Time Out London Animation Poll - My Ten Favorite Feature Films

This past week, I received an email from Time Out London, asking me to participate in their latest poll of the 100 Best Animation Features.  They asked me to submit a "top ten" list of my favorites, provided they are at least 60 minutes long, and also write a short paragraph for each entry.  It was a very fun project that consumed most of my week, and as these things usually do, start my brain whirling at top speed.

These sort of "best movie" polls are entertaining parlor games, trivial fun, and I am reminded of Roger Ebert's advice to not take them too seriously.  There are so many great movies, and our tastes and moods change almost daily.  Today, I am hungry for a chicken sandwich.  Tomorrow, I will crave a pizza.  But I also think it's a good way of taking personal stock, of examining one's soul.  Have I grown as a person?  Have I evolved in my worldview?  Have I learned anything in the past year?  Who should I champion?  Who deserves another voice to defend their art?  Or would I rather just sit on the couch all day and watch Looney Tunes?

Anyway, in addition to my "Top 10" list - and this is where my brain really gets over-stimulated - I compiled two more lists, a "Top 20" and "Top 50."  This time, I wanted to include ALL animation: feature and short film, television, everything.  My inspiration was the Laputa Festival 2003 poll of the 150 Best Animations, which polled industry artists and animators around the world (but mostly in Japan).  It was quite inspiring;  I'll have to post the complete rankings in a future post.

I promise to share my Animation Top 20 (and Top 50) in a future post.  For now, I'll share my Top Ten, as submitted to Time Out London.  I will reserve my notes for their use, and urge everyone to grab a copy when that issue hits newsstands.  Hope you enjoy this short list!

Ten Favorite Animated Feature Films (60 min. minimum)

1. Omohide Poro Poro (1991)
2. Mimi wo Sumaseba (1995)
3. Fantasia (1943)
4. Pinocchio (1940)
5. The Great Adventure of Horus, Prince of the Sun (1968)
6. Princess Mononoke (1997)
7. Gauche the Cellist (1982)
8. Night on the Galactic Railroad (1985)
9. The Beatles' Yellow Submarine (1968)
10. Waking Life (2001)