Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to choose what they think is the best movie under a certain topic related to a recent release. So this week, with the release of DC League of Super-Pets, we’re counting down our favorite animated movies featuring talking animals! Let us know @SiftPop what your ranking is!
Dark openings to Disney movies are a time-honored tradition, but Pinocchio takes it to another level, carrying that darkness through the end beneath a veil of joy. Jiminy Cricket gets almost equal billing to Pinocchio, even opening the movie singing “When You Wish Upon A Star”, one of Disney’s most iconic songs. It rightfully won the 1940 Academy Award for Best Original Song, and 40 years later it became Disney’s signature track played with production logos. Don’t get too swept up in the sweetness, because a bumpy ride awaits. Geppetto’s wish for Pinocchio to come to life begins a perilous journey, as the former puppet is given a crash course in the temptations and dangers lurking in the world. He faces immediate consequences for ignoring his conscience, and Jiminy struggles mightily in that role, even giving up multiple times. The movie subtly illustrates the ambiguity of morality as Pinocchio’s innocence is continuously corrupted by grifters, kidnappers, human traffickers, slavers, and more, and the corrupters all escape unpunished. The 82-year-old animation stands the test of time, with gorgeous artwork highlighted by the climactic escape from Monstro the whale. It teaches great lessons throughout, like the metaphor of, “A lie keeps growing and growing until it’s as plain as the nose on your face.” Released during the early days of World War II, Pinocchio excels as an honest depiction of the light that can shine through the darkness. Even surrounded by evil, those pure of heart can rise above and find happiness. (Jason Mack)
This is where the Disney Renaissance all started, wasn’t it? The rousing and colorful adventure under the sea is filled to the gills with magical beings and adorable talking animals. The Little Mermaid started the incredible collaboration between Disney, Howard Ashman, and Alan Menken, which breathed life back into Disney animation. The songs in this film are all-time classics, from “Under the Sea” to “Kiss the Girl”. Ariel is one of the most iconic Disney princesses, and her chatty pals Sebastian and Flounder are some of the best supporting players as well. Ursula is one of the most beloved of all the Disney villains. The beautiful animation is something to behold, setting the tone for years to come. There is romance, action, and a few scares along the way, making this an adventure worth taking for the whole family. 30-plus years of magic all started here, and we are all so thankful. (Shane Conto)
Shrek is life, Shrek is love. If this phrase doesn’t ring any bells, good for you, you have yet to fall into a weird rabbit hole of YouTube videos on Saturday night. If I reminded you of that video, I don’t apologize, as it’s still a traumatizing classic of “weird YouTube”. You thought this would be a Shrek blurb, right? It is and it isn’t. Because nobody could have predicted how large and phenomenal this film would have become. Without any doubts, this was the movie that put DreamWorks on the map and made it the giant it is today. Nowadays, people associate Shrek with countless sequels, many shorts and decreasing quality. But the original Shrek (and its sequel) still hold up, even though it has been over 20 years now since it premiered. Sure, when you rewatch it nowadays, you will notice the animation looks “rougher” at times, but that can be expected given the shift towards “photorealism” within the animation industry. And there have been many animated films before and after Shrek, but dare I say you would struggle to find another one like this, that influenced our pop culture on so many levels, where people make crazy YouTube videos about it so many years after. Truly, Shrek is life, Shrek is love. (Luke Burian)
Animation isn’t just for children’s entertainment, and is a powerful mediumto tell meaningful stories. Zootopia happens to cover both of those fronts with it’s fun characters, and it sheds light on real societal issues that still plague us today. The film showcases the damaging effects of harmful labels and biases that the characters carry in the film. Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) is a rookie bunny cop who is looked down upon due to the way she is viewed in her society. She is seen as tiny, meek and overall not taken seriously due to her species. Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) is a fox who embraces his label as a sly and shifty con-man unapologetically. Throughout them reluctantly working to crack a case, they slowly start to look past said labels and appearances to see each other’s true selves. Zootopia is loaded with beautiful animation, but it will be long remembered for it’s poignant messaging. (Joe Vargas)
