From Woody to WALL-E: Top 10 CGI Animated Movies Ever
by Tom Burns

5. Ratatouille

We've reached the first Pixar film on our list and, be warned, it's going to be just Pixar from here on out. Why? Because nobody in the world puts more care into every single aspect of creating CGI animated features than Pixar. Not only has Pixar created, unquestionably, THE most visually arresting and skillfully crafted computer-generated images in the history of the medium, but they also bring that same attention to detail to their storytelling as well. Technicians can create photo-realistic CG images, but Pixar employs artists who work to blend both the visuals and narratives of their films into one symbiotic entity that is greater than the sum of its parts. Basically, that's the fruitiest way possible to say they make hardcore kick-ass cartoons, and they kick holy ass better than anyone else in Hollywood. 'Nuff said. Ratatouille, a Best Animated Oscar winner, is one of their finest, and it stands as a great example of how unwilling Pixar is to accept mediocrity. Watching Ratatouille, there are about four or five different places where anyone familiar with traditional Hollywood storytelling would say to themselves, "Oh, I know how this is going to end..." and, in almost every case, they'd be wrong. This is a story that zigs when it should zag, and Brad Bird does an amazing job of keeping audiences on their feet by refusing to succumb to stereotypes and clichés, all while still delivering an emotionally honest and gimmick-free story. A story about a rat wanting to be a chef should either be a). trite or b). gross, but Ratatouille is neither. It's completely original, and that's why we love it.

4. The Incredibles

Forget Spider-Man 2, X-Men 2, Iron Man, Richard Donner's Superman, or the two or three other "good" superhero movies. Prepare to get your knickers in a twist, fanboys, because The Incredibles is THE greatest superhero movie ever made. Yeah, yeah, nerds may gripe about the similarities between The Incredibles and the Fantastic Four (thanks to the stretching and invisibleness and whatnot), but place Brad Bird's movie and Tim Story's FF movie next to each other, and you tell me which one is the better film. The Incredibles works so well because it brings together the family dynamics and comedy of a high concept Hollywood comedy with groundbreaking action that could make Jim Cameron weep tears of joy. Aside from being a reverent and hilarious dissection of the superhero genre, The Incredibles stands as probably the first CGI animated action movie. Other CG movies have used action as a set dressing (like Shrek's escape from the dragon), but The Incredibles is perhaps the first to really work the pulse-pounding energy of action flicks like Lethal Weapon or Terminator 2 into their plot in an organic (and awesome) way. In fact, the "100 Mile Dash" sequence (in which the young speedster takes down some red-shirted bad guys) stands as one of the coolest action scenes of the past twenty years. From the tremendous voice work by Craig T. Nelson and Jason Lee to Michael Giacchino's kick-butt score, The Incredibles is best thing to happen to superheroes since bad guys started monologuing.

3. Monsters, Inc.

Lots of people love Monsters, Inc., but not enough people give the movie credit it deserves for the originality of its concept. Look at Pixar's other movies - "Hey, what if your toys could talk? Or what about fish, bugs, rats, cars, superheroes, etc..." And then here comes Monsters Inc. out of left field with a buddy movie about two middle-class monsters, working in a factory devoted to scaring the bejeezus out of kids, who find themselves saddled with a lost little girl, a chameleon-esque adversary, and a world-wide energy crisis riding on their backs. It sounds bizarre as hell, but it might be one of Pixar's most universally accessible and beloved movies thanks to the brilliant execution of its key themes of friendship, empathy, and the power of laughter. Plus it needs to be said that Monsters Inc. features some of the most inspired character design - particularly Sulley and Mike Wazowski - since Jim Henson first sketched out Grover and Oscar the Grouch. Like the Muppets, Monsters, Inc. works on multiple levels, appealing to kids with its slapstick and good humor, while offering adults one of the funniest buddy comedies since Midnight Run. This is a movie filled with so many ideas that it almost bursts at the seams, and that kind of visionary fun just has to be applauded. (It also doesn't hurt that it's the funniest movie Billy Crystal's been associated with since Princess Bride.)

2. Toy Story/Toy Story 2

The grand-daddy of the CGI animated genre, Toy Story deserves all of the praise it gets. Director John Lasseter did so much right in bringing Toy Story to the big screen, but perhaps his most significant contribution to feature animation as a whole was proving, with Toy Story, that CGI animation could build worlds just as skillfully as Walt Disney and his nine old men, if it was used in the right hands, that is. And, apparently, Lasseter has the hands of a surgeon, because Toy Story is about as flawless as they come, both in terms of visuals and storytelling. The concept is one of those ideas that you can hardly believe had never been made into a movie before - what if your toys came to life every time you left the room? - but, after watching Toy Story, it's hard to imagine that story set anywhere but within the CGI boundaries of Andy's bedroom. Lasseter turned what could've become a lame gimmick comedy (looking at you, Small Soldiers) into a hilarious comedy of manners with the hierarchy of the bedroom, led by the kindly cowboy Woody, secure in his position as the favorite toy, completely turned on its ear by the arrival of the new hi-tech toy of the year, Buzz Lightyear. Granted, there are some choice "toy jokes" sprinkled throughout (Don Rickles' Mr. Potato Head is beyond inspired), but the core of the story is the interaction between Buzz and Woody, a relationship that Lasseter develops as well as any previous opposites-attract pairing in film history. In the end, Toy Story achieves two amazing (and strangely contradictory) accomplishments - it makes you believe that the CGI characters are as real as any human and it convinces you that CGI is the only way this story ever could've been told. And we're also including Toy Story 2 because a). it's a great continuation of the story, b). many regard it as superior to the first one, and c). it allows us to cheat and sneak another Pixar movie into this list.

1. Finding Nemo

Lots of parents wince at any mention of Finding Nemo because children so revere the film and everything about it that many households are stuck playing the movie on a continuous 24-hour loop, feeding their kids a constant supply of Nemo in the same way that heroin addicts require methadone. And do you know why children love Nemo so much? Because they have good taste. Finding Nemo stands as the apex of Pixar's cinematic output, existing as probably the most perfectly balanced film the studio has ever produced. There is, simply, something for everyone in Nemo - comedy, drama, tragedy, a breathtaking visual palette, an eclectic cast of engaging characters, action, adventure, family, and, first and foremost, a damn good story. While we might have small quibbles with other Pixar films, moments we preferred over others, it's almost impossible to find a place where director Andrew Stanton's film could've been improved. So much more than a talking fish movie, Finding Nemo takes the world-building that John Lasseter originated in Toy Story and applies it to an ocean of the most fully developed characters in animation history. While Pixar's other movies have all been memorable, Stanton's perfectly tuned balance of comedy and truly moving family tragedy in Finding Nemo really does elevate the film into the pantheon of such eternally beloved animated classics as Bambi, Dumbo, and Pinocchio. There's a brilliant emotional depth to Nemo that audiences have connected with, both young and old alike, and thanks to that resonance, some beautiful visuals, and a little Albert Brooks hilarity, Finding Nemo remains as perhaps Pixar's - and CGI animation's - finest achievement to date. The fact that Stanton is finally returning to the big screen with this summer's WALL-E is something to be very, very excited about.