Top 50 Best Traditional Animated Movies of All Time Part 4/5

20. The Jungle Book (1967)

Based on the book by Rudyard Kipling, The Jungle Book tells the story of a man-cub named Mowgli (Bruce Reitherman, son of director Wolfgang Reitherman), who was been raised by wolves in the jungle for most of his life. Bagheera the panther (Sebastian Cabot) wants Mowgli to leave the jungle, but Mowgli doesn't want to. When he meets a sloth bear named Baloo (Phil Harris), he teaches Mowgli the "Bare Necessities." Mowgli also encounters other characters like Commander Haiti the colonial elephant, the hypnotic Python Kaa (Sterling Holloway), King Louie the orangutan (Louis Prima), and a quartet of vultures who resemble the Beatles. The Jungle Book was the final movie Walt Disney would be involved with, because on December 15th, 1966, Walt passed away because of lung cancer. It wouldn't be until the late 80s that the Disney Studios would have their magic touch back.

19. Ponyo (2008)

Loosely based on Hans Christian Anderson's The Little Mermaid, Ponyo tells the story of a young goldfish and her quest to become a human. The fish is rescued from a glass jar by a boy named Sosuke. Sosuke and the fish, who he names Ponyo, fall in love. Ponyo's father is a wizard and, against his orders, Ponyo uses her father's magic to become human. This disrupts the natural harmony of the world, and to restore order, Sosuke must pass a test to prove his love for Ponyo. Although this movie is aimed at younger children, there is plenty for older viewers to appreciate, such as beautiful 2D sequences of the magical undersea world. Contrary to popular belief, Ponyo did NOT get nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. However, Mr. Miyazaki did visit the US to promote for Ponyo. Also, am I the only one who notices similarities between Ponyo's mother and Rose Quartz from Steven Universe?

18. The Little Mermaid (1989)

Disney's first fairytale in 30 years, The Little Mermaid tells the story of a teenage mermaid named Ariel (Jodi Benson), who falls in love with Prince Eric, who is a human. King Triton, Ariel's father, hates humans, and forbids her from going up to the surface. Against her own will, Ariel trades her voice with the sea witch Ursula (Pat Carroll). Before the sun sets on the third day, Ariel has to kiss Prince Eric, but not just any kiss, a kiss of true love. If he does kiss her within that time, Ariel will remain human permanently, but if she doesn't, she'll turn back into a mermaid and belong to Ursula. The Little Mermaid is arguably the best animated Disney feature in years with brilliant animation, memorable characters, and the best songs in a Disney film since the 60s. The Little Mermaid was the last Disney feature to be hand-inked and hand-painted, but started the legendary Disney Renascence, which lasted a full decade. 'Mermaid' also won the Oscars for Best Original Song (Under the Sea) and Best Original Score, the first animated feature to do so since Pinocchio.

17. Watership Down (1978)

Despite being marketed as a family-friendly feature, this is no cute children's tale. Based on the book by Richard Adams, Watership Down tells the often frightening tale of rabbits forced to leave their burrow when one of them has a premonition of disaster. Embarking on a journey to create a new idealized society on Watership Down, they find that life there does not come without a struggle, and the final battle is the goriest scene in the film. Despite its dark tone depicting man and nature's cruelty, Watership Down won the Saturn Award for Best Animated Feature.

16. The Secret of Kells (2009)

The Secret of Kells tells the story of an Irish boy named Brendan, whose fatherly figure Abbot (Brendan Gleeson) wants Brendan to become chief when he dies. The jovial Aiden knows Brendan is an artist and wants him to inscribe the Book of Kells' ornamental heart. While looking for berries as a substitute for ink, Brendan meets a forest spirit named Aisling (pronounced Ashling). Ten years in the making and produced in five countries at once, director Tomm Moore got visually inspired by Richard Williams and Genndy Tartakovsky. The monster serpent, which comes in later in the film, is based on creatures of the deep. Despite being distributed by a company called G-Kids, this is no kids cartoon. It contains scary images and heavy themes, namely war and religion. Despite the complicated story and adult themes, 'Kells' got nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, but lost to Pixar's Up.

15. Ernest & Celestine (2012)

Based on the books by Gabrielle Vincent, Ernest & Celestine is a French animated film about a mouse named Celestine, who must collect teeth from bears so mice can use them. But when she meets a friendly bear named Ernest, both of them are on the lam, because bears and mice hate each other. The mice are afraid that the bears would eat them, while the bears find them a nuisance. Ernest & Celestine premiered in the US in 2013 and got nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, but lost to the colossal Disney hit Frozen.

14. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
 

Walt Disney's first feature film is about a young girl named Snow White, who is in danger of the jealous Queen. Every day, the Queen speaks to the slave in the magic mirror to find out who the fairest one of all. As long as the mirror said that the Queen was the fairest, Snow White was safe. Fearing that Snow White's beauty would surpass her own, the Queen dresses the princess in rags. When the Queen sends a huntsman to kill Snow White and rip out her heart, the huntsman tells Snow White to run away and never return. Deep within the forest, Snow White befriends a slew of woodland creatures, who bring Snow White to a small cottage. The cottage was sloppy and messy, so Snow White and the animals clean it up. When the owners of the house, seven dwarfs who are named after their personalities, come home, they are at first afraid of Snow White, but when she wakes up, the dwarfs become her friends. Back at the queen's castle, she discovers that the heart the huntsman gave her belonged to a pig, prompting her to kill Snow White herself. When Walt Disney first announced Snow White in 1934, everyone thought "Who would want to see a feature-length cartoon?" Walt made sure that Snow White was a movie unlike any other. The animators worked hard to make the human characters realistic and believable, despite there being only 4 humans in the entire film, while the story team had countless meetings on how the audience would feel. Walt was curious on what people would think if a cartoon character gets killed. Would they laugh or would they cry? Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered on December 21st, 1937, and cost a million and a half dollars to make. When the movie ended, the audience gave a standing ovation. In its first year, Snow White earned 8 million dollars worldwide, and in 1939, Shirley Temple rewarded Walt with eight honorary Oscars for innovation: One full-size statuette and seven small ones.

13. The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

 In this charming French film with almost no dialogue, The Triplets of Belleville tells the story of a young Cyclist named Champion who competes in the Tour de France. Champion's grandmother, Madame Souza, acts as his guardian and trainer, and sets out to rescue him when he is kidnapped by a square-shaped Mafioso on a tall, triangular ocean liner. During her adventure, Madame Souza meets an elderly trio of triplet dance stars known as The Triplets of Belleville. 'Belleville' was not only co-financed by companies from different countries, but also had teams of animators scattered across the world, meaning director Sylvain Chomet often had to direct through the Internet and e-mail, an increasingly common way of working. The Triplets of Belleville got nominated for the Oscars for Best Original Song (Belleville Rendezvous) and Best Animated Feature, but lost the latter to Pixar's Finding Nemo.

12. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

A good way to describe this movie is like Groundhog Day but with a Japanese teenage girl. The main characters are a teen boy and girl named Chiaki and Makoto, who have an easy jocular friendship. One drowsy evening, Chiaki gives Makoto a ride and asks her if they might date, which greatly embarrasses Makoto. Because she's a time-traveler, Makoto resets the scene again and again, trying to steer the conversation away. But Chiaki keeps asking her out, and Makoto's trans-temporal meddling only spoils their friendship. Director Mamoru Hosoda blends witty comedy with can-do optimism, wistful yearning, romantic obsession, and traumatic tragedy, and it actually works quite well. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time premiered in Japan in the summer of 2006 and earned great reviews, even winning the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.

11. Pinocchio (1940)

Pinocchio is considered Walt Disney's masterpiece among fans, myself included. Based on the story by Carlos Collodi, Pinocchio is about a lonely, but successful toy maker named Gepetto. One night, when Gepetto wished on a star and wished that his newest creation, a marionette who he named Pinocchio, was a real boy, a beautiful human-sized fairy came through the window and gave Pinocchio the gift of life. Now accompanied by an anthropomorphic cricket named Jiminy (Cliff Edwards), Pinocchio (Dicky Jones) must go on a quest to prove that he is brave, caring, and selfless to become a real boy, while meeting 'temptations' like an anthropomorphic fox and cat named Honest John and Gideon, Stromboli the greedy and bullying puppet showman, and Monstro the Whale, who all the fish of the sea are afraid of. Pinocchio was a very expensive feature, almost twice as expensive as Snow White. The movie had extensive use of the Multiplane Camera, and live-action footage was used for reference. Mel Blanc, famous for voicing almost every Looney Tunes character, was originally the voice of Gideon, but then it was decided that Gideon should be a mute character, and all that remains is a hiccup. Pinocchio got great reviews, though not as good as Snow White, but originally bombed at the box-office. This was because WWII broke out and blocked European markets, and Pinocchio was originally dubbed in only two languages: Spanish and Portuguese. However, it did win the Oscars for Best Original Song (When You Wish Upon a Star) and Best Original Score. Now a days, Pinocchio is considered as not just one of the animated movies of all time, but one of the best MOVIES of all time.