Favorites from an entire decade, eh? Films & TV…Post your Top 15 2010s cartoons
I’ll see what I can do:
Kung Fu Panda 2? I’d argue it’s the best thing Dreamworks has rolled out since Prince of Egypt. One of KFP2’s greatest assets is their villain, Shen. When we usually think of a peacock, we think of some flamboyant thing trotting around a zoo. What they *made* is the anthropomorphic equivalent of Kefka, though his mental state isn‘t a case of insanity. He’s clever and a strong commander, if a bit on the fanatical side. The first scene of the movie uses a simple and elegant style of Shadow Puppets to illustrate his history. As is pointed out later in the film, his level of self-denial regarding his past is something he curmudgeonly sticks with, to the detriment of everyone close to him.
So, Po.
Po’s story in the sequel, in many ways, is about self-identity. Not too far in, memories of the past flood in at an unexpected moment of time, adding a surprising vulnerability and sincerity to a character mostly known for eating, being cute, and beating the crap out of the bad people/animals/whatever. Unlike the first movie which pits him against his mentor’s failed student, Po and Shen are inexorably tied together in a more disturbing way. That combined with such a drastic gap in demeanor, it makes for a startling watch the few times they meet. Kentucky Fried Panda 2 also tackles his family roots with emotional results. Primarily, having an adult-sized duck-thing for a dad. Naturally when this disparity hits, it’s interwoven into Po’s origins while playing off of his dad’s distressed feelings towards the subject. Feels bomb HIT THE DECK
Short answer, this isn’t a film with a simple premise and a lot of visual gags. It’s Dreamworks doing thick, dark, meaty storyline with all cylinders working at once.
I’ll be a true underdog of the animated world and also add Frozen. XD Despite the current of backlash against the movie, they got quite a few things right that impressed me on my watch. As with many of the modern disney movies, it’s focused on family relationships and how those can play out in a myriad of circumstances. With Brave, the transformation was a device to have both of them see each other in a different light(Could the same be said for Beauty & The Beast?). Instead, Frozen found the simplest way to build an antagonist from a family member - Fear & Love. I liked how they took the falling-in-love-at-first-sight trope and tossed it out the airlock. A bit hamfisted on spelling that out in the Anna/Kristoff dialogue later, but freezers can’t be choosers I guess.
They also throw in a rather interesting twist; Not entirely uncommon in disney films for a friend to turn into foe(Syndrome), but there’s typically not so much deception involved…or family lineage, for that matter.
And it does have Audio/Visual flair going for it. While it’s usually Dreamworks who roll out the eye candy with better results, all the Ice/Snow-related visual effects are damned impressive(The Building of the Ice Castle scene took *how* long for them to do?). I am by no means a Pop Music fan. Let it Go, as great as it is, sounds like something from Katy Perry. >_< On the other hand, a lot of *Hugely* acclaimed Disney stuff had similar Pop-y songs. Can you feel the love tonight? While I agree to a point that it’s seen as an over popularized and overrated movie by some, my advice is to ignore *their* expectations and try to see it for what it is, not what it isn’t: A memorable movie with a great soundtrack, entertaining characters, and some of the best visuals they’re able to muster. Whether that qualifies for a great movie or some clichéd recycled garbage is up to you.
Song of the Sea: (Taken From the Film Thread)
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The Dark Knight Returns: (Taken from earlier in this Thread)
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Legend of Coral is a magnificent show. And when you talk about LoC, you pretty much have to mention it’s predecessor
Add a Rawr: The Last Bear Blender. Taking place amidst the bear nation, the wai-wai-wait lemme try that again.
Hardcore Storyline fans would be doing themselves a disservice to ignore Legend of Korra. Amidst the crashing waves of Family/Kids shows embossed with the customary stamp of minimalist or weak story lining, Legend of Korra tries to build and learn from its ancestor(not unlike korra?) and stretch what’s capable within their own format. Korra starts out as a rambunctious teenager with infinite cosmic power, unceremoniously pouncing into a steam punk-inspired city built on the land Aang helped save from a blaze of domination.
Book 1 spends quite a bit playing off character chemistry, perhaps as a build-up before the main plot takes greater focus. The characters they’re playing off of are likable enough - Mako’s the hard-ass with perhaps the right intentions, Bolin’s the softie that borders on comedic relief, and Asami is a wee bit on the serious side. Pointed out in Book 4, each villain for the season arcs attempt to sway Korra to his/her beliefs, using various societal/political themes - Amon’s Equalist regime wouldn’t feel *too* far from something you’d see in X-Men.
