I took my 3-year-old daughter to see her very first movie in a theater today, Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who. She loves Dr. Seuss books and we have been waiting for an appropriate movie to come out before we took her to an actual theater. There have not been many G rated films released recently. The run time on the movie is 88 minutes (plus about 15-20 minutes of commercials/previews) and I was worried whether it would keep her attention for the entire time. It did and she really loved the film.

Horton Hears a Who, from the makers of the animated film Ice Age, is based on the Dr. Seuss children's book of the same name. It was just released in theaters today (3/14/08) and here is a link to the trailer if you have not already seen it. The movie is actually very well done and stars the voice talents of Jim Carrey (as Horton), Steve Carell and Carol Burnett among others. Unlike some animated children's movies, this movie is really aimed at entertaining kids and there is not much secondary humor that adults would appreciate. It is at least relatively fast paced and very charming to say the least.

My daughter immediately recognized a phrase in the movie from the Horton books and it spotlights as well as rewards the outstanding traits of loyalty, trustworthiness and perseverance. Horton likes to say, "I mean what I say and I said what I meant, an elephant is faithful 100 percent." The other moral to this particular story can be summarized in the very last words the narrator speaks in the film, "A person's a person, no matter how small." This really teaches children a message of equal rights and to protect those who are smaller than you. All of the kids in the theater adored Horton, but it is nice that they are also getting exposed to such positive messages.

I don't believe this film ranks up there with the much more brilliant Disney Pixar films (like Cars, Toy Story and Finding Nemo), but as a children's movie you could do much, much worse than Horton Hears a Who. Not as much entertainment for the parents, but the kids will definitely love it. My daughter gives it two thumbs up!

Speaking of other animated films, I felt this might be the appropriate time to give you my Top 10 list of animated feature films. Animated feature films really saw a resurgence back in 1989 when Disney released The Little Mermaid and since then the industry has shown incredible growth. Disney proved that you could make a blockbuster out of an animated film and proceeded to prove that point over and over again. Now with "direct to DVD" films, the growth is even more obvious. For the 30 years from 1937, when the first was released in the U.S., until 1967, there were only 42 animated feature films released in the United States. As a comparison, there were 50 of them released just in the year 2006 alone.

