My Top 5 Favorite Animated Films of 2010

There weren’t a lot of animated films released this year that blew me away so it was fairly easy for me to come up with my top 5 list of my favorite animated movies of 2010. Check out my list below and let me know what you think. What were some of you favorite animated films of this year?

1. How To Train Your Dragon

This was by far the best and most entertaining animated movie of the year, and I was shocked that it came out of DreamWorks Animation because their films usually end up being disappointing. This movie was just flat out awesome though.

I loved the humor and tone of the story, it was a smart and heartfelt film that left you with a good feeling inside. I seriously don’t know how a person could watch this film and not like it. It’s a movie that everyone can enjoy, and I think most people can relate to the characters in the story. 

A Viking teenager named Hiccup lives on the island of Berk, where fighting dragons is a way of life. The teen's smarts and offbeat sense of humor don't sit too well with his tribe or its chief... who just happens to be Hiccup's father. However, when Hiccup is included in Dragon Training with the other Viking teens, he sees his chance to prove he has what it takes to be a fighter. But when he encounters (and ultimately befriends) an injured dragon, his world is flipped upside down, and what started out as Hiccup's one shot to prove himself turns into an opportunity to set a new course for the future of the entire tribe. 

2. Toy Story 3

This was a perfect ending to the Toy Story franchise and by the end of the movie I was getting a little choked up and teary-eyed. A lot of us grew up with these characters, and I think it’s exactly where we wanted to see the characters and story go.

As you know, there’s a big push for this movie to get a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards. As much as I loved this film, I don’t think it’s Academy award worthy. I recently went back and watched the first two films, and I think the first Toy Story was much better than the third one. I don’t think the third film should get the nomination because in my eyes it wasn’t as good as the first movie.  It just made things a little more emotional for the fans of the franchise since it was ending.

Woody and Buzz had accepted that their owner Andy would grow up someday, but what happens when that day arrives? In the third installment, Andy is preparing to depart for college, leaving his loyal toys troubled about their uncertain future. Buzz Lightyear, Woody, and all the other toys end up being donated to Sunnyside Daycare by accident. There are plenty of spare parts and batteries at Sunnyside, plus lots of children, all ready for playtime. Unfortunately, being played with by the youngest toddlers turns out to be torture. And Lots-o’-Huggin’ Bear, the leader of the daycare toys, does nothing to help. To make matters worse, Buzz seems to have joined forces with Lotso. Only Woody is daring enough to plan an escape! Will he succeed and save the toys? 

3. Legend of the Guardians

This movie has the best CGI animation I’ve seen in a film so far. I was blown away by how beautiful the animation was in this Zack Snyder directed film. There was so much detail and care that was put into the style, setting and characters of the film. Every frame of this movie was like a work of art and I loved it!

There were some great action sequences in the film. Watching these owls fight each other in battle was epically bad-ass.

Soren, is a young owl enthralled by his father's epic stories of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owl kind from the evil Pure Ones. While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father's favor from his younger sibling. But Kludd's jealousy has terrible consequences--causing both owlets to fall from their treetop home and right into the talons of the Pure Ones. Now it is up to Soren to make a daring escape with the help of other brave young owls. Together they soar across the sea and through the mist to find the Great Tree, home of the legendary Guardians of Ga'Hoole--Soren's only hope of defeating the Pure Ones and saving the owl kingdoms.

4. The Illusionist

Sylvain Chomet's new animated film The Illusionist was wonderfully fantastic! There’s such a lovable charm to this film that you can’t help but enjoy. It’s a very heartfelt film with a great story.

The movie didn’t really get a wide release but when it comes out on DVD you should definitely check it out.

The film is based upon a script by Jacque Tati, and according to the official synopsis this is the “story of a dying breed of stage entertainer whose thunder is being stolen by emerging rock stars. Forced to accept increasingly obscure assignments in fringe theaters, garden parties and bars, he meets a young fan who changes his life forever.”

5. Dante's Inferno: An Animated Epic

This was a pretty epic dark and disturbing film that I thought was balls out awesome! Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic is a beautifully bloody violent work of art. Not only is the animation breathtakingly incredible, but the story is very strong and engaging. From beginning to end I was engulfed in this insane vision of hell, and I enjoyed every minute of it!

It was only released on DVD, but this movie packed a punch of insanity. I loved that it had different styles of animation throughout the film.  The film has a hard ‘R’ rating that takes blood, gore and violence to new levels of madness. You should check this movie out when you get a chance.

Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud and Treachery! These are the 9 Circles of Hell made famous by Dante Alighieri in his famed masterpiece, Dante’s Inferno, his first story of The Divine Comedy. Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic will take you on a harrowing trip through Hell as Dante braves the forces of evil, slaying demons and monsters of extraordinary imagination, all to save his love Beatrice, from the clutches of Hell’s master - Lucifer. 

This animated film is a companion piece to the hit Electronic Arts video game. Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic, is inventively told through eyes of visionary animation directors from around the world, including Shuko Murase (Ergo Proxy) and Yasoumi Umetsu (Kite: Liberator) among others, including the renowned animation studios behind such films as Ghost in the Shell, Blood the Last Vampire, Tales of the Black Freighter and Samurai Champloo. 6 Directors, 6 terrifying visions of Hell, 6 different animation styles. 

Honorable Mention - Megamind

I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would. It was a fun silly movie, and I probably would have liked it a lot more had the studio not spoiled the whole movie in the trailers that they released for it. They gave away some pretty major plot points that would have been nice if they would have left it as a surprise for the movie.

I think this is the funniest thing Will Farrell has done in a long time. I haven't been enjoying his live-action comedies lately, but he was really good in Megamind; I enjoyed his voice work. 

Megamind is the most brilliant super–villain the world has ever known…and the least successful. Over the years, he has tried to conquer Metro City in every imaginable way – Each attempt, a colossal failure thanks to the caped superhero known as “Metro Man,” until the day Megamind actually defeats him in the throes of one of his botched evil plans. Suddenly, the fate of Metro City is threatened when a new villain arrives and chaos runs rampant, leaving everyone to wonder: Can the world’s biggest “mind” actually be the one to save the day?