Greatest animated films ever - Yahoo's bogus list

Recently I saw a list of the top animated films ever. This was a list compiled by Yahoo in part to promote the new film Kung Fu Panda. Supposedly the list was voted on by Yahoo visitors and compiled. I think the list is a crock.

I really have to wonder what films were in the original choices to be voted on because there are a few massive omissions. Let me give you the names in the Yahoo list.

Bambi, The Jungle Book, Sleeping Beauty, Over the Hedge, The Simpson’s Movie, Ice Age 2, and the original Ice Age, Snow White, Howl’s Moving Castle, Mulan, Peter Pan, Horton Hears a Who, Lady and the Tramp, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Princess Mononoke, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Enchanted, Shrek 2, Cars, Monster's Inc, Spirited Away, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Toy Story, Ratatouille, Shrek, The Incredibles, The Lion King and Finding Nemo.

That list is in order from lowest rated to highest. Or so Yahoo says. I think the list is just advertising for Disney and a few other advertisers for Yahoo. Oh and a few other films thrown in to make the list look honest.

Where is Ghost in the Shell? Or Akira? I mean seriously Akira is not on the list. That’s just stupid.

And to rate Ratatouille, The Little Mermaid, Cars, Mulan, and Over the Hedge in any list of greatest animated films is inane. Where is Fantasia, Dumbo, Charlottes’s Web (the original), Space Battleship Yamoto, Galaxy Express 999, The Lion The Witch & the Wardrobe, Heavy Metal, Secret of NIHM, Vampire Hunter D, Lilo & Stitch, and that’s just of the films I’ve seen.

I find the Yahoo list bogus not because of what is in it (though there is a lot of substandard recent garbage that is likely included just to pump up DVD sales) but because of the number of classic and acclaimed animated films that are left out.

At least Yahoo could have been honest and said ‘here is the list of movies out advertisers think were the greatest ever – if you never saw an animated film before or if you don’t mind increasing their profits with films in DVD libraries.’ But if you want a real greatest list you need to check out the films I mentioned that were omitted by Yahoo. I think you’ll agree with my list, without question.

Resident Evil Extinction

I know most people have already seen, or not, the movie Resident Evil: Extinction. For those that have seen it, I know you feel as disappointed as I do. Obviously if you have not seen it, the wait for the DVD or cable is recommended. Not that the film was terrible, it just fell far from good.

The problems with this film are multiple. One of the biggest things is that the tension never really builds up. There is no real drive to the film. The pace is about even all the way through, and for this type of film that’s not good.

Within the film itself there are many gaps in logic. Such as, if you know that satellites are tracking you, and you know where they will be and you have been avoiding them, why suddenly stop and let yourself be caught? How about a different thought, a basic one. How long does it take to be infected by the T-virus (if you’ve seen the other 2 films you know what that is – if you haven’t why are you thinking of seeing this film as the first?) and turn into a zombie? Normally, minutes to hours depending how bad you are infected. But in this film they throw out this rule, and one character with a decent wound lasts for a day or 2. Yet a later character is feeling the effects after a minor bite in minutes.

In the other films, infected dogs and zombies are a rampant and continuous problem. Not in this film. They are basically unseen. Other than a couple of critical scenes you really don’t even know they exist. That would make you think there is a big monster boss in the film, like Nemesis from the second film. Nope. There is a Boss fight, but it’s so anti-climactic and boring. I had expected more.

I think that sums up the whole film actually. You are always expecting more and you don’t get it. Not enough fights, bullets, zombies or anything else. You wait and wait, but nothing happens in a big way.

If you haven’t paid to see the film yet, don’t. It’s a definite cable movie. I won’t even add it to my DVD collection, which has both of the first 2 movies. And if you are wondering why this is so long after the movie came out, being sick and stress left me little free time.