Just because there are more animated feature films released does not mean there are more great ones being made. Though Horton Hears a Who does not make my list, it was definitely a worthy effort. Without further ado, here is OLD SCHOOL'S TOP 10 ANIMATED FEATURE FILMS OF ALL TIME (+ bonus 5):
Honorable Mention. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - This was the first full-length animated feature film released in the United States. It was the first feature film created by the great Walt Disney and its success resulted in all of the other amazing Disney films to follow. For that, I feel it at least deserves an honorable mention.
15. The Incredibles (2004) - This is a Disney Pixar film written and directed by Brad Bird who was actually nominated for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for it. It is about a family with super powers featuring the voices of Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Lee and others. The Incredibles won the 2005 Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film (which only began being awarded at the 2002 ceremony).
14. Shrek (2001) - Here is one that I know will be higher on the list of many others, but other than Eddie Murphy's donkey character, I am not that big of a fan of the original or either of the two sequels which were released in 2004 and 2007 all by DreamWorks. In addition to Murphy, it also stars the talented Mike Myers as "Shrek" the Ogre and Cameron Diaz as "Princess Fiona." The original Shrek won the 2002 Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film and was the very first to ever receive this Academy Award.
13. Lady and the Tramp (1955) - This was Disney's 15th animated feature length film release. It is the classic tale of two opposites attracting. Back then, animated films did not feature the voices of famous actors, but instead featured specialists in this type of voiceover work. This movie, like most others by Disney, stands the test of time even over 30 years later.
12. Pinocchio (1940) - This holds a fond place in my heart because it is the very first movie that I actually saw in a movie theater (though in its 5th theatrical release in 1978). It was just the 2nd animated feature from Disney released a few years after Snow White. It features the amazing song sung by Jiminy Cricket (voiced by Cliff Edwards) called "When You Wish Upon a Star" which still remains one of my favorites. Pinocchio is scheduled to be released as a Disney Platinum Edition DVD in 2009.
11. Aladdin (1992) - This was Disney's 31st animated feature and ended up being the highest grossing film of 1992. The voice of the genie is done by the incomparable Robin Williams and this hilarious performance truly makes this film special. This was the first time a major movie star was a featured voice in an animated film and would begin a trend that would make such a thing almost essential to the success of animated films today. This film won Oscars for both Original Score and Original Song ("A Whole New World" by Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle).
10. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) - Though it is not a completely animated movie, I feel it deserves to be included because of its landmark special magic of combining animation with live action. It was quite the technical achievement at the time and ended up being one of the most expensive films to that date costing over $70 million to produce. Its Animation Direction won one of the only 18 Oscar Special Achievement Awards ever given by the Academy. This film also marked the first time animated characters from several different studios appeared in the same movie, so we were able to see Bugs Bunny meet Mickey Mouse.
9. Happy Feet (2006) - One of the few non-Disney movies on my list, this film surprised me with its fantastic music and heartwarming tale of never giving up. It is movie about penguins and features the voices of Robin Williams, Elijah Wood, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brittany Murphy among others. Happy Feet won the 2007 Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.
8. Finding Nemo (2003) - This Disney Pixar film is very funny and entertaining. It tells a father/son story of both growing up and overcoming fears. It features a very talented cast of voices including Albert Brooks, Brad Garrett and Willem Dafoe, but it is Ellen DeGeneres as "Dory" the fish that suffers from short-term memory loss that really puts this film over the top. An interesting note on voices is that the surfer dude turtle "Crush" is actually voiced by the writer and director of the film, Andrew Stanton. Finding Nemo was nominated for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar and won the 2004 Oscar for Best Animated Feature.
7. Peter Pan (1953) - This was Disney's 14th animated feature and was based on the J.M. Barrie book about a little boy who does not want to grow up. It has a wonderful music score including the songs "You Can Fly" and "Second Star to the Right." The film also includes the "Tinkerbell" fairy character which would become an icon possibly only second to Mickey Mouse himself in the Disney family. The Disney Platinum Edition DVD was released just last year (2007).
6. The Aristocats (1970) - This was Disney's 20th animated feature and is supposedly set in Paris, France back in 1910. It features the voice talent of Eva Gabor as "The Duchess" who gets stranded with her three kittens and is aided by a rough-around-the-edges alley cat named Thomas O'Malley. It also includes some comic relief from two dogs names "Napoleon" and "Lafayette," but the true star of this film is the fantastic jazz music. The song "Everybody Wants to Be a Cat" is very catchy and here is a link to watch that song. I love this film.
5. Cars (2006) - I am not even a Nascar fan in the slightest, but I found this Disney Pixar film to be phenomenal. This great story of maturity and appreciation stars the voices of Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt and Michael Keaton, but it is Larry The Cable Guy that steals every scene that his "Mater" character is in. The film succeeds at being funny and touching. It is beautifully done from every angle.
4. The Jungle Book (1967) - This was Disney's 19th animated feature and the last actually produced by Walt Disney himself (he died during production). It is inspired by the book by Rudyard Kipling and it only runs 78 minutes. The reason I love this movie so much is the music. In particular two songs "The Bare Necessities" and "I Wanna Be Like You" which I feel are spectacularly written and performed (with links to watch both songs). The Disney Platinum Edition DVD was released in October of 2007 to commemorate its 40th anniversary.
3. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) - This was the 22nd full-length animated feature from Disney and it brings to life the 100 Acre Wood and those lovable characters from the classic A.A. Milne books. The movie weaves three different stories together and is narrated by Sebastian Cabot. I have always loved these stories and these characters. Here is a link to the opening credits to the movie which includes the "Winnie The Pooh" theme song which introduces all of the characters.
2. The Lion King (1994) - This was the 32nd animated feature from Disney and the highest grossing traditionally animated film (as opposed to the newer computer animation now used more often). This is a story about growing up, overcoming obstacles and "the circle of life." It stars the voices of Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons and many, many other fantastic talents. My favorite characters are "Timon" and "Pumbaa" and here is a link to see them perform the song "Hakuna Matata" from the film. The film did win 1995 Oscars for both Original Score and Original Song ("Can You Feel the Love Tonight" by Elton John & Tim Rice). I also very much liked the 2004 sequel called The Lion King 1 ½ and highly recommend you check that out if you liked the original.
1. Toy Story (1995) & Toy Story 2 (1999) - The original Toy Story was the first fully computer-animated feature film and its success has led to the other fantastic Disney Pixar films many of which were ranked earlier on this list. These movies revolve around "Woody" the cowboy voiced by Tom Hanks and "Buzz Lightyear" voiced by Tim Allen. There are many other contributors, but those two characters and the talented actors bringing them to life are at the heart of these heartwarming yet entertaining films. These films were revolutionary and the original is set for re-release in 3D in 2009 leading up to the long-awaited release of Toy Story 3 in 2010.

There is my list. I know many of you are going to ask, "Where is Beavis and Butt-head Do America or Garfield: The Movie?" Just kidding, but there are many other solid efforts that did not make the list. What favorites of yours do you feel are missing???

Hope you enjoyed this issue of Kickin' it Old School. I appreciate you reading and be sure to click on the Archive buttons in the upper left column to make sure you have not missed any past issues. Remember that all issues, no matter what topic, end with the special features as you see below. Peace and much love.

Check this out: Another optical illusion for you. Do you see gray areas in between the squares? They are not really there, so where did they come from?

Quote of the day: "A person's a person no matter how small." - Dr. Seuss from Horton Hears a Who

Download this: "The Bare Necessities" by Harry Connick Jr. - his cover of the great song from The Jungle Book from the 1991 album of Disney covers by various artists called Simply Mad About the Mouse