Animated Films have around since the 1920’s. Animation techniques and the way that animated films are made has changed a lot over the years, but the fact that they’ve entertained young and old has not changed at all.
In case you did not know, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first animated film with sound and colour. The movie was released in 1937 by Walt Disney Studios. This studio was also responsible for Steamboat Willie (which featured Mickey Mouse) in 1928 and is widely regarded by many as the first animated movie. Technology has come a long way over the years though. Nowadays animated films feature almost life-like characters speaking in crystal clear digital sound. Pretty amazing if you ask me.
Today I’m featuring 3 top rated animated films that you should watch. Chances are that you’ve probably seen some or all of these movies, but that shouldn’t discourage you from indulging yourself in some nostalgia.
The Lion King (1994): This film has always been one of my favorite animated films. The Lion King tells the story of a lion cub called Simba. This lion cub is tricked into thinking that he killed his father (Mufasa). Simba goes into exile and abandons his identity as the future king. He makes his return to reclaim the throne after a baboon (Rafiki) tracks him down. This movie was extremely popular in South Africa when it was released.
The Lion King featured the voice talents of Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Nathan Lane, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin and others. The film was made on a budget of $45 million. The Lion King grossed more than $951 million at the box office globally, making it one of the most successful films of all time.
The movie was originally titled “King of the Jungle” but it was changed after the production team realized that lions don’t live in the jungle. The Lion King was also the first Disney cartoon to be dubbed into Zulu for an African release. It’s hard to believe that this film was released 18 years ago. If you haven’t seen this film you should definitely check it out. The Lion King is a great film for the whole family.
Ice Age (2002): This animated film was released by 20th Century Fox studios. As the film’s title suggests, it’s during the Ice Age and it tells the story of an epic journey undertook by a sabertooth tiger (Diego), a sloth (Sid) and a mammoth (Manfred). The three unlikely companions find a lost human baby and they try to return him to his tribe.
Ice Age was made on a $59 million budget and grossed close to $400 million at the box office. Ice Age was the the first movie produced by Fox Animation since the year 2000. The movie featured the voice talents of Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Jack Black.
During the making of Ice Age all the actors were encouraged to improvise as much as possible in an effort to help keep the animation spontaneous. You can definitely pic this up in the film and it’s one of the reasons why I loved watching this. The film was directed by Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha and has spawned 3 sequels since it was released. If you haven’t watched this movie, you should definitely check it out.
Up (2009): This film was produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures in 2009. Up is the heart warming story of 78 year old Carl Fredricksen who ties thousands of balloons to his house and sets out to realize his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. He is unexpectedly accompanied by a wilderness explorer that’s 70 years younger than him named Russell.
Up featured the voice talents of Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer and others. The film won 2 Academy Awards, for best animated feature film of the year and for best achievement in music written for motion pictures. Up was directed by Pete Docter and made on an estimated budget of $175 million and has already grossed over $731 million worldwide.
This movie made me laugh, smile, think and nearly cry at times. Up is one of those films that I did not intend to watch but blew me completely away when I finally did. If you have not seen this yet, you should make an effort. Up is definitely one of the best animated films that I’ve seen in years.
There you have it, 3 top rated animated films you should watch. Which one of these is your favourite? Leave a comment on this blog post and let me know, I’d love to hear from you. Feedback is appreciated and welcome here. If you’ve enjoyed reading this post, feel free to share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Remember: Sharing is Caring.
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