Yes, I am biased towards Disney movies.
No, my entire list does not only consist of Disney movies.
With that being said, please enjoy this list of my favorite top ten animated movies:
10. The Spongebob Squarepants Movie
“Bigger boot!”
Yes, The Spongebob Squarepants Movie has made it onto my list! You see, I watch the cartoon itself on TV all the time, but when the actual movie came out, somewhere around the early 2000s, my parents bought it for me on VHS. I would invest in a DVD copy, but Nickelodeon plays it all the time on their channel, so there’s no need for the extra investment. Here’s the basic premise of the movie: Spongebob and Patrick must journey to the fabled Shell City to clear Mr. Krabs’ name after he is accused of stealing King Neptune’s crown. It’s a quirky story, but I love it. Needless to say, I will definitely watch this movie for years to come.
9. Tarzan
“You’ll be in my heart.”
A big ‘thank you’ to Phil Collins for making my favorite Disney movie soundtrack! This Disney classic follows Tarzan as he grows up living amongst his adopted gorilla family. However, after three humans show up in the jungle, Tarzan realizes that he is exactly like them and must figure out which world he truly belongs in. A truly great story, and even though the movie’s villain was pure evil, I have to admit that his death scene was one of the more graphic ones you’ll find in a Disney film. Regardless, I love the story, watching Tarzan discover his place in the world. I’m glad Jane and her father decided to join the squad as well.
8. Shrek
“I’m making waffles!”
Ah, a movie that actually doesn’t belong to Disney, and it has an interesting premise as well: one night, Shrek finds that his swamp has been overtaken by fairytale characters after Lord Farquaad banished them from his kingdom. In order to regain his home, Shrek, along with his new sidekick Donkey, strike a deal with Farquaad: if Shrek brings back a princess for Farquaad, then he can have his swamp all to himself. In any case, this movie never fails to make me laugh, and I’m glad I’m old enough to understand those scandalous innuendos.
7. Lion King
“No worries for the rest of your days.”
One of the worst Disney deaths, in my opinion, is watching Scar betray Mufasa, his own brother! To make matters worse, Scar blames Simba for his father’s death and tells him to run away from home, which allows his evil uncle to take over as ruler of the Pride Lands. Thankfully, instead of meeting an early fate, which Scar might have preferred, Simba meets two friends, Timon and Pumbaa, who are more than eager to help him. Basically, the trio gives us one of the best songs on the entire soundtrack (and a wonderful montage scene of Simba growing up). Eventually, Simba learns of his uncle’s wrongdoings and vows to return and defeat Scar with the help of his new companions. As a side note, Scar is a great villain, and Timon and Pumbaa are two of my favorite Disney sidekicks of all time.
6. The Lego Movie
“Everything is awesome.”
The sequel is every bit as good as the first, but I just personally like the OG better. The story follows Emmet, described as a boring guy with no friends, who accidentally discovers “the piece of resistance” which he is, quite literally, stuck with. After this initial encounter, Emmet begins a heroic journey, living up to his moniker as “the special.” Basically, Emmet, along with his new friends and Batman, must stop President Business from destroying their world. Personally, I like the jump from animation into reality in this movie. We, as the audience, are the only ones who know that the events of the film have been created by a child playing with legos, even though Will Ferrell is oddly protective of his immense collection.
5. Monsters INC
“Mike Waszowski!”
In order to produce the energy required to power their city, these quirky monsters must enter the bedrooms of children and scare them. Thus, the film literally brings the age-old “there’s a monster under my bed” cliche to life! Monsters INC. follows Sully and Mike as they accidentally allow a child to escape from the world of us humans, which hilariously leads to a perilous situation for the rest of the city. You see, our new monster friends seem to believe that human children are toxic, which must make for a dangerous work environment. Sully and Mike must help Boo return to her own world before more interested parties can intervene. Now, one of my favorite parts of Monsters INC. is the film’s ending, not because the movie is over, but because the monsters now receive their energy supplies from children’s laughs instead of screams. Furthermore, if you’re interested, the prequel to this movie, Monsters University, tells the story of how Sully and Mike came to be partners, and I really enjoyed it as well.
4. Lilo and Stitch
“Ohana means family.”
After the unexpected deaths of their parents, Lilo finds herself living with her older sister, Nani. Their relationship is rather complicated, but Nani really only wants the best for Lilo. When Nani overhears Lilo wishing for a friend, she brings her to the animal shelter to adopt a dog. Enter Stitch, an extraterrestrial experiment gone wrong who escaped to Earth to avoid being, well, destroyed. Lilo happens to adopt Stitch, much to Nani’s misfortune, who was also designed to destroy everything he touches. Of course, Stitch initially ends up wreaking havoc on the pair, but eventually finds himself learning the true meaning of family. At number four on my list, I truly love this movie and can watch it over and over again. It’s one of my favorites to watch with the whole family.
3. Coco
“Seize your moment.”
One of the more recent movies on my list is Coco. This animated masterpiece centers around Migue, who wants nothing more than to become a musician. However, his family hates musicians because Miguel’s great-great-grandfather left his family in pursuit of a music career. Now, through a series of hilarious events, Miguel finds himself trapped in the Land of the Dead. Miguel must find his famous relative in order to get his blessing to practice music and return to the world of the living. Unfortunately, things don’t go according to plan, and there’s a major plot twist that I didn’t see coming (just watch the movie to understand). This is yet another Disney movie with an incredible lead single which was released in two versions: one in English and one in Spanish.
2. Toy Story
“There’s a snake in my boot.”
This movie sent me on an unplanned trip to the hospital when I jumped off the couch believing I could fly like Buzz Lightyear. However, despite my misfortunes, I love this movie! It is one of the few franchises in which I enjoyed every subsequent sequel. Here’s how the first film progresses: when Woody gets jealous of Buzz Lightyear’s coveted role as Andy’s new favorite toy, the two end up as enemies as opposed to friends. Unfortunately, when Andy accidentally leaves them behind at a gas station, the two are sent on a hilarious journey trying to find their way back to Andy before the big moving day. The whole idea behind this movie blows my mind. There’s no way I could imagine a better plot to top this one!
1. Aladdin
“Ten thousand years will give you such as crick in the neck!”
This is my favorite animated movie of all time.
My favorite villain, my favorite prince, my favorite princess, my favorite everything! Also, I’m glad that Robin Williams was a part of this franchise to bring even more humor to an already funny character in Genie. Allow me to explain why I love it so much: this movie follows Aladdin as he discovers a magic lamp in the Cave of Wonders which reveals an enchanted genie inside (cue the best musical number of all time). The genie grants him three wishes, but young and ambitious Aladdin really only wants one thing: to win the affections of Princess Jasmine. Enter an amazing series of events that ultimately leave our heroes in a precarious situation. But what would a Disney movie be without a happy ending?
P.S. The soundtrack is also amazing, and my favorite Disney song “A Whole New World” is also a major bop!