I’ve always had a strong preference for an atmospheric visual presence, and LoK has this in spades. Much like with AtlA, it crosses the Eastern and Western styles of Animation into a mix that stands out instead of blending in. Environments vary from Lush Forestry, to Old-Timey Urban and even slices of the AtlA universe we once knew. Legend of Korra had one hell of a job trying to compete with itself - lightning striking twice while winning the animated lottery is one hell of a tall order. All things considered, they managed very well and it remains one of the more reputable pieces of western animation to date.
MLP:FiM. My stance toward the series isn’t too far from my impressions of Beast Wars: Transformers. Lauren Faust & DHX/Hasbro managed to take what was initially a cash-grab tie-in to sell toys, and flipped the remark by establishing a stronger universe, better characters, and a general boost of quality. While it’s harder to argue whether they’ve pushed what cartoons are capable of in general, how they’ve transitioned and pushed within the limits of their own franchise’s formula and is actually quite impressive.
An easy example is the Cutie Mark. They managed to take what was originally a glorified lower-back tattoo and built it into both a goal and a source of social anxiety. The CMC arc illustrates this well; A sisterhood of pariahs based on a physically-present extension of their inability to be like their other young comrades, or have any sort of meaningful future? While this started out more as fuel for goofy opportunities to get their cutie mark, it eventually altered itself into more meaningful slices of life that either explored the suppressed anxiety of the C-Mark(Bloom & Gloom), or rolled toward the possibility of establishing a more realistic C-Mark Goal(Twilight Time).
Visually, they stick by Nintendo’s design philosophy - simple, but effective. This can prove to be a serious challenge when establishing a genuine feeling of atmosphere during a watch. On the other hand, the high-frame rate of using flash allows a fluidity for the characters that you’d never have in hand-drawn. For the goofier episodes, it hardly made a difference anyhow - something like Pinkie Pride doesn’t necessarily need an uber-realistic makeover. MLP is *very* heavy on musicals, and composer Daniel Ingram rarely if ever drops the ball in that regard. Music outside of that is far less impressive, unfortunately, and is about as memorable as Season 1.
I’ve always held interest with Referencial Humor. Easter Eggs for the observant, Secret Handshakes to those in the know. Even *before* the adult fandom took greater presence, the scope, range, variety, and cleverness of the referential humor/allusions in FiM is what sets them apart. Their team are quite privy to culture as a whole; Even Lauren Faust mentioned before that there’s no real one inspiration for the show - they draw from everything.
It’s virtually impossible to talk about the show without mentioning the fandom. Ever passionate, Ever controversial, they’ve produced fan works that would topple its own creator about 5 ways from Taco Tuesday. Virtually every possible permutation of the show at this point has been built in one form or another through full-on original videos, PMVs, Redubs, Art pieces, a sprawling list of original and remixed music, video games, fan novels, and pretty much every other form imaginable. Love it or hate it, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic has/had a strong influence in the animated world…if in no small part due to the ripples created by the pebble they’ve dropped in the animated lake.
I’d also jot down Adventure Time as a favorite of mine. I’d say the greatest positive feature of the show would be how far down the rabbit hole Pendleton Ward & His team are willing to go visually, verbally and in terms of characters/storyline. It’s *very* easy to hold your punches in the Family/Kids audience range, and fortunately they’ve been able to avoid that for many steps down the road. Some aren’t *just* for the sake of raising questions, but to change your perceptions of the characters themselves. Many of the “young characters” are old….VERY old, which leaves plenty of wiggle room for the writing team to conjure up pieces for a character arc or the like. Marceline & The Ice King, PBG & Marceline, these are hardly cut-and-dry relationships for those who’ve looked far enough.
Visuals delve into the fantasy realm, occasionally entering a phantasmagoric stream that may give you the munchies afterwords. The Night-O-Sphere would make a healthy example of how otherworldly they can go. VA is pretty strong, including veterans like John DiMaggio and Tom Kenny. I wouldn’t look at AT as perfect, but they still manage to put a great deal of effort into either entertaining you, jogging the brain a bit, or looking at their world and its characters in new ways.
Gravity Falls is also of one my favorites. Sorry, no elaborate paragraphs - it's just that good. Also, I forgot to write out paragraphs for it.
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Could definitely see my brother and I checking that out when it releases.
