I know this is about a week or so old now, but I just decided to post it here. Because that’s how I do.

As the name suggests, the following is a list of the top 20 animated films of all time according to Entertainment Weekly…Or at least one of the editors. I only found this through their website (I’m not sure why I was visiting the Entertainment Weekly website. I must have been extremely bored.) and I’m not sure if all the editors had a hand in this or if it was one editor’s personal list. Anyway, I’m rambling.

Let’s move on to the list! Once again, I shall provide a wee bit of commentary throughout and just some personal opinions at the end.

Okay so here we go!

20: Ghost in the Shell (I remember that old Ghost in the Shell game for PS1…I wouldn’t recommend it).

19: Waltz with Bashir (Sure, he can waltz. But can he break dance?)

18: Pinocchio (Walt Disney’s treasured classic.)

17:  Kiki’s Delivery Service (Hayao Miyazaki’s lighthearted tale of a young witch is one of the most charming films of all time.)

16:  South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (blame Canada.)

15: The Iron Giant (Kind of like E.T., but with a Vin Diesel voiced giant robot!)

14: Akira (proof that anime fans will buy into anything, whether it has a discernible plot or not.)

13: Chicken Run (Poultry in motion!)

12: The Triplets of Belleville (I have yet to see this movie, but I’m sure this is the one where the guy licked a frog.)

11: Dumbo (Pink elephants on parade!)

10: Coraline (Another spiritual sequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas of sorts.)

9: Bambi (A very heartwarming, yet tragic classic by Walt Disney.)

8: Toy Story 2 (Quite possibly the best sequel in film history.)

7: The Incredibles (No capes!)

6: Beauty and the Beast (One of the best films to ever come out of the Disney canon.)

5: Persepolis (Autobiography, graphic novel, animated film.)

4: The Lion King (Hamlet + Bambi + Kimba the White Lion = Lion King!)

3: Up (Pixar’s wonderful blend of comedy, drama and action made for one terrific film.)

2: Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece.)

1: Wall-E (Who knew a robot love story could be so poetic.)

There you go, Entertainment Weekly’s top 20 animated films.

All around this list is comprised of (mostly) great films. I can’t say I would put South Park or Ghost in the Shell on there, and of course I rolled my eyes at the sight of Akira being there. And as much as I like Chicken Run, putting in a list of top 20 animated films ever may be pushing it. But most of the choices were solid.

Another thing I would like to comment on is Coraline being in the top ten. I admit, I haven’t seen it quite yet (I plan to), but I think placing it so high despite its relative newness is probably a bit of hyperbole. Why exactly should it make it above, oh say, The Nightmare Before Christmas, which has established itself as a greatly beloved classic over the years. I feel the same way about Persepolis making it to number 5.

I know some may say I have a double standard, as I am not saying anything about Up, which was released after Coraline, being as high as it is. Well, while I do contemplate whether or not its placement may be arguable (it is one of my all-time favorites, but it’s hard to determine if it is number 3 because it’s  fresh in one’s mind), I do somewhat excuse it (at least more then I would most) due to the fact that it comes from one of the “Big Three” animation studios (as I like to call them).

The way I see it, Disney, Pixar and Studio Ghibli have proven to be so influential on the animation and film industries, and have a lineup of films of such a high (and consistent) artistic quality, that when a film from one of those studios is praised as one of their best, it is hard to argue that it is also one of the best of all time.

As for Wall-E being number one though. I love Wall-E, I greatly do (it has the distinction of being the first movie I rated a perfect 10 on this website), I don’t think it should be number one. I understand its praise, but I never understood why people acted like it was the first animated movie that deserved a Best Picture nomination (it definitely deserved the nomination, but there have been even better animated films). Once again, I love Wall-E, but number one animated film of all time? Not quite.

Of course Spirited Away deserves its position. It always deserves to place in the highest of positions (it makes for a perfect number 1 in my book). Though I must ask, why is it one of only two Miyazaki films on the list? Where is Ponyo for instance? Coraline makes it to the top ten already but not Ponyo?! Shameful! And where I ask is My Neighbor Totoro? Its absence from the list is blasphemous! I understand they were probably going for a diverse list, so they only added a few from each studio, but they had four Pixar films in the top ten, they easily could have replaced something for Totoro, Ponyo or Mononoke.

But I suppose this isn’t my list. I shall one day make my own (but would I have the heart to number it with how much I love animated films?), but I will say this is a good list with some great films, but at the same time, one with a few things I would switch up.

But for the most part, it is a good list. An animation enthusiast such as myself always takes an interest in these kinds of things. And I await to see whatever the next list may be. Hopefully, it will have a better blend of Disney, Pixar and Ghibli…and less Akira.

Squirrel!