Animated Features

Animated Features!

   The Animated Features section mostly focuses on Disney movies, though some are Dreamworks, that are cartoons.  But most of the movies shouldn't simply be brushed off as such!  Some of them are masterpieces and should be viewed again and again...and some of them are so hilarious that they'll have you laughing long after the movie is over.  The same rules (*, N, D, T) apply here!  Enjoy!

Aladdin-- (*****)  Aladdin is one of the greatest Disney movies ever made.  Not only does it have some of the best music ever written, but it's story line is simply wonderful.  Aladdin is a 'street rat,' one of the dregs of society.  However, Jasmine, the princess, falls in love with him.  In the meantime, the evil sorcerer Jafar is trying to take over the kingdom by finding a magic lamp with a genie inside.  He tricks Aladdin into stealing it for him, and the adventure of a lifetime appears to Aladdin!  Suddenly, after meeting the Genie, he becomes the man he's always wanted to be!  But somewhere in this story's telling, he has to choose between what is and what is not important.  It's a great movie!  (D) 

Bolt-- (*****)  This is really a well-done Disney movie.  Bolt is the story of a movie super-dog who doesn't know he's an actor.  In a shoot for the show, his owner, Penny, is kidnapped by the villain from the TV Show (it's all fake), but Bolt thinks it is real.  So, he rushes off from the trailer, thinking he has super powers, and ends up in NYC, all the way across the country from CA!  So he has to journey across country with Mittens, the alley cat, and Rhino, the hamster, to find Penny, his missing person.  His adventure takes him through the realization that he does NOT actually have super-powers, and he learns that sometimes, it really doesn't take super powers to do great things.  Bolt is a great movie for everyone. (D)

The Emperor's New Groove-- (*****)  This Disney movie takes place in ancient times; that may not seem funny, but this movie is hilarious!  :O)  A wise-cracking, selfish emperor named Kuzco plans to destroy Pacha's home to make way for Kuzco-topia, his dream home!  However, the evil and plotting Yzma tries to kill him but turns him into a llama instead--she wants to rule the Empire herself!  Kuzco ends up working with Pacha...he'll do ANYTHING to get back to his rightful place in the palace!  Check out all the laughs in this hilarious movie!  A true must-see!  (D)

Finding Nemo-- (*****)  One of the best Disney movies yet!  Finding Nemo is the story of a clownfish named Nemo who is kidnapped by a snorkeler from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  Marlin, his father, sets out on a journey to find him.  While doing so, he finds several unexpected friends, including a blue fish named Dory, a trio of sharks, a 'Dude' of a sea turtle, a whale, and an awesome pelican!  This story abounds with great morals that are good for everyone to be reminded of.  Enjoy this one!  (D)

Hercules-- (*****)  A gospel-singing rendition of one of the greatest mythical heroes, Hercules is a laugh-out-loud movie.  In this story, Hercules learns how to really become a true hero, not just a man who saves people.  He is very strong, and cannot be injured because of that strength.  Descended from the gods, Hercules protects Theeds with all of his strength.  But the evil Hades has a nasty plot to take Hercules down, and it will help him take over the world as well.  Hercules learns about love and sacrifice in another great Disney film.  (D, N) 

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame-- (*****)  Without a doubt, one of the best Disney movies ever!  "Hunchback" is the touching story of an outcast boy named Quasimodo who lives in a bell-tower, deformed and ugly.  No one has ever seen him, but one day, he decides to go to a gypsy festival and meets the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda who is being hunted by the hunchback's master, Frollo.  This story is about claiming your freedom over your bounds, following your heart, and doing what is right, even against unbelievable odds or death.  Amazing story with unbelievable music!  A must see!  (D, N) 

Ice Age-- (****)  What a fun movie!  Ice Age is the story of a wooly mammoth, a sabertooth tiger, and a sloth forming a pack of their own to get a human baby back to its real family.  Filled with humor and very heartwarming, Ice Age is a great family film. (D)

The Little Mermaid-- (*****)  One of the most awesome Disney musicals that actually became a Broadway Musical, the Little Mermaid is about a mermaid named Ariel who wants to investigate the human world.  Her father wants her to have nothing to do with it.  After a huge shipwreck where Ariel saves the life of a human named Eric, she decides more than ever that she wants to be human.  Seeking out the sea-witch, Ursula, against her friends' and family's wishes and her own better judgement, she is transformed into a human.  However, if she does not get Eric to kiss her in three days, she will have sold her soul to Ursula...forever!  It really is a wonderful movie!  Love it!  (D)

Monsters vs. Aliens-- (***)  This is a pretty cute movie for kids.  I thought it was rather silly in parts, but it does have some great messages and it is pretty funny.  Poor "Gigantor" was just a regular girl getting married until a rock struck her and she became a 'monster.'  Now, she is hidden away from her family, and her fiancee no longer wants to have a thing to do with her!  She is thoroughly depressed...until she realizes that the earth needs her more now than ever!  Again, not a bad movie for kids. (D)

Mulan-- (*****)  Mulan is one of the best Disney movies ever.  This story is set during the Hun invasion of China.  Troops from every city are being recalled so that they can stop the Hun invasion, but Mulan's father has already been wounded in a previous war.  She knows that if he goes this time, he will die.  So, accompanied by her faithful horse Khan, her lucky cricket, and her powerful guardian Mushu, Mulan takes her father's place to fight in the army.  But if she is discovered pretending to be a man, the penalty is death!  Watch Mulan discover who she really is and become accepted for it as she struggles to listen to her heart.  An excellent movie! (D)

Pocahontas-- (****)  Great music, fun characters, and a dose of history...how could you NOT love this movie?  Set in the 1600's, before the U.S. was born, John Smith comes to the New World, Virginia, to find gold and glory.  However, he finds people (who they call savages), and falls in love with the chief's daughter, Pocahontas.  The trouble is that both of the people's leaders, Ratcliffe and Chief Powhatan, believe that the other is evil, and a war is brewing between both peoples.  Can Pocahontas and John find a way to save their friends from destruction?  (D)

Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron-- (*****)  A beauifully done animated film about the journey of a young foal and his encounter with the world of men.  Spirit is captured by the army and is sent to work in the barracks, however, an Indian boy sets him free and decides to ride him himself.  In the process, Spirit meets and falls in love with an Indian Paint named Rain.  Eventually, the boy and Spirit work together to escape the army, and Spirit learns what it means to trust and love humans as well as his freedom.  (D, N)

Tarzan-- (*****)  Have you ever heard of the story, Tarzan the ape-man?  Well, that's what this movie is all about!  Tarzan is abandoned as a baby on a remote tropical island, where he is adopted by a family of gorillas.  As he learns to become like them, he makes friends with an elephant and another young gorilla.  Then, strangers come to the island who look just like him!  He meets Jane and her father, and he begins to fall in love with her!  But there is trouble brewing, for Clayton, a gorilla hunter, is with them and he wants to use Tarzan to find the gorillas...and take their skins for himself!  This is an excellent story, filled with awesome music by Phil Collins--you can't go wrong!  (D)

Wall-E-- (****)  Wall-E has got to be one of the cutest movies ever thought up by Disney's Pixar Animation Studios.  Seriously, if you haven't seen it yet, what exactly are you waiting for?  The robot is really a trash compactor, saving the earth one bundle of garbage at a time (due to the fact that the earth is COVERED in garbage).  Then, he meets Eve, another robot who has come back to earth to check and see if it is possible to have life there again.  He falls in love, and ends up on a wild adventure in space trying to save the earth again.  Check Wall-E out today! (D)

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