Five Favourite Cartoons
Well, I'm too free at the moment so I'm going to write about my five favorite feature length cartoons. I actually wanted to do five favourite sci-fi flicks, but you've heard my ramble about Star Wars enough already. Then I wanted to do my five favourite action films, and still Star Wars would have come up. Then I wanted to write about my five favorite films of all time, then I figured Star Wars would be rambled about again. So I'll do a Star Wars free write-up. About CARTOONS! Of course, one can argue that with the amount of animation and digital effects used in making Star Wars, one can almost consider it a cartoon... But no...
ANyway, my five favourite cartoons. Here's how I gauge them.
1) I enjoy watching them over and over again.
2) I like a particular message in the cartoon.
3) I enjoy watching them over and over again.
4) There's something about the cartoon that sticks out in my head very strongly (i.e. the music)
5) I enjoy watching them over and over again.
6) The artwork is stupendously marvellous and creatively refreshing.
7) I enjoy watching them over and over again.
NUMBER 5
SHREK 2
This cartoon rocks to the maximum. One must wonder why in the world I like this more than Shrek 1? Well, I find the romance in this movie much much more engaging than the first. I mean, we always consider the ogre as the other, and to tell a story of how a human can love a weirdo (like Shrek1) is kinda over done. Shrek 2 brings about the idea of WOULD AN OGRE WANT TO BE HUMAN? Ok, no spoilers here. But I find the change of perspective very engaging.
Number 4
TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE
Well, you can't blame me from being a boy. A lot of people said that this movie is a commercial stunt... and I think so too, but WHO CARES! The soundtrack rockz. It still plays in my head after more than ten years. And you know, I always tell people this: If you think all the jumping about and shooting about in the Matrix is cool, let me tell you the Matrix aint' original and cool enough. Optimus Prime has done all the jumping about and blowing Decepticons' heads off in this movie like no one has ever done before!
Number 3
THE LION KING
Superb score. Hans Zimmer won an academy award for his musical work in this cartoon. That is the number ONE selling point of this cartoon. The energetic African vocals really is the driving factor and the life of this cartoon. I remember when I watched this cartoon when I was a small boy, the death of Simba's father was one of the most emotional cinematic scenes I've ever experienced... I was a kid then ok. The score. The soundtrack for this cartoon is enough to make this my number 3 all time favourite. It used to be number 1, but...
Ah also, James Earl Jones' voice is just awesome. He was great in Darth Vader, and does the same for Mufasa.
And of course, it's a very masculine show :P
Number 2
SPIRITED AWAY
I remember writing a review for a online community thing for my circle of friends. (Those were the days before Friendster and all that crap) I rarely gave films five stars. I actually gave Spirited Away 5.5 or 6 out of 5. Now, I think I'll give it a 10 out of 5.
There are 3 things that steal my heart with this cartoon.
1) The score. Joe Hisaishi really is the John Williams of Asia. The music for Spirited Away is so soothingly romantically charming it takes me away into Chihiro's world right away.
2) The imagination. This cartoon displays the best artistic creativity I've ever seen in a cartoon. The little details in every frame, every little object, movement and design of material is so creative my vocabulary houses no words to describe it. The drawing is so immensely ARGH to the point I was exlaiming wow at almost every scene. I was spirited away into Spirited Away.
3) The girl. Director Hayao Miyazaki has a thing for female protagonists. And it always works. In this cartoon, the innocence of Chihiro, the little girl who got trapped in another world, contrasts so brightly against the weirdness of the spirit realm. Not to mention her love so pure for the wizard boy who saves her. I love Miyazaki romances.
I know my writing here kinda makes Spirited Away look as though it's the best cartoon I've ever seen. But no.... here's the number 1
Number 1
PRINCESS MONONOKE
Princess Mononoke is the most mind blowing cartoon I've ever seen. Yes, Spirited Away is the most artistically creative piece of work I've ever seen. But Princess Mononoke is the most elaborate epic romance (call it what you will, I'm calling it romance) of all time, not just in the cartoon world, but in the film realm as a whole.
