Chris Jones' Top Ten Toon List

OK, first off, I’m about a month late in chiming in on this.

Second of all I just couldn’t bring myself to do a Top 10 list that lumped together animated features, shorts and series. It’s bad enough that we’re trying to do a Top 10 list for a MEDIUM as opposed to a GENRE. So I refuse. There. Nyah!

What I CAN make my brain do, is consider Features vs. Series vs. Shorts. But you’re not going to get a Top 10 shorts list from me right now. Why? Because I can’t think of all my most beloved Loony Toons and other shorts off the top of my head, and even if I could, I wouldn’t remember all the titles. Check out Pat Wick’s Toon list. Her taste in WB Toons seems to run pretty close to mine.

So, that leaves us with Features and Series. Let’s tackled Features first. (Features First, Series Second. Hey, that’s neat!) I’m not going to try to rank them beyond listing ten favorites. Don’t ask me to choose between my kids, OK?

FEATURES

• Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
  OK, we’re skipping right passed all the classic Disney stuff and starting off as recently as 1989. Why? Because for the purposes of this list I’m not looking at a film’s historical significance, but rather the films that I find myself quoting, films that moved me, and films that made me smile just thinking of them. Some of the classic Disney films are great, Pinocchio being right up there, but they just don’t make it onto this list. If we were going for historical significance you’d find Steamboat Willie and Gertie the Dinosaur on this list.

  Kiki’s Delivery Service, on the other hand, is just a perfect little film that charms my socks off. It’s one of many classics by Hayao Miyazaki, director of the recent Princess Mononoke and films like My Neighbor Totoro. I first saw this film in Japanese with no translation of any kind and was spellbound by it. I now own a copy of this film in English and it’s one of my favorites.
  
  

• Batman: Mask of The Phantasm (1993)
  Hey, a dramatic animated film without cute little animals or musical numbers, what a concept.

  Hey, a Batman film with strong characterization, a solid plot, and surprising plot twists, what a concept.
  

• The Wrong Trousers (1993)
  My favorite of the Wallace and Gromit shorts. YES, IT’S A SHORT. But the Wallace and Gromit films are long enough that they fall halfway between a full-length feature and the six-minute Looney Toon-style shorts. So I arbitrarily decide to include it here. Nyah. Grand Day Out came first, and A Close Shave boasts superior animation and the adorable Sean, but this one gets the biggest laughs from me. And it has "Feathers" McGraw, the best cartoon Penguin ever!
  
• Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
  Great story. Great characters. Great music. Great images. Tim Burton’s flair for magical fantasy combined with the animation prowess of Henry Selick. ’Nuff said.
  
  
• The Lion King (1994)
  My favorite Disney film. Great score, stunning animation, and a moving story. The “full circle” structure floored me the first time I saw it.
  
  
• Ghost in the Shell (1995)
  The film that topped Akira for my favorite dramatic Anime. It’s a cyberpunk thriller with stunning visuals. My only complaint is that the ending feels like you should be able to go out and see Part Two immediately afterwards.
  
  
• Toy Story (1995)
  Another "perfect" movie. I went for a computer-animated bit of eye-candy with some humor, and fell in love with the characters and story. The opening sequence surrounding Andy’s birthday party sets the tone. The aliens that worship the claw as a deity are a personal favorite.
  
  
• A Bug’s Life (1998)
  Love those folks at Pixar. Genius animators and master storytellers. They did it again in A Bug’s Life. The “out-takes” at the end were icing on the cake.
  
  
• The Iron Giant (1999)
  Um, wow? This is my favorite animated feature ever. Don’t tell anyone, but the climax makes me weepy. Shhh. Bungled Warner Brother’s marketing kept this film from reaching the wider audience it deserved, and they know it.
  
  
• Toy Story 2 (1999)
  OK, Pixar is now 3 for 3 with their features. Superior to Toy Story I in animation and at least its equal in story, Toy Story II is the Godfather II of animated sequels.
  

• The Simpsons (1989)
  I quote this show more often than any other. I engage in more "Remember the episode when…" conversations about this show than any other. The fact that the show has stayed as good as it is for as long as it has is a miracle.
  
  
• Ren and Stimpy (1991)
  IMPORTANT STIPULATION: Only the original John Kricfalusi episodes of Ren and Stimpy make my Top 10 list. The later ones produced by Nickelodeon are just sad! Stunningly original for it’s time, and with a stronger claim to the title "You Can’t Do That On Television" than Nickolodion’s other show, Ren and Stimpy boasted memorable characters and hysterical humor. "Stimpy’s Invention" and "Rubber Nipple Salesmen" stand out as favorites.
  
  
• Batman: The Animated Series (1992)
  When I first heard they were going to do this show, my attitude was "I hope they don’t screw this up." Adaptations of comic book characters for TV and film tend to be pretty bad, showing no understanding of the source material. Batman has long been a particular favorite, so I wasn’t eager to see another bastardized version out there, better known to the general public than the original comic. Seven years later, I now hold up this show as the standard for how Batman SHOULD be done. It has proven itself SUPERIOR to the comic in consistent quality and understanding of what makes Batman and his universe tick.
  
  
• Superman: The Animated Series (1996)
  I’m not inherently as big of a Superman fan as a Batman fan, but I had high hopes for this show given that it was being done by the same creative team as Batman . The result was a rip-roaring action adventure show that reinterpreted Superman in the most enjoyable form I’ve seen him.
  
  
• Batman Beyond (1998)
  Not as inherently appealing for me as "Classic" Batman, this show still has the mark of quality of their other efforts.
  
  
• Jonny Quest (1964)
  Screw the new series, the original is a classic. The animation was limited, but uniquely stylish, and it was the first dramatic, action-adventure animated series in prime time! Did you know that Tim Matheson did the voice for Johnny Quest? This series would make my Top Ten list on the basis of the robot spider episode, alone!
  
  
• Superfriends (1973)
  In the great hall of the Justice League there are assembled the world's four greatest heroes…(and Robin) OK, for the most part this show was AWFUL. The writing, the animation... It just bit. But it came at the right time to be a childhood favorite for me, and now that voices, the music, and the images are permanently etched into my frontal lobe.
  
  
• Schoolhouse Rock (1973)
  This is another one that is burned into my frontal lobe through sheer childhood repetition. Thank goodness these are actually good!
  
  
• South Park (1997)
  It’s amazing how many people don’t notice that in a very back-handed way, most of these episodes have a point. But we don’t love it for the social commentary, we love it for the obnoxious nature of Cartman, the many deaths of Kenny, and the sheer outrageousness of Mr. Hanky. And those songs!
  
  
• The Tick (1995)
  A clever and funny send-up of the Superhero genre. Not to be missed.

So many others deserve honorable mention, but I won’t even try here, or my tenuous hold on an actual “Top Ten” list will dissolve completely. Just get me started on a talk about animation sometime, I’ll give you an earful…