#10: Kubo & The Two Strings
‘Kubo & The Two Strings’ is about a young boy whose life kinda sucks. His grandfather took his eye during an attempt to kill him, his father died trying to save him, and Kubo’s life is basically taking care of his mother after she suffers a head injury. He’s able to support them both by telling stories in the village, but he’s not so great at ending them. Literally almost everything about ‘Kubo’ is great, but the best thing about it is the story. The culture behind the story and its mature subject matter is very well written and beautifully done. That’s mainly why It’s either at or above Disney’s level, because Disney does not always go dark. Every now and then it does, and Disney does it well too, just not always. So ‘Kubo’ serves as a suitable opponent for Disney.
#9: Anastasia
There’s a reason why ‘Anastasia’ is often confused for a Disney film (well technically speaking, it kind of is now). Don Bluth used to be an animator for Disney, and that definitely shows in this movie, from its music to its animation. And of course, Anya herself would seem like the perfect Disney Princess while Dimitri would seem like the perfect Disney Prince. Not to mention Rasputin is basically the cookie-cutter Disney Villain. I would not say It would give Disney a run for its money, but it can compete against it. And the fact that a lot of people thought it was a Disney movie serves as an advantage for ‘Anastasia’. I don’t really know if that was what Mr. Bluth was going for, but it is what it is.
#8: An American Tale
And here we have yet another Don Bluth film (and not the last). This one is also slightly Disney-ish, but not as much as my last subject. We follow Fievel as he goes on a quest to find his family after getting separated. In a way, ‘An American Tale’ does have similar factors to ‘Anastasia’, but what sets it over ‘Anastasia’ is that the movie can be really, REALLY sad. That’s something that Disney is particularly known for, and there is no denying that Disney knows how to pull our heart strings. So the fact that this movie has that effect on people as well makes it a formidable opponent for Disney. Again, Bluth’s past with Disney serves as a major advantage with this movie and it really shows in that particular area.
#7: The Iron Giant
The funny thing about ‘The Iron Giant’ is that unlike Don Bluth, Brad Bird (its director) would go on to join Disney (well Pixar), after this. ‘The Iron Giant’ has a lot of things going for it, but I’m only going to mention 2. The first being its animation; this film has some of the most beautiful animation that I’ve ever seen and it was the type of animation that even Disney couldn’t top. The second is the scene that it’s pretty much known for, the death. Literally everything about that scene is just perfect. It's one of those scenes where what happens is good but also makes you sad. Yes the giant did save everyone, but it was also really sad to see him go. You know the movie was a competition when Disney/Pixar completely kidnaps its director.
#6: The Land Before Time
For our last Don Bluth film, we have ‘The Land Before Time’. Of course, It has some Disney-ish qualities, but it also stands on its own feet. The film does a great job at making the prehistoric times look like a whimsical and somewhat magical place, but also showing the dangers of those times as well. All those kids (especially Littlefoot) had to grow up pretty fast as they either lost their parents or were just separated from them. And on top of that, they were constantly being chased by a stupid sharptooth, seriously that thing just won’t leave them alone. This was released one year before ‘The Little Mermaid’ so at the time Disney was kind of a flop. So ‘The Land Before Time’ made the company look like second place for a while, that is until ‘The Little Mermaid’ of course.
#5: How To Train Your Dragon
Now I’m looking at the franchise as a whole, mainly because I don’t want to choose between 1 & 2, and 3 is the weakest in the franchise. I’ve always considered Dreamworks as Pixar’s main competitor. And while Pixar still reigned supreme with ‘Toy Story 3’, ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ nearly gave them a run for its money. 2 was pretty much a step higher than the first one. 3 was still good as well. I think what really made the franchise a contender for Disney was the fact that they went harder with each film (well sort of with 3). Another thing that made it a contender was the beautiful relationship between Hiccup & Toothless. It was very well written, and you just can’t get enough of it (well I can’t anyway).
#4: The Prince Of Egypt
‘The Prince Of Egypt’ is AWESOME!!!!!!!! Considering I’m Christian it shouldn’t be a surprise that I adore this movie. There’s so many reasons why this movie is amazing, but here are 2 main reasons. First being the animation. This animation is just perfect and to be honest, better than Disney’s. But I love this movie especially because it respects the Bible. I know that may not mean much to others, but that means a lot to me. And another incredible thing is that the movie knows how to appeal to a non-Christian audience without trying to shove it down people’s throats. Disney has been trying to shove politics down people's throats for a while, which is a real shame. ‘The Prince Of Egypt’ is 1 of 2 movies on this list that completely outshines Disney.
#3: The Lego Movie
I think it’s safe to say that ‘The Lego Movie’ has taken everyone by surprise. I find it very hard to believe that it’s computer animation, but it is. Salute to Lord and Miller that. This is just one of those movies that make you feel like a kid again which is probably another reason why the movie is so loved. While this movie isn’t one of the 2 I was referring to in the last entry, ‘The Lego Movie’ could’ve outshined Disney if it was treated properly at times (mainly the Oscars). I’m not saying that an Oscar makes a movie, It doesn't. But at the same time, it being snubbed when it probably deserved a nomination is definitely an insult to the movie.
#2: Shrek (Just the first one)
Like its fellow Dreamworks movies the HTTYD series, ‘Shrek’ also nearly gave Pixar a run for its money. In a way, it kind of did as the first ‘Shrek’ beat out ‘Monster’s Inc’ for the ‘Best Animated Feature’ category at the Oscars. While I prefer not to choose between the 2 films as both are amazing, It’s easy to see why ‘Shrek’ is a formidable opponent for ‘Monster’s Inc’. To me the greatest thing about ‘Shrek’ is its writing. This movie has some of the sharpest writing that I’ve ever seen in an animated movie. I believe it takes more than simply great let alone decent animation to compete against a Disney movie. ‘Shrek’ had both, and that is why ‘Monster’s Inc’ had a true opponent.
Like always, here are a few honorable mention.........
-My first (an only) western movie -Probably the last good animated motion capture film
-Oh Look, another Don Bluth film -We have witnessed the return of 2D animation
#1: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
It should come to no surprise that ‘Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse’ is #2 in movies that outshine Disney and #1 on my list. I’m not gonna say the obvious reasons why it outshines Disney, but I will say what Disney can learn from it. Disney can learn that not all of its movies have to involve cookie cutter CGI animation, that it’s okay to be imperfect at times. It can also learn that not everything is political, that the best way to represent is to not bring attention to a certain fact about a character. ‘Spider-Verse’ is an example of the right way for representation. Each one of those characters owns who they are without bringing attention to it, and I deeply admire that about the movie. Hopefully that won’t change in the sequel (which I am TERRIFIED for), but we’ll see.
The google slideshow link is down below. Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year!
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1C7VZRRKssVwL4QyGesdpLb-9frYuunlwb4-CDz5xzs4/edit?usp=sharing
Comments
Post a Comment