This last decade in animation brought a lot of technological advancement. Yes, Studio Ghibli's iconic Hayao Miyazaki entered retirement, only to announce he would soon make a comeback, but animators took over his mantle as lines were stretched out as to what was visually possible, with the use of both traditional and computer-generated techniques. The storytelling, however, was a little less risk-taking, with many of the very best films opting for traditional storylines and narratives. However, if in the past much of animation was designed to appeal to kids, the adults in the room were entertained as well this decade. There was less of a divide in animation appealing to both adults and children alike.
With all that being said, here are the 10 animated movies that marked this past decade.
1) Toy Story 3
What more can be said about “Toy Story 3″? It was supposed to be the last hurrah. A sequel was just announced recently, but it will be very hard to top this achievement. Tackling adult themes, the movie was the darkest, most vicious of the series, with a villain who could scare you more than any live-action baddie. The stakes were dead real, tackling the loss of innocence and the promotion — or is that a demotion? — to adulthood. Near the end of the movie’s wrenching climax, as our heroes are about to get cooked alive in an oven, you can’t help but think the inevitable could actually happen. Never have I feared for the lives of animated characters more than in this movie.
2) Inside Out
“Inside Out” is the brainiest, most trippy movie Pixar has made so far. Coming out of the theater, a buddy of mine, who is coincidentally a psychologist, told me the movie should be mandatory viewing for all psych students. How does Pixar come up with such ambitiously ingenious ideas? I’m guessing this is the movie most have not yet seen from my list, so I won’t say much, but just let your brain have a little workout with this golden nugget of a movie.
3) Zootopia
An animated film with great visuals and a well-told story with a genuinely great