Top 30 Greatest CGI Movies of All TIme Redux Part 3/3

10. Tangled (2010)

 

I know what you're thinking at this point. "Why have Tangled placed so high?" I'll tell you why: First of all, Tangled is Disney's 50th animated movie! Disney started as a small company in 1923, and Walt's first animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, premiered in late 1937. Now try subtracting 2010 by 1937. That's 50 animated movies in 73 years, which is very impressive. Secondly, think of what characters have been used in the world of computer animation, as of November 2010. There were toys, animals (both extinct and still alive), robots, automobiles, monsters, aliens, and most importantly, humans, and the humans in Tangled look great in my opinion. When John Lasseter joined the project, he asked executive producer Glen Keane, a legendary Disney animator, if he wanted to do Rapunzel (that's what the project was called at the time) hand-drawn, but Glen decided to take the CG challenge. Besides, I think Tangled would be even harder to make if it were hand-drawn, because of all that hair. And finally, Tangled is a CGI fairy-tale that ISN'T a satire. How many movies can you think of before Tangled that were identical to it? Sorry, Barbie, but your direct-to-video cheap-quills don't count. Anyway, Tangled is about a 17, going on 18-year-old girl named Rapunzel (Mandy Moore). She was secretly kidnapped by a woman named Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) so she could use Rapunzel's magic hair to keep herself (Gothel) young. On the day before Rapunzel's 18th birthday, Rapunzel encounters a thief named Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi), and the both of them go on an adventure that will change both of their lives forever. Tangled is an enjoyable gem with beautiful animation, an organic story that stays true to the original fairy tale, well-developed characters, and rememberable songs by the legendary Alan Menken.

9. WALL-E (2008)
 

700 years into the future, Earth has been piled high with trash. Humans have abandoned the planet and reached extreme levels of obesity and laziness and became entirely dependent on robots. WALL-E, a brown and yellow square-shaped robot, has been working for years to clean up the planet. After he encounters EVE, a more advanced robot who has been sent to find plants, he falls in love, and together WALL-E and EVE save humanity. This was probably the most ambitious animated movie of that year, setting a cute comedy with a somber warning about ecological irresponsibility and runaway consumerism, with very little dialogue. Some fans consider this to be Pixar's best, while others didn't like it that much. Probably because the movie is only 15% dialogue. Never the less, WALL-E is an enjoyable film for the entire family, and won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
 8. Monsters Inc (2001)

 

In another world inhabited by monsters, monsters scare children to use their screams as electricity. The best scarers at Monsters Inc, the company that provides the energy for the city, are James P Sullivan (nicknamed Sulley, voiced by John Goodman) and Mike Wazowski (voiced by Billy Crystal). When a child goes loose in the monster world, havoc erupts, and it's up to Mike and Sulley to return the girl to her bedroom. While Shrek is good at realistic humans and background designs, Monsters Inc has a more organic story (if you think hard enough, Shrek is similar to The Princess Bride), excellent fur simulation, and imaginative character designs. Ultimately, Shrek won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

7. The Incredibles (2004)

The longest, but arguably the greatest, animated movie of 2004, The Incredibles was Pixar's first movie to have the PG-rating. It was also Brad Bird's first animated movie since The Iron Giant. The Incredibles takes place in a world of superheroes and super-villains. After being saved, who didn't want to be saved, by a superhero named Mr. Incredible, the man sues Mr. Incredible, and all superheroes are banned in that city, or live a normal live as a modern-day citizen. 15 years have passed, and Mr. Incredible (now known as Bob Parr) is married to the super-stretchy Elastigirl (now known as Helen Parr), who gave birth to three kids, each with different superpowers. When a new villain named Syndrome (who's actually a rejected fanboy from Mr. Incredible's fan club) plans to destroy the city with the Omnidroid, a special robot, it's up to Bob and his family to come out of hiding and save the world. The Incredibles was also Pixar's first feature to have humans as major characters, rather than toys, insects, monsters, or fish. Despite earning the PG-rating, The Incredibles earned great reviews and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

6. How To Train Tour Dragon (2010)
 

Like Kung Fu Panda, How To Train Your Dragon had no pop-culture references. I personally find that ironic because director Chris Sanders' previous movie, Lilo & Stitch, had quite a few pop-culture references. There were Elvis songs, a live-action B-movie from the 50s, and even a View Master. Anyway, How To Train Your Dragon is about a teenage boy named Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III (Jay Baruchel) who lives in a small Viking village called Berk. The only problem is the pests. While other places may have mosquitoes or mice, Berk has dragons that steal their livestock and fish. After capturing a legendary Night Fury, instead of killing it, Hiccup releases the dragon, names it Toothless, and becomes its friend. How To Train Your Dragon is an enjoyable entry into the DreamWorks library with an original story, brilliant animation, and a music score that deserved to win the Oscar for Best Original Score, though some believe ‘Dragons 2’ was better.

5. Toy Story 3 (2010)
 

In the final chapter of the beloved Toy Story trilogy, problems mount as Andy grows up and goes to college while the toys end up at a daycare center for destructive toddlers, ruled by a sinister teddy bear who smells of strawberries. While the plot may not be as elegant as the previous Toy Stories, Toy Story 3 more than makes up for it by hitting new highs in other areas. For starters, the animation has improved. Not only are there plastic toys as characters, but also plushes. Also, almost all the original voice actors from the first two Toy Stories are back, even Andy's voice actor. Jim Varney, who voiced Slinky Dog in Toy Story and Toy Story 2, sadly passed away in February 2000, so he didn’t return for Toy Story 3. Instead, Slinky was voiced by Blake Clark. Toy Story 3 earned over a billion dollars worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing animated movie of all time, until Frozen came along. Like Up the previous year, Toy Story 3 got nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture. It also got nominated for Best Original Screenplay and won the Oscars for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Song (We Belong Together, which plays during the end credits).

4. Finding Nemo (2003)

In the oceans of Australia, a clownfish named Marlin (Albert Brookes) has a son named Nemo (Alexander Gould). On his first day of school, Nemo touches a boat against his dad's orders and gets kidnapped by a scuba diver. Now Marlin, along with a forgetful regal tang named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) have to search the whole ocean to find Nemo, while meeting characters like vegetarian sharks, a school of moonfish, and hippy sea turtles. Meanwhile, Nemo gets dumped into a fish tank in a dentist's office with four domesticated fish named Bubbles, Bloat, Gurgle, and Deb, a sea star named Peach, a French cleaner shrimp named Jacques, and a feral Moorish idol fish named Gil (William DeFoe). Finding Nemo is an unforgettable gem with breathtaking animation, many species of fish, and lost of rememberable quotes. 'Nemo' was also Pixar's first movie to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and earned 800 million dollars worldwide at the box-office.

3. Up (2009)

The 2009 Academy Award winner for Best Animated Feature is about an elderly man named Carl Frederickson (Ed Asner), who ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies it to South America to fulfill his deceased wife's dreams. A young Boy Scout named Russell hitches a ride on Carl's house, much to his (Carl's) dismay. When they finally land in South America, Carl and Russell meet a rare bird that Russell named Kevin, and a friendly talking dog named Dug. Little do Carl and Russell know that Dug is one of the hundreds of dogs who Charles Muntz (Christopher Plummer) sent out to capture Kevin, who wants the bird to prove to scientists that a bird like Kevin did exist in Paradise Falls. Up was the first animated movie since Beauty and the Beast to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, and is considered Pixar's masterpiece by fans. 
2. Toy Story (1995)

In the first full-length computer animated feature film, Woody (Tom Hanks) is Andy's favorite toy, but gets jealous when a newer toy, Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), takes Woody's place as Andy's favorite toy. When Woody accidentally knocks Buzz out the window, Woody must save his rival. But things take a dangerous turn when Woody and Buzz get taken by Sid Philips, who tortures toys for his own amusement. Toy Story earned 392 million dollars worldwide, making it the highest-grossing movie of 1995. Toy Story also earned John Lasseter a special Academy Award for the achievement of making a computer animated feature film.

And the best CGI movie of all time is...

1. Toy Story 2 (1999)

In the sequel to the animation phenomenon known as Toy Story, Woody gets kidnapped by Al (Wayne Knight), a greedy toy collector. When Woody finds himself in Al's apartment, he discovers that he was part of a popular TV series from the 50s called 'Woody's Roundup'. He also meets a perky cowgirl named Jessie (Joan Cussack), a loyal horse named Bullseye, and a boxed prospector named Pete (Kelsey Grammer). Little does Woody know that Al wants to sell him and his 'Roundup Gang' to a toy museum in Japan! Now it's up to Buzz Lightyear, along with Hamm, Rex, Slinky, and Mr. Potato Head to rescue Woody. Toy Story 2 takes everything that made Toy Story 1 good and amplifies it by 100%. There are also some enjoyable new characters, like Buster, Andy's dog from the end of the first Toy Story, Mrs. Potato Head (voiced by Estelle Harris), Wheezy the squeaky penguin, who was originally going to be in the first Toy Story, the persuasive 'Stinky' Pete, and the hilarious Utility Belt Buzz, a doppelganger of Andy's Buzz. Toy Story 2 got really good reviews (and is called the rare sequel that lives up to its predecessor), earned nearly 500 million dollars worldwide, and won the Golden Globe for Best Picture.