Jason Enberg's Top Ten Toon List

Since so many of my favorite animated features have not been mentioned, here's my list:

1. Disney's "Robin Hood"
   While not the best Disney movie made this movie was a huge favorite of mine as a child. I loved how animals were picked to match the personality traits of each character. I also enjoyed the cry-baby, thumb-sucking Prince John. High adventure. Simple, mindless, linear story.
   
   
2. Star Blazers
   This japanese import series about humans racing to a distant planet to save Earth had many things going for it that were (still?) lacking from American cartoons. 1) episodic plot. Each episode continued the plot line, building upon the previous, usually ending in a cliffhanger. It did not fit the "problem, climax, resolution all in 30 minutes" mold that 95+% of American TV shows fall in. 2) Main characters died. 3) An Intelligent, non-comic Evil villain. 4) An inspiring (campy) theme song you could sing along with (" ... our Star Blazers." Oops. Sorry.)
   
   
3. "The Hobbit"
   This is THE movie that got me hooked on reading. I loved it so much that I got my parents to buy a picture book of the movie. But the pictures were only half of this book, the other half was filled with the unedited Tolkien text. And I began to read it. Then I had to read Lord of the Rings , and then I moved C. S. Lewis, Edgar Rice Burroughs, etc.
   
   
4. "Akira"
   A powerful movie about scientific experiments in the field of Psionics. This movie makes you think. It doesn't give you all the details up front. Some things are not revealed until most of the way into the movie. Full of eastern philosophy it provides a different view on life and what is beyond life.
   
   
5. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
   Excellent villain! Original plot. Amazing contraptions that serve no practical use or are physically impossible. Just one of Seuss' masterpieces.

   Next are two of Miyazaki's many masterpieces (famed Japanese animator who's list of titles include the following US releases: Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service):
   

6. "(Can you the hear) The Whisper of the Heart"
   A high school girl who loves to read notices that all the books she reads have been also been read before her by the same boy. She immediately falls in love. She is determined to meet him. The boy she finds has grand goals to make his dreams come true. She is inspired to see if she can make her own dreams come true. A wonderful love story served up in Miyazaki-style. Full of beautiful scenery, interesting people, and animals. Totally kid safe, but make for adults.
   
   
7. "Only Yesterday"
   Young woman takes a break from her professional career for a few weeks by visiting relatives on a rural farm. There she enjoys the wonders of a more simple life (i.e. "Walden"-style living) and sorts through the memories of her troubled childhood. All overlaid on top of an enchanting love story with a tear-jerk ending. More of Miyazaki's beautiful scenery, complex people, and nature awareness themes. Again totally kid-safe but made for the adult mind.
   
   
8. "The Cat Came Back"
   An intensely funny animated short about a man takes in a kitten that begins to shred everything in sight. So he decides he has to get rid of it. At first he simply puts the cat outside, but it gets back inside. As the short progresses he goes more drastic things which all fail. Finally when his house has been reduced to ruins he collapses in defeat.
   
   
9. "Record of the Lodoss War"
   The way the "Dungeons & Dragons" cartoon should have been made. This 13-part mini-series tells the tale of a party of adventures in the middle of an epic war between good and evil. The party consists of a Paladin-wannabe, a priest, an elf, a dwarf, a mage, and a thief. Created by a Japanese animator that loved playing D&D.
   
   
10. "Child's Toy"
    Described as "crack for Anime lovers" by Anime fans, this TV series is wild humor, boundless energy, and subtitles that flash across the screen in almost impossible to read speeds. But behind all this are complex childhood issues (divorce, adoption, death of a parent, the unloved child, etc.). They are explored in a mild way that makes children aware of their existence without upsetting them. And like the Bugs Bunny cartoons while kids will enjoy this show, there is plenty for adults as well. The show stars an elementary school girl / child-actress who wants to study in school but the boys in the class keep disrupting. So she decides to take on the leader of the boys. Soon the intense comedy turns into an innocent love story and a powerfully heavy drama.