Top 10 Animated Children's Movies

Greetings, reader!

The original Toy Story (1995) turns 25 years old this week. What better way to celebrate than with a list of the greatest animated children's movies of all time! This was a particularly difficult list to make, as films that were a part of my childhood are hard to compare to similar movies that I only saw at an adult age and could thus appreciate them in a significantly different way. Still, after a lot of thought and a lot of re-watching (thanks, Disney Plus!) I was able to rank these favorites based on how much they mean to me and how much I appreciate them, in one way or another. I hope you enjoy!

Here are my honorable mentions: Frozen (2013), Moana (2016), My Neighbor Totoro (1988), The Incredibles (2004), Wall-E (2008).

10. Dinosaur (2000)

Watching this film coincided beautifully with the dinosaur-obsessed phase of my childhood. I absolutely love the magical opening sequence, where the unlikely journey of an Iguanodon egg is followed as it is taken through a majestic landscape in a thrilling chain of events. From there on out, Dinosaur is filled with fun scenery and intriguing prehistoric creatures. The film's sense of adventure had me in awe as a child, and it has a special place in my heart to this day.

9. Spirited Away (2001)

If the general lack of Hayao Miyazaki's films on this list concerns you, my explanation simply is that I didn't watch his films as a child, and have only come into contact with them during the last few years. While the films are quite awesome, they hardly to compare to many of the Disney films that were an active part of my childhood, as that is when such films have the most impact. Even so, this Miyazaki gem made it here - one of two children's films so great that they made it to my top 10 even though I saw them after my childhood and therefore can't fully appreciate their value.

Spirited Away is a profound adventure filled with memorable characters, fantastic imagery and important life lessons. Studio Ghibli's animation is top notch, as the film's creative locations and characters come to life with a unique and magical atmosphere.

8. The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

As a child, I hugely enjoyed this film for its exotic atmosphere and silly characters. Upon re-watching it at my current age, I found a whole new level for my appreciation of the film - it has a very important message that we could all benefit from. This stems from the character Pacha (John Goodman), who plays a central role in the redemption arch of main character Kuzco (David Spade).

When Kuzco is turned into a llama and must find his way back to human form (don't we all sometimes?), Pacha agrees to help him even though Kuzco had been very inconsiderate and mean to Pacha and his family. The character exhibits inspiring patience, as he doesn't answer fire with fire but rather shows Kuzco that being nice and empathetic pays off by being those things towards him. It takes a while, but the lesson cements itself, leading to the film's satisfying ending. In today's societal climate, many of us could take a page from Pacha's book and combat hate with love instead of furthering the cycle of hatred.

7. Shrek (2001)

This film is just a whole bunch of fun. Featuring insanely hilarious voice performances by Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy, a whole bunch of meta humor as the film plays with the tropes of cliché fairy tales, and a kick-ass soundtrack that has a very special place in my heart as it introduced me to the Smash Mouth masterpiece All Star, this film is an absolute delight. Shrek is filled with memorable dialogue and hysterical moments, and it is fun to watch for children and adults alike - much like ogres and onions, this film has layers.

6. Inside Out (2015)

Inside Out is the higher-ranked one out of the two films on this list that I saw for the first time at an adult age. I'm sure I would've loved it as a kid, but I think this film has to be either watched or re-watched at a more mature age in order to fully appreciate it - it's definitely the deepest Disney film I've seen, while also having a whole bunch of zany silliness to it.

The film's central characters are the central emotions of a young girl - a majority of the film takes place inside her head, as we follow Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) and Fear (Bill Hader) while they try to navigate the girl through various challenges. The film deals with the heartbreaking side of growing up, as the girl has a difficult time adjusting to her new school and letting go of childhood memories. There is some surprisingly well-written psychology weaved into the film's plot, while there's also a lot to simply enjoy in its creative portrayal of the wonders of the human mind. The film will very likely make you cry, but it will leave a smile on your face when all is said and done.

