MY TOP FILMS: ANIMATED/FANTASY

I've been browsing some blogs the last couple of hours, and I noticed that there've been some people who posted their favorite films in their sites... if you'd allow me, I'd like to join the bandwagon. I don't want to make a countdown of my all-time favorite films as it's been done before by yoshke on his blog, although it's not yet finished.

So to make mine different, I'd list down my favorites by genre. I've already done this before with comic book movies last month. And in keeping with my childish favorites, I'd list here my top animated/fantasy films. Somewhere down the road, I'd also list down my favorite action, comedy, thriller, drama, adaptation, guy and (gasp!) chick flicks.

Before you react with some of the choices here, it's animated/fantasy. So not all of the films here are drawn or computer generated. Okay? Just so you know. If you have a problem, make your own list.

11. ENCHANTED: Ahh the magic of Disney. This list is dominated by the children's company, as a lot of my fondest memory as a kid involved somehow a movie created by them. Although this one is really new, it still came from Walt Disney. This is the story of Giselle, a fairytale princess who was sent to the real world by an evil queen, only to find true love with a man who no longer believes in fairy tales. I like this film because it's funny, although a bit cliche but nevertheless it's interesting. I didn't get bored watching the movie. And it's the type that I can watch over and over and over... and over.

10. ELLA ENCHANTED: Two words: Anne Hathaway! This is a sort of modern version of another Cinderella story, the only twist is that Ella is cast under a spell of obedience. She has to do everything everyone tells her to do. It's not really a film that you can call a classic, but it's a cute film. I liked it because this is where I first heard the song Somebody To Love originally sung by Queen. Anne's version is so good, that everytime I watch this movie, I have to pause and rewind on that scene. Anne sang that beautifully.

9. CARS: While cars by itself is already interesting, Pixar brought them to life. Lightning McQueen is a brash race car until he gets stranded in a desolate town where he learned that life isn't just about racing. Definitely much more superior than Speed Racer by a mile. I admit, the scene on how Radiator Springs lost it's visitors got me teary-eyed. Before watching this, I was a firm believer that cartoons are made to make us laugh and not to make us cry.

8. RATATOUILLE: As with most of the people in the world, I hate rats!!! When I was a kid, when we see one we always try 101 ways of how to torture rats. I'm not saying that after watching this movie, my mind changed about these filthy critters. Nope. I still have 200 things in mind on ways of torturing them. But for about an hour and a half, it made me believe that rats can be cute and cuddly and charming. Remy is a rat who is a genius in the kitchen, who decides to help bumbling kitchen help Linguini.

7. FINAL FANTASY: ADVENT CHILDREN: If you're one of the five regular readers of my blog, you'd know that I'm a huge Role Playing Game fan. And one of the best rpg games ever made is Final Fantasy VII. Now when the people behind the game decided to create a movie about it, I literally fell from my seat. I never expected to hear from Cloud, Tifa, Cid and company after the ending of the game. But I'm very happy that I did. This is an action packed film, and my jaw dropped in every fight scene that was in this movie. Story-wise it's not that great, but if you're really a fan of the titles, this will give you goosebumps... and fond memories of high school.

6. THE LION KING: This was a traumatic film for me when I first saw it as a kid. At the beginning of the film, I witnessed the murder of Simba's father by his Uncle Scar. I think this is where animated films started to mature. And I'm happy to have been there when it happened. Who knew that children's films could also be dark, and at the same time perky. This was one of the last good 2d films made by Disney in my opinion, as after this, I didn't enjoy the movies they made as much.

5. ALADDIN: Who could ever forget about Aladdin, Genie and Princess Jasmine? I think I was in 5th grade when this movie came out. I remember that people wanted to watch this movie for the sole reason that Lea Salonga was the singing voice of Jasmine, only to find out that she only sang one song in the movie. But I wasn't really disappointed because the movie was very well done. I loved the comedy brought about by Robin William's Genie, and there were alot of Easter Eggs in the film. Who else screamed like a little girl when they saw Sebastian (the crab from The Little Mermaid) in one of the musical scenes of the film.
4. WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?: This was I believe the first movie where they fused animation and live action together. And it was brilliant!!! I loved this film, because it's the only movie where you'll see Disney and WB characters interact. I especially liked the scene where both Bugs Bunny and Mickey Mouse came out. This is the only place you'll see that happening. Until now, I'm still looking forward to the day that that happens again. Wishful thinking of a kid at heart, I know.

3. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: Ahhh... For me, this is the best old school animated movie. I think as a kid, I saw this movie in the theater 5 times. I had to lie to my aunts and cousins about not having to see this to be able to watch it again. Admittedly, after watching it in the cinema, I've only seen this movie again about I think only twice. The reason is simple, I don't want to get tired of watching this film. Because for me it's special. I can't explain it, but there's something about my seeing this film that makes me happy.

2. SHREK 2: This is high in my list because there's no other movie in this list that made me laugh so hard that 2 days after I saw the film, I still can't stop laughing. Definitely the best among it's franchise, this film follows the life of Shrek and Fiona after they got married. I loved especially the soundtrack. The music definitely was chosen by people who grew up the same time I did. While the music is only a little part of what makes this a great movie, the story and the script and Puss In Boots made this a classic.

1. FINDING NEMO: As much as I wanted Shrek 2 to be my number one animated/fantasy movie of all time, I still love fishes. I'm allergic to seafood, but it didn't hinder me from loving this movie. Nemo got separated from his father and was sent to Australia, and it's up to his father and Dory to save and bring him back home. Like the prior movie, this is also laugh out loud funny. Most of the time when I watch the video at home, I skip to the scenes of Dory, as it's brilliantly depicted by the very funny Ellen Degeneres. The fact that this is heart-warming, funny and adorable all at the same time is what made me decide to put this film on the top of my list.