Skydance Studios made its first step into the world of animation with the release of Luck on August 5th. Directed by Peggy Holmes and produced by John Lasseter, it tells the story of a young girl cursed with bad luck until she finds a magic penny dropped by a black cat. After losing the penny, she follows the cat into the world where good and bad luck are made to get another.

Related: 'Luck' Is the Latest Animated Movie to Reduce Its Magical World Into a Banal BusinessThe film received middling reviews due to its story and world-building, which many felt was similar to other movies. This isn't without base: there are plenty of animated family films where humans get magic or go to other worlds where magic is treated like a bureaucracy. While waiting for Skydance's next release, it might be worth checking out some of these films.

'The Pagemaster' (1994)

Richard Tyler with Horror, Adventure, and Fantasy from The Pagemaster

Richard Tyler takes shelter from a storm in a library. While searching for a telephone, he slips on the ground beneath a painted ceiling and is covered in a sea of paint. Now an animated illustration, Richard must travel through the now magical library with the help of three living books.

The Pagemaster's creativity comes from how it brings the animated library to life. Opening books allows the characters and items within the books to emerge, and characters from a specific genre inhabit entire library sections. It also has a fantastic cast, with the highlights being Patrick Stewart, Woopie Goldberg, and Frank Welker as the three books.

'Antz' (1998)

Z and Princess Bala in Antz.
Image via DreamWorks Animation

Zee is an ant struggling to retain his individuality in a colony of millions. One night at a bar, he bumps into the incognito princess and becomes smitten. He also learns about Insectopia, a bug oasis that's supposed to be pretty close to the anthill.

Related: From 'The Bad Guys' to 'Shark Tale': Why DreamWorks Animation Genre Pastiches Are Hit or MissAntz offered a fun look at how an anthropomorphic ant colony could function, like when they link their bodies together to form wrecking balls and chains. Its overall story is also good, with a message about individuality vs. conforming. This is showcased constantly in ant society, such as assigning roles at birth to the warriors and workers living apart from each other.

'Monsters Inc.' (2001)

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In a world inhabited by monsters, the screams of children are used as a power source. James P. Sulivan and Mike Wazowski are set to break their company's scare record, but they discover that a human child has come into the monster world. As they try to return her, they uncover a horrible conspiracy within the company.

Related: 10 Disney Movies Turning Old Enough To Drink This YearThe monster world is full of Pixar's usual blend of creativity. Along with the concept of using human screams as power to explain monsters in the closet, the various monster designs interact with the world in different ways. It's also capped off by a good message about overcoming preconceptions.

'Spirited Away' (2001)

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While moving to a new home, Chihiro and her family enter the spirit world. Her parents are transformed into pigs after eating human food, but Chihiro was saved by a boy named Haku. He helps her get a job with the local bathhouse run by the Ybaba, so Chihiro can stay close to her parents and try to find a way home.

Spirited Away is often labeled as one of the greatest animated movies ever. Along with its amazing creativity in spirit design and world-building, it's a strong story of a young girl finding courage in a strange environment. To date, it is the only hand-drawn film to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

'The Ant Bully' (2006)

Lucas and Zoc in The Ant Bully

Tired of being picked on by bullies, Lucas takes his frustration out on his local and colony. Eventually, the ants decide to fight back and use a potion by their sorcerer, Zoc, to shrink Lucas to their size. The queen ant then declares that Lucas will only be returned home when he has learned to live like an ant.

This film takes a similar approach to Antz in humanizing the ant colony but expands on the foundation thanks to adding a human character. Lucas' understanding of the world compared to the ants allows for some creative solutions to problems. The film also expands on ant-human relationship by showing how things like pesticides have a place in their mythology.

'Meet the Robinsons' (2007)

All the major characters of Disney's 'Meet the Robinsons'.
Image via Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

After failing to get adopted, child genius Lewis invents a machine to tap into his memories so that he can find his biological mother. However, a man in a bowler hat sabotages the invention at Lewis' science fair, and a boy with a time machine tries to convince Lewis to try again. When Lewis tries to use the time machine to find his mom, he damages it, sending him to the future until it can be repaired.

Meet the Robinsons handles the story of a down-on-their-luck orphan very well. Lewis' frustration at his failures is very relatable, as we've all had moments when it feels like our best just wasn't enough. This makes the movie's message about always moving forward more poignant, as sometimes it takes just one more try to get it right.

'Hotel Transylvania' (2012)

The cast of the first Hotel Transylvania

To avoid persecution from humans, Count Dracula establishes a hotel for monsters where humans aren't allowed. For his daughter's 118th birthday, he invites all of his friends to the hotel, including Frankenstein's monster, the wolf man, and the invisible man. However, things become complicated when a human backpacker arrives, and Dracula tries to hide him to avoid a mass panic.

The film has a gorgeous art style, along with seeing the classic Universal Monsters together again. Director Genndy Tartakovsky, best known as the creator of Samurai Jack, brings a beautiful blend of comedy and detail to this film. His attention to timing results in some on-point physical comedy, and the character designs allow maximum facial expressions.

'Epic' (2013)

Nim Galuu from Epic

After her mother's death, Mary Katherine goes to live with her father, who is obsessed with finding a society of leaf men in the forest. She ends up finding the queen of the leaf men as she is dying after the leaf men's enemies, the Boggans, ambushed her during a pod-choosing ceremony. The queen uses her magic to shrink M.K down and asks her to protect the pod, as it is needed to choose the next queen.

Related: Ranking the Works of Blue Sky Studios From Worst to BestWhile the story is a little on the simple side, the animation is some of the best from Blue Sky Studios. The colors and lighting all shine in the forest environment, like a family version of Avatar. The score by Danny Elfman is also amazing, taking inspiration from Irish and Gaelic music.

'Soul' (2020)

Joe and 22 in Soul

Joe Gardner dreams of being a professional jazz player but falls down a manhole and finds himself as a spirit. To avoid going into the great beyond, he travels to the great beginning, where souls are made. He is assigned to a jaded soul named 22, who agrees to give Joe her earth-badge if he can help her find her spark.

The film goes into creative territory with how it depicts souls and the human mind's relationship to creativity. The best parts can be seen in "The Zone," where artists and creative types reach when they get into a rhythm with their work. Here, lost souls also wander about, having become stuck in a rut and go through life with no drive.

'Wish Dragon' (2021)

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Image via Netflix

Din is excited to meet his childhood friend, Lin, who moved away to become a model. On his way home, he is given a teapot that contains a wish dragon named Long, who must grant the wishes of ten masters before he can enter the spirit world. Din decides to use his wishes to try and impress Lin while also avoiding a trio of goons after the teapot.

Although the plot is very similar to Aladdin, the movie has plenty of originality to set them apart. The relationship between Din and Long is the best example since Long is much more cynical than Genie. This allows for strong character growth and backstory, culminating in an emotional high point in the film's climax.

Related: 10 Non-Disney Animated Movies That Could Have Live-Action or CGI Remakes