5. The Toy Story Trilogy (1995-2010)

Yes, I know that it's a bit of a rule-bender to include this trilogy as one film on my list. But all three films (I haven't seen the fourth one yet) are so good individually that they all would've made it to my top 10, so including them as one left room for more variation within the list. All three films are very special and important to me, each in a slightly different way.

Toy Story (1995) is the one that started it all, and in many ways the most classic one. The humor and storytelling of the franchise are at their best in the original film. Toy Story 2 (1999) is the first film that I saw from the franchise (for some reason), so I have the fondest childhood memories from that deeply nostalgic film. Toy Story 3 (2010) deals with the same issues as Inside Out - one's childhood coming to an end, and moving on from that phase of life.

The third film's release coincided perfectly with my own process of growing up, as I was twelve years old when I saw it - just around the time when little Veikko was moving on from playing with his own childhood toys. The truth is, even though I've heard good things about Toy Story 4 (2019) and I'm sure I'll see it eventually, I haven't felt very motivated to watch it simply because the third film felt like such a great and closure-filled ending.

4. The Iron Giant (1999)

If you're able to watch this film without shedding a tear, I don't trust you as a person. The directorial debut of Brad Bird (who would go on to make action thrillers like Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)), this Warner Bros. cult hit follows a young boy (Eli Marienthal) who befriends a robot from outer space (Vin Diesel). Their connection is unique and sweet, while the film's fast-paced plot provides a lot of thrills and entertaining moments. Without spoiling the ending, I'll say that it is an emotional powerhouse of the highest order. My heart aches just thinking about it. At least the very last scene will help you wipe away your tears with its smile-worthy epicness.

3. Ice Age (2002)

Although the franchise has produced remarkably many solid sequels, there's no beating the original. With a zany and adventurous soundtrack, an amazing group of major characters, beautiful scenery and some great running gags (the sabre-tooth squirrel Scrat and his acorn are some of the funniest content humanity has come up with), Ice Age has all the makings of a childhood favorite. The story does a fantastic job balancing the historical intrigue of the era with some straight-forward adventure, and the film's humor is top notch. All in all, an extremely nostalgic classic.

2. Finding Nemo (2003)

I've always found the oceans of the world, with all their depths and mysteries, to be one of the more epic and fascinating things in this world of ours - and come to think of it, this movie should probably be thanked for that. The expert job of the film's creative animation department, coupled with Thomas Newman's curiosity-fuelled soundtrack, manages to personify the mysterious milieu of the ocean with perfection.

No other film felt quite as magical and atmospheric to watch as a child - for the longest time, I avoided re-watching this film as an adult due to a fear that it would've lost some of its magic when not viewed through a child's eyes. A few months ago, I decided to face my fear and watch the movie again - and it felt just as I had remembered, to my great delight.

1. The Lion King (1994)

I mean, its' just so epic. Mind you, The Lion King also checks all the boxes of a fun and entertaining children's movie with its zany dialogue, personable animation and silly humor. But the film goes far and away beyond that by providing a story that feels remarkably larger-than-life in its dramatic proportions. Partially because of the Hamlet-inspired story with its poetic arch, and definitely helped by the fantastic music department (including an instrumental score by Hans Zimmer and musical numbers composed by Elton John), The Lion King is a grand-scale adventure in a league of its own.

As a child, watching this film felt more powerful and emotional than any other children's movie I can think of. Upon re-watching it as an adult, I was glad to notice that it still has the exact same effect - the scene where Mufasa's (James Earl Jones) head bursts out of the clouds to tell Simba (Matthew Broderick) to "Remember who you are" is honestly one of the most spine-chilling and epic movie scenes I can think of from any genre. The Lion King is a masterpiece.

Thank you for reading! Next week's Thursday is Thanksgiving, so I'll be taking a week off from my blog.

Just kidding, there's never a week off from my blog. I'll naturally be posting a (T)hanksgiving-themed list about the greatest Tom Hanks performances. See you then!