Aladdin has always been one of my favorite Disney Renaissance films. The story is about the titular young street urchin, who comes across a magic lamp containing a genie. We know the story. The genie grants three wishes, the street urchin gets the girl in the end, but it’s quite more than that. The fourth film from the Renaissance era, Aladdin is a fun film for anyone, as it tells the story of a young man trying to survive in his world. Also the film’s standout, Genie was voiced by my childhood hero, the late, great Robin Williams. Every line is quotable, and never misses a mark. With the master plan, the Genie just has to say the magic words. While everyone may have loved the Genie, my favorite character was Iago (the late Gilbert Gottfried), Jafar’s cynical and hot-tempered parrot assistant, but he’s not your typical parrot. Iago knows more than “Polly wants a cracker”, and is definitely his right-hand bird. He and Jafar (Jonathan Freeman) are like an old married couple that bickers constantly, and it works. Along with the vibrant colors, memorable characters, and one of the best Disney soundtracks (“A Friend Like Me” anyone?) Aladdin is a classic in its own right. (Chantal Ashford)
One of Pixar’s underrated gems is the 2007 film, Ratatouille starring Patton Oswalt as Remy the rat who becomes a chef at a French restaurant with the help of a human named Linguini (Lou Romano). Ratatouille is a story of how we need to look past someone’s upbringing, appearance, or social status, and understand that greatness can come from anywhere. The movie also manages to fit in subplots about loyalty and family, and weaves it all together into a well-paced, heartfelt comedy. One of my favorite characters is Anton Ego, the feared and jaded food critic voiced by Peter O’Toole. There are two moments in particular with Ego: the first is when he tells Linguini, “I don’t like food, I love it, and if I don’t love it, I don’t swallow.” He is so menacing in that moment, but also, it’s just a great line that I quote constantly (most often, to my friend’s chagrin, about Star Wars). The second, and much more powerful moment, is when Ego tastes the ratatouille dish, prepared by Remy, and is instantly transported back to his childhood in a flood of nostalgic memories. This moment captures how truly wonderful a feeling of nostalgia is, in a time where nostalgia hadn’t yet been used incessantly by Hollywood as a cynical means to shamelessly capitalize on an audience’s need to remember the past. Ratatouille is at its heart a tale of the little guy triumphing and the ending never fails to put a tear in my eye. (Nick Ferro)
Wes Anderson’s first venture into the world of animation, Fantastic Mr. Fox, delivers in an impressive way. The animation is unique and charming in a way that truly showcases Anderson’s unmatched attention to detail. The director teams up with Noah Baumbach to expertly adapt Roald Dahl’s original story for the big screen. And he assembled an impeccable ensemble cast that really brings life and nuance to the quirky cast of talking animals. George Clooney leads the film as the classic cunning fox that’s forced to grapple with his ego as he tries to do right by his family. Meryl Streep plays the wise, protective woman determined to keep her family safe. Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, and Michael Gambon are just a few of the other recognizable voices that pop up throughout the film. Anderson’s adaptation continues to be a rewatchable delight over a decade later. (Jack Grimme)
Kiki’s Delivery Service follows Kiki, a 13-year-old witch, as she leaves home for a year of independent life with her talking black cat Jiji. Unlike most other animated films, Kiki’s Delivery Service contains delightfully low stakes with very few major plot developments. This combination makes for an overwhelmingly pleasant experience, aided in no small part by Joe Hisaishi’s impossibly beautiful musical score and Studio Ghibli’s stunning, hand-drawn animation. The consistent look of hand-drawn animation across time ensures that films like Kiki’s Delivery Service remain timeless. The film feels so modern that you’d never guess it was released in 1989. Less a story than a wavelength, Kiki’s Delivery Service is one of the loveliest animated films around. (Foster Harlfinger)
As a father of young children, I can recognize some of myself in the well-intentioned, albeit overprotective father, in one of Pixar’s earliest animated masterpieces, Finding Nemo. Nemo may be the titular character, but the stars of the story are his father, an orange-and-white clownfish named Marlin (Albert Brooks), and a charmingly forgetful hippo tang named Dory (Ellen DeGeneres). A parent’s natural protective instincts can drive away a child, and after his son Nemo is inadvertently fish-napped following an act of adolescent rebellion, Marlin must rely on an entire host of underwater species to rescue his only child, and his unlikely pairing with Dory, who kindly offers the most important advice of the movie: when life gets you down, you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. Visually, the film is jaw-dropping, welcoming audiences to the depths of the ocean floor with a whimsical, under-the-sea triumph in the use of color not seen in a children’s movie since The Little Mermaid over a decade prior. What’s refreshing about Finding Nemo is it’s a tale where kids don’t always know best. So often in children’s stories, the parents are at best blissfully unaware of their circumstance, and at worst they’re portrayed as buffoons, with the kids central to the proceedings, far more well informed. But by the end of this movie, father and son come to recognize that both of their attitudes and behavior contributed to their separation, strengthening their bond once they’re reunited. (Jonathan Fedee)
Disney has had some incredible animated movies come out over the years, but one that was held close to heart to a lot of ‘90s kids was The Lion King. The story is based on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but it’s adapted as the story of an animal kingdom ruled by a lion pride. Simba (Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Matthew Broderick) is a young and ambitious lion cub whose father Mufasa (James Earl Jones) watches over him with the help of Zazu (Rowan Atkinson) when, from the shadows, Scar (Jeremy Irons) plots to kill Mufasa and blame Simba. This movie is incredibly good, thanks to several ‘90s actors to voice the lovable animal characters, and the music. Most of the songs are just as memorable today as they were in 1994. “Circle of Life”, “I Just Can’t Wait to be King”, and “Hakuna Matata”,just to name a few, are still stuck in my head almost 30 years later. This is perfect for all ages, and is still one of Disney’s greats. (Austen Terry)
Bambi
For a very short movie, Bambi has had an impact for decades, and it continues to be prevalent to this day. We all know what happens to Bambi’s mom, and we all were scarred because of it. It was one of the first moments where I understood death, sacrifice, and fear. An exploration of the cycle of life from the perspective of a newborn deer, Bambi has something special that still manages to enthrall and engage long after its release. The brutality makes way for the peaceful nature at its core, allowing most audiences to walk away with an altered perception of violence and greed. It’s a classic from the Disney oeuvre, and will remain as one long after myself, or anyone reading this, has perished into the ether ourselves. (Alice-Ginevra Micheli)
Kung Fu Panda
A talking, animated panda that is voiced by Jack Black can be dropped in any decade and it will hit. Black has proven that with any performance he gives, there are no half measures. Because of his ability to transform into any character, Kung Fu Panda is a great movie with a talking animal. Black brings Po to life in ways that feel the character could only be voiced by him. Unlike iconic characters like Shrek (who sounds angry all the time), Po has a range of emotions behind him. The hero’s journey is in full force as Po is instantly plucked from obscurity to be selected as the chosen one. But Po questions every step of his journey in a way that feels authentic. Imagine being told you are going to be great, but nothing you do even comes close. Jack Black is able to pull off the everyman even when he is playing the everypanda. (Scott Batchelor)
The Jungle Book (1967)
I would say there are too many Disney movies on this list, but all of them are too good to ignore — and what can I say? Disney does talking animals better than most! And not many have more talking animals than The Jungle Book, the final film produced by Walt Disney himself before his death in 1966. Taking place almost entirely in the jungles of India, Jungle Book follows a young human boy named Mowgli who is adopted by wolves after being abandoned by his family. Though Mowgli quickly learns to fend for himself, there are many creatures that would love nothing more than to eat the boy, known as the “man cub” throughout the jungle, so danger is constantly lurking. The omnipresence of animals in the world of The Jungle Book (which, of course, does contain humans) strengthens opposing themes of inclusion and foreignness, giving Mowgli a choice by the film’s end of which of his two worlds to choose. It remains a compelling coming-of-age story to this day, and a beautiful exercise in exploring the oddities of the jungle, with memorable songs and musical numbers to boot. (Rowan Wood)
The Princess and the Frog
The Princess And The Frog deserves way more credit than it gets. Not only was it a return to standard animation, but it was a return to fairy tale stories. This marked the beginning of the new age of Disney princesses who didn’t really wish upon a star and weren’t damsels in distress. This is the movie that brought genuine diversity to Disney, introducing not only a different style of music to Disney in jazz, but also introducing Disney’s first African American princess. Tiana is a powerhouse and a great example for the 21st century kids. Anika Noni Rose brings Tiana to life and will go down as one of the best performances for a Disney princess. This is one of the first times when the prince is a screw-up and needs the princess to set him straight. This is a great film, and dare I say, an underrated gem in the Disney vault. (Mike Hilty)
The Great Mouse Detective
I’m a sucker for Sherlock Holmes adaptations. I’ve read every Sir Arthur Conan Doyle-penned case and seen more than my fair share of film adaptations. Perhaps my favorite — but definitely the one I’ve seen the most — is Disney’s underrated The Great Mouse Detective. The penultimate entry in the animation studio’s “Dark Ages”, like most (if not all) films from the era saddled with this label, it’s a bit unfair. It’s full of charm, wit, and plenty of Sherlock references. As is the case with most of the best Sherlock adaptations, our Holmes-inspired mouse squares off against his archenemy. Basil of Baker Street (named for classic Sherlock actor Basil Rathbone) squares off with the dastardly Professor Ratigan (Vincent Price) to solve the case of a kidnapped toymaker. Though the entire movie is underrated, that goes double for Ratigan. He’s among Disney’s best villains, with a killer song to boot. If you haven’t seen this rodent-laden adaptation of fiction’s most famous detective, it’s worth checking out for Price’s performance alone. (Jake Bourgeois)
Bolt
Another Disney animated classic for me is Bolt from 2009. The movie tells the story of Bolt (John Travolta), a dog, who is the star of a 007-style TV show who literally believes he is saving the life of Penny (Miley Cyrus) each and every week. One day he gets away from Penny and must go on a cross-country Homeward Bound-esque trek to save Penny from danger. This movie takes Bolt through a Buzz Lightyear-style transformation where he has to come to understand he is not really a super powered spy dog. The emotion in this story from both Penny and Bolt still gets to me, especially with Penny because I know how it feels to lose pets. There are so many animal friends that Bolt meets along the way to help him in his daring mission, bringing talented actors aboard to voice them. This movie feels that it has been forgotten to time, but is still a wonderful film the whole family can enjoy. (Austen Terry)
The Aristocats
While not one of the most iconic Disney animated entries, The Aristocats still holds nostalgia for me. It is filled with familiar Disney voices of the period. The story follows a family of cats led by Duchess (Eva Gabor) who are catnapped by a jealous butler (Rody Maude-Roxby) to steal their inheritance and an alley cat (Phil Harris) comes to their rescue. As a kid, my siblings and I definitely identified with each of the younger cats. It’s got a really fun jazz aesthetic, with plenty of talented musicians filling out the cast, that makes for an enjoyable watch. “Everybody Wants to be a Cat” is truly an underrated entry in the Disney music catalogue, and the same could probably be said for the film as a whole. (Jake Bourgeois)
Also Available: An American Tail, A Bug’s Life, Happy Feet, Ice Age, Lady and the Tramp, Madagascar, Robin Hood (1973), The Rescuers, Rango, One Hundred and One Dalmatians