The PG Cooper List Thread: Gamer Days

Shrek 2 > Incredibles

6. The Lion King (Disney)



The peak of the Disney formula, but also a movie that reaches deeper thematically. There's a truly epic quality to The Lion King and while the fantastic animation and production value are certainly impressive, what truly makes the film soar is the scale of the story and the depth of Simba's transformation. Beyond that, every element here is just executed with pitch-perfect skill. Even the goofy antics of Timon and Pumbaa end up being pretty charming. More than just a great animated movie, but more generally, top-tier escapist blockbuster filmmaking too.

It's hard to really argue against all of Lion King's strengths, but for me, it's always just been #2.

4. Spirited Away (Ghibli)



Pure creativity. At this point, Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki in particular were riding high on a series of massive triumphs which raised their profile both in Japan and beyond. Spirited Away was, in many ways, the culmination of this success, a film of massive visual imagination and thematic resonance. The film is essentially a riff on the Alice in Wonderland/Wizard of Oz style fantasy where an ordinary young girl is thrust into an extraordinary world that's equal parts enchanting and terrifying. The core narrative and character transformation is itself rewarding, but the film is also loaded with subtext regarding Japan's own cultural identity. You could spend several viewings psycho-analyzing every tantalizing visual element of the film, or you could just let it's beauty wash over you. It's such a rich, vibrant movie that jumps from wild set-pieces to moments of deep silence. And as much as the insanely good animation takes stage, Joe Hisaishi's beautiful score is the film's real secret weapon. It took me some time to really click with Spirited Away, but I'm glad I finally have.

3. WALL-E (Pixar)



Is to Pixar what Lion King is to Disney - perfect execution of a house formula, but also something more. Whenever critics want to hype up WALL-E they talk about the corporate/environmental critique or the ambitious sound design but what I find so remarkable is despite so many high-brow decisions the filmmakers made, WALL-E is also just super fun to watch. WALL-E himself is a wonderfully endearing hero and the romance he develops with EVA is surprisingly moving. The silent comic antics are also just delightful and even when the film shifts gears to a more traditional Pixar chase movie, it's still completely enthralling. Crucial are the little touches Pixar bring to the formula. Namely, the ways in which WALL-E subtly changes everything he touches on the ship, which makes the eventual revolution seem entirely earned even if not a lot of time has actually passed. Pixar are still early in their lifespan compared to something like Disney so who knows what the future will bring, but I can't imagine equaling WALL-E (let alone topping it) will be an easy task.

2. Princess Mononoke (Ghibli)



Before The Lord of the Rings trilogy, this was the peak of fantasy filmmaking. Builds on the foundations of prior epics (particularly Nausicaä) to deliver something even more complex and thoughtful. The journey is truly rousing, the characters and their conflicts multi-faceted, the animation exquisite, and the score is one of the best in film history. Really a summation of everything I love about Miyazaki. It has the historical weight of Spirited Away, the anti-war themes of Porco Rosso, the intriguing world-building of Nausicaä, the adventurous excitement of Castle in the Sky, and though a much darker movie, the sheer wonderment of My Neighbor Totoro. Except this movie is better than all of them. Maybe it's because the execution is fucking sublime, maybe it's because of the well-developed ensemble, or maybe it's because it has giant talking wolves. Who's to say. Whatever the case, I love this movie.

That's a historical drama.

Of course

Oh right I forgot how much you love the firefly movie.

Mononoke and WallE are both tops.

Is it though?

Need to check out Spirited Away for the Best of the Century list anyway.