San (also known as Princess Mononoke) is the centerpiece of this cartoon as a warrior girl raised by the wolf gods. She grew up thinking she's a wolf, until one day she meets a human warrior prince, Ashitaka, who came from a land far far away to cleanse his body of an evil curse.
The context of the film is basically this: In the iron age of Japan, an ambitious woman sets up a mining facility near the forest that houses many gods and demons, and to expand her power, she wants to destroy the forest. So there is this looming sense of war throughout the show, between humans and the spirits.
Ashitaka, although unsympathetic to the ladyboss's plans to destroy the forest, is still the representation of humanity in the film, when coming into contact with San, who rejects her humanity. There is where the romantic conflict takes place... Although it never really is said in the story, the subtlety of the love they hint at each other makes it in some ways, the most obvious theme of the show.
And I love love stories.
The second thing about the film is the SCORE! Joe Hisaishi again! Now, The music for Princess Mononoke is without a doubt one the best, if not the best, film score I've ever heard. Not only is it epic, it is romantic, tragic, and very indescribably ARGH as well. My brother bought the CD, but its been on my table for years now, and I've not gotten bored of it yet, because it has EVERYTHING a film score needs. From my perspective, this cartoon should have won best picture, instead of the sappy Titanic show.
This cartoon actually hit the number 1 all time gross in Japan when it was released, only to be beaten by Titanic. But Miyazaki got his revenge with Spirited Away, who took over at number 1. Miyazaki's latest film, Howl's Moving Castle, has overtaken Spirited Away as the number 1. This means that Hayao Miyazaki has three films in the Japanese all time box office records.
Roger Ebert, one of the most renown film critics, once said, Princess Mononoke is like the Japanese version of Star Wars. I don't really see why, but I'm saying it just to bring up the point that good shows are always somehow related to Star Wars.
---
So that's that. My favorite five cartoons!
I do love other cartoons. I just love these five the MOST.
ANyway, my five favourite cartoons. Here's how I gauge them.
1) I enjoy watching them over and over again.
2) I like a particular message in the cartoon.
3) I enjoy watching them over and over again.
4) There's something about the cartoon that sticks out in my head very strongly (i.e. the music)
5) I enjoy watching them over and over again.
6) The artwork is stupendously marvellous and creatively refreshing.
7) I enjoy watching them over and over again.
NUMBER 5
SHREK 2
This cartoon rocks to the maximum. One must wonder why in the world I like this more than Shrek 1? Well, I find the romance in this movie much much more engaging than the first. I mean, we always consider the ogre as the other, and to tell a story of how a human can love a weirdo (like Shrek1) is kinda over done. Shrek 2 brings about the idea of WOULD AN OGRE WANT TO BE HUMAN? Ok, no spoilers here. But I find the change of perspective very engaging.
Number 4
TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE
Well, you can't blame me from being a boy. A lot of people said that this movie is a commercial stunt... and I think so too, but WHO CARES! The soundtrack rockz. It still plays in my head after more than ten years. And you know, I always tell people this: If you think all the jumping about and shooting about in the Matrix is cool, let me tell you the Matrix aint' original and cool enough. Optimus Prime has done all the jumping about and blowing Decepticons' heads off in this movie like no one has ever done before!
Number 3
THE LION KING
Superb score. Hans Zimmer won an academy award for his musical work in this cartoon. That is the number ONE selling point of this cartoon. The energetic African vocals really is the driving factor and the life of this cartoon. I remember when I watched this cartoon when I was a small boy, the death of Simba's father was one of the most emotional cinematic scenes I've ever experienced... I was a kid then ok. The score. The soundtrack for this cartoon is enough to make this my number 3 all time favourite. It used to be number 1, but...
Ah also, James Earl Jones' voice is just awesome. He was great in Darth Vader, and does the same for Mufasa.
