of love and family. Never has the haunting beauty of the deep blue sea been so amazingly captured, not even in a live-action movie. The animation on display is out of this world, and the voice casting is flawless (the entire film is stolen by Ellen DeGeneres' hysterically funny performance as Dory, a flighty Blue Tang with short-term memory loss). A terrific example of how family films can actually be enjoyed by both kids and adults alike, Finding Nemo ranks as the greatest animated film of the last decade.

And the Top Five WORST Animated Films of the Decade:
5. Shrek the Third (2007)

Three times was NOT the charm for cinema's favorite green ogre (voiced by Mike Myers), following the tired, pop-culture-reference-heavy formula rather than going in a fresh new direction, and lacks the warmth and wit of the previous two entries. And Justin Timberlake as King Arthur? Sweet Jesus.

4. Doogal (2006)

In Britain, this tale about a dog trying to save the world was actually well-received. But after being overdubbed with new cast members (as well as the insertion of American pop culture references and fart jokes), Doogal turned out to be a shoddily-made, completely unfunny disaster. And Jon Stewart voices a villainous spring-like creature who shoots icebeams from his mustache. Terrible idea, or acid trip gone bad?

3. Titan A.E. (2000)

A misleading promotional campaign proved that this futuristic story about humans trying to find a new home after Earth is destroyed was anything BUT a kiddie's movie. Bloated, overlong, and rather boring nail put in the coffin of traditionally-animated films.

2. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

Oh, George Lucas. As if your pockets weren't lined with enough cash, you needed to drive one more nail into the coffin of a once-great franchise. Merely a feature-length pilot for a Cartoon Network television series of the same name, "The Clone Wars" is a plodding, hollow, and shoddily-executed bore, with wooden characterizations, horrible animation (the puppets in the old "Thunderbirds" TV show seemed more realistic), and the story is incredibly uninspiring. The exact opposite of the fun escapism the original "Star Wars" stood for.

1. Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights (2002)

You think a live-action Adam Sandler man-child character is incredibly grating and annoying? Brother, you ain't seen nothing yet. That's all that needs to be said.