The world of films is ever-evolving. This is especially true for animated movies released in the era of CGI, as new programs are created to help artists bring to life entire worlds to entertain audiences of all ages. With so many new products coming out every year, it can be hard to remember what came out even ten years ago.
2013 was a year of extremes in the world of animated films. While a handful of films would be universally panned by critics and audiences, this year also saw several box office records being broken and challenged.
10 'Walking With Dinosaurs'
A young boy named Ricky (Charlie Rowe) is taken by his uncle, Zack (Karl Urban) on a fossil hunt. He soon meets a talking raven named Alex (John Leguizamo) who entertains the boy with a story of the ancient past. It's about a trio of young Pachyrhinosaurus named Pachi (Justin Long), Scowler (Skyler Stone), and Juniper (Tiya Sircar), and their struggle to survive after their herd is attacked by Gorgosaurus.
Walking With Dinosaurs uses impressive CGI to bring to life its dinosaurs, but sadly offers little else than pretty visuals. The story doesn't do anything that hasn't been done in previous animated dinosaur films, and the voice-overs are juvenile and distracting. As dated as it is, it's best to stick with the 1999 miniseries of the same name.
9 'Planes'
Dusty Crophopper (Dane Cook) is a crop duster with aspirations of becoming an aerial racer. However, he is hampered both by his design and his fear of heights. Undeterred, Dusty signs up for the Wings Around the Globe Rally and enlists the help of an elderly Vought F4U Corsair named Skipper Riley (Stacy Keach) to be his mentor.
Planes is a spin-off of Pixar's Cars franchise, and has many of the same strengths and weaknesses as the first Cars. Its story is riddled with sports film clichés, this time swapping out the cocky rookie in need of humility with a plucky underdog. Still, some of the flying scenes are pretty, and the voice acting is good overall.
8 'My Little Pony: Equestria Girls'
While staying at the Crystal Empire, Princess Twilight Sparkle (Tara Strong) loses the Element of Magic to a yellow unicorn named Sunset Shimmer (Rebecca Shoichet). Chasing her through a magic portal, Twilight and her dragon assistant, Spike (Cathy Weseluck), arrive in a world populated by humans and transform into new forms. Hearing that the element is in Canterlot High School, Twilight poses as a student and attempts to retrieve it before Sunset Shimmer can use it.
Equestria Girls was the first theatrical film for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, and spawned numerous sequels and its own spin-off series. While not the best in the series, it does a fine job of establishing the alternate universe and plays out like an extended episode of the show. Its moral about unity isn't a bad one for kids to learn, and it possesses some catchy songs from series composer Daniel Ingram.
7 'Despicable Me 2'
Having given up the life of a supervillain, Gru (Steve Carell) dedicates himself to his three adopted daughters. However, he is approached by a secret agency to help them capture a new villain who has stolen an experimental transmutation formula. Gru eventually agrees and is partnered with the eccentric agent Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig)
Fans of the original Despicable Me will find more of the same in this film. Carell continues to give an entertaining performance as Gru, and there are plenty of minions to entertain the kids, but the story of Despicable Me 2 lacks the same heart as the original. The film was a major success for Illumination, and became the third-highest-grossing film of the year.
6 'Epic'
As Queen Tara of the Leafmen (Beyoncé Knowles) chooses a pod that will designate her successor, she comes under attack by Mandrake (Christoph Waltz), king of the Boggans. Tara is mortally wounded and found by a human girl named Mary Katherine (Amanda Seyfried), whose father studies the Leafmen. The queen shrinks M.K down to her size and asks her to take the pod to a forest wizard before the Boggans can corrupt it.
Epic is one of Blue Sky Studio's most visually stunning movies. While the design for the human characters is a little off at times, the forest inhabitants move fluidly, and the backgrounds are bright, colorful, and atmospheric. The music by Danny Elfman also adds to the film's atmosphere of a magical world hidden just outside of view.
5 'Turbo'
Within a tomato garden, a community of snails work hard every day tending to the fruit. That is, except for Turbo (Ryan Reynolds), who is consumed by dreams of being a racing snail. After an accident involving experimental fuel, he is given the speed of a race car and the chance to fulfill his dream.
While not one of DreamWorks' best animated films, Turbo is fantastic for what it is: a light-hearted underdog story. The characters are all likable enough, and there is a strong theme of brotherly support. It proves that even average movies can be entertaining time-wasters and still offer something of value to the audience.
4 'The Croods'
In a hostile prehistoric world, the Croods are able to outlast all-other families by following one rule: don't leave the cave. However, an earthquake destroys the cave, forcing the family to relocate. They meet another caveman named Guy (Ryan Reynolds), who offers to help the family with his inventions, though the father, Grug (Nicolas Cage) distrusts him.
The Croods fits in nicely alongside DreamWorks' usual lineup thanks to its gorgeous animation and heartfelt themes. The prehistory world offers many instances of danger, wonder, and excitement, and Grug's journey is one of accepting new ideas without losing one's traditions. It would grow into yet another franchise for DreamWorks through a television series in 2015, and a sequel in 2020.
3 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2'
After shutting down his FLDSMDFR machine, inventor Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) and the other residents of Swallow Falls are forced to relocate while the island is cleaned up. Flint is given a job working with his childhood idol, Chester V (Will Forte), and longs to make a good impression. He gets his chance when it's discovered that the FLDSMDFR is not only still active, but creating sentient foodimals.
The original Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs lent itself to some creative and expressive animation, but Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 blows it out of the water. The animators went all out when it came to foodimals, who look creative and diverse. It also has a good message for young audiences about not neglecting your loved ones and what goes into being a good friend.
2 'Monsters University'
A young Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) dreams of attending Monster University and becoming a scarer. Unfortunately, though he has the scare theory down, he is rejected because he isn't scary. Undeterred, he joins forces with the brilliant but lazy James P. Sullivan (John Goodman) to help a loser frat house win the campus Scare Games and prove their worthiness.
Monsters University combines Pixar's heartfelt and tear-jerking storytelling with 80s college film clichés. The results are mixed: the characters and story are overdone, but the message is a strong one and relatable to people confused about their future. At the least, the advancement in CGI technology results in more creative monster designs.
1 'Frozen'
Princess Anna (Kristen Bell) has spent her whole life inside the royal palace of Arendelle with her estranged older sister, Elsa (Idina Menzel). On the day of Elsa's coronation as queen, the palace is opened to visitors, and Anna falls in love with a visiting prince named Hans (Santino Fontana). When Elsa refuses to bless their union, she accidentally reveals she has ice powers, and flees into the mountains, accidentally blanketing the kingdom in a magic winter.
Frozen received universal praise thanks to its breathtaking animation, fun characters, and catchy songs. Several elements that became commonplace in future Disney films first appeared here, such as twist villains and jabs at Disney tropes. It surpassed The Lion King as the highest-grossing animated film until 2019 when its sequel and The Lion King remake beat it.