Today I took an old friend and her five year old daughter, Emma, to see Wall*E at a mall in downtown Portland, OR. This was especially fun because it was Emma’s first movie in a movie theater! What an interesting experience!
I had heard that Portland is a very progressive city and full of cool ideas to benefit the greater good. The movie confirmed the reputation for me: we went because of a promotion called the “Cans Film Festival,” where three canned goods earned you a movie ticket and small popcorn! The three of us got to see the film and gorge ourselves with popcorn for less than $9. (Could have been even less, except I splurged and picked up the Kraft Mac & Cheese instead of the store brand.) This is a brilliant promotion to help the Oregon food bank; they probably should up it to five canned goods, but I’m good with three! The movie was very fun (I had already seen Wall*E and declared it one of the best of the year) but watching Emma on the edge of her seat for 90 minutes (the edge because she is so short she had to sit there in order to see!) was fascinating. The mind of a five year old is foreign to an adult.
Anyway, Wall*E reminded me how exceptionally moving animated movies can be. I have multiple friends who either refuse to see animated films or dismiss them as child’s fare. Yes, of course Wall*E is constructed to appeal to children; Pixar knows its core audience, but there is no doubt that the film plays on a deeper, subtler, more complex level than most “grown up” films. If there is any justice, Wall*E will get a best picture nomination this winter.
But an animated film of such high quality is hardly unusual. Nor is excellent animation a monopoly of Disney (and Pixar.) As it turns out, the excellent website http://www.rottentomatoes.com has a compiled list of the fifty best reviewed animated films. I took a look and it’s really a good list. Check it out. As often happens with lists like these, my favorites tend to fall in the 11-20 range as opposed to the top 10. Where does your favorite land?
3 Second Goldfish 