And of course, it's a very masculine show :P
Number 2
SPIRITED AWAY
I remember writing a review for a online community thing for my circle of friends. (Those were the days before Friendster and all that crap) I rarely gave films five stars. I actually gave Spirited Away 5.5 or 6 out of 5. Now, I think I'll give it a 10 out of 5.
There are 3 things that steal my heart with this cartoon.
1) The score. Joe Hisaishi really is the John Williams of Asia. The music for Spirited Away is so soothingly romantically charming it takes me away into Chihiro's world right away.
2) The imagination. This cartoon displays the best artistic creativity I've ever seen in a cartoon. The little details in every frame, every little object, movement and design of material is so creative my vocabulary houses no words to describe it. The drawing is so immensely ARGH to the point I was exlaiming wow at almost every scene. I was spirited away into Spirited Away.
3) The girl. Director Hayao Miyazaki has a thing for female protagonists. And it always works. In this cartoon, the innocence of Chihiro, the little girl who got trapped in another world, contrasts so brightly against the weirdness of the spirit realm. Not to mention her love so pure for the wizard boy who saves her. I love Miyazaki romances.
I know my writing here kinda makes Spirited Away look as though it's the best cartoon I've ever seen. But no.... here's the number 1
Number 1
PRINCESS MONONOKE
Princess Mononoke is the most mind blowing cartoon I've ever seen. Yes, Spirited Away is the most artistically creative piece of work I've ever seen. But Princess Mononoke is the most elaborate epic romance (call it what you will, I'm calling it romance) of all time, not just in the cartoon world, but in the film realm as a whole.
San (also known as Princess Mononoke) is the centerpiece of this cartoon as a warrior girl raised by the wolf gods. She grew up thinking she's a wolf, until one day she meets a human warrior prince, Ashitaka, who came from a land far far away to cleanse his body of an evil curse.
The context of the film is basically this: In the iron age of Japan, an ambitious woman sets up a mining facility near the forest that houses many gods and demons, and to expand her power, she wants to destroy the forest. So there is this looming sense of war throughout the show, between humans and the spirits.
Ashitaka, although unsympathetic to the ladyboss's plans to destroy the forest, is still the representation of humanity in the film, when coming into contact with San, who rejects her humanity. There is where the romantic conflict takes place... Although it never really is said in the story, the subtlety of the love they hint at each other makes it in some ways, the most obvious theme of the show.
And I love love stories.
The second thing about the film is the SCORE! Joe Hisaishi again! Now, The music for Princess Mononoke is without a doubt one the best, if not the best, film score I've ever heard. Not only is it epic, it is romantic, tragic, and very indescribably ARGH as well. My brother bought the CD, but its been on my table for years now, and I've not gotten bored of it yet, because it has EVERYTHING a film score needs. From my perspective, this cartoon should have won best picture, instead of the sappy Titanic show.
This cartoon actually hit the number 1 all time gross in Japan when it was released, only to be beaten by Titanic. But Miyazaki got his revenge with Spirited Away, who took over at number 1. Miyazaki's latest film, Howl's Moving Castle, has overtaken Spirited Away as the number 1. This means that Hayao Miyazaki has three films in the Japanese all time box office records.
Roger Ebert, one of the most renown film critics, once said, Princess Mononoke is like the Japanese version of Star Wars. I don't really see why, but I'm saying it just to bring up the point that good shows are always somehow related to Star Wars.
---
So that's that. My favorite five cartoons!
I do love other cartoons. I just love these five the MOST.
3 Comments:
Hmm...not a bad list. My top five is:
1) Lion King
2) Aladdin
3) Princess Mononoke
4) Beauty and the Beast
5) X Men (the TV shows. It's the first cartoon show that has 'adult' values: revenge, love, anger, etc)
Ooh...I can't believe I forgot 'Tom and Jerry'. So my top five cartoons is now a top six :>
Mononoke Hime RAWKS!!!
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