The Peanuts Movie (2015)
Based on the beloved comic strips by Charles Schulz, The Peanuts Movie, Blue Sky's tenth animated feature, is about a young boy named Charlie Brown. He has all the bad luck a kid would never want, like getting a kite stuck up a tree and getting a football pulled away right before he kicks it. When Charlie falls in love with a new student named Heather, he tries to impress her through entering the talent show and writing a book report on War & Peace. However, because he is Charlie Brown, nothing goes his way. The story may sound depressing, but the movie itself is very sweet and stays true to the original comic strips without being too modern. In fact, if Sparky (a nickname for Charles Schulz) was still alive, he would be proud of this movie.
Inside Out (2015)
After Monsters University, many Pixar fans, myself included, felt that the mighty animation studio lost their magic touch. Then, on June 19th, 2015, Pixar's 15th animated feature, Inside Out, premiered in theaters and got glowing reviews. Directed by Pete Doctor, who also directed Monsters Inc and Up, Inside Out tells the story of what goes inside the head of an 11-year-old girl named Riley Anderson. Riley's emotions, Joy (Amy Pohler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Bill Hader), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), and Anger (Lewis Black), help Riley out through her lifetime. When her family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco, California, Riley spirals into depression and cries in front of her new classmates. Things get worse when Joy and Sadness get sucked into the labyrinth of long-term memory, and without Joy, Riley can't be happy. Inside Out is Pixar's most original movie since Up and their best since Toy Story 3. Inside Out is considered Pixar's comeback and rightfully won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
Zootopia (2016)
Disney's 55th animated feature, Zootopia, takes place in a world inhabited by mammals. Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), a rabbit, wants to be a police officer, despite all the other officers being elephants, rhinos, hippos, wildcats, and wolves. When a river otter goes missing, Hopps has no choice but to team up with a sly fox named Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) to find the missing otter within 48 hours. Zootopia is arguably the best animated Disney movie in decades with beautiful animation, likable characters, a very original story, and a universal message that kids will and should understand. Zootopia got really good reviews when it premiered, with an impressive 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and grossed over one billion dollars at the box-office, one of four animated features to do so.
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
In the sequel to the 2008 hit animated film Kung Fu Panda, Po is now officially the Dragon Warrior and even has a few fans. However, an evil peacock named Lord Shen plans on destroying kung fu by replacing it with fireworks. Now it's up to Po and the Furious Five to save China from certain destruction. Kung Fu Panda 2 is one of the rare opportunities in which DreamWorks focuses more on story than comedy. The animation is lovely, the fight scenes are awesome, and Lord Shen is probably one of DreamWorks' best villains to date.
Surf's Up (2007)
Surf's Up is a documentary-style CG animated film about a teenage rockhopper penguin named Cody Maverick (Shia LaBouff). Cody wants to surf like his hero, Big Z (Jeff Bridges), who supposedly died ten years earlier. After being wiped out during a surfing match with big shot Tank Evans (Diedrich Bader), Cody gets lost in the jungles of Pen Gu Island, and meets a middle aged penguin nicknamed 'Geek'. 'Geek' turns out to be Big Z himself, and Cody gets to learn from the master, without being pranked by him. Like Pixar's feature the previous year, Cars, the lesson of Surf's Up is that it's the journey that matters, and not the race. I feel like Surf's Up handles the message better because it has a more likeable protagonist. While the film may not be as good as Ratatouille or Persepolis that year, Surf's Up is a film that can be embraced by both kids and adults.
I was so tempted to put Moana as an honorable mention, but in the end, I felt like it's too new to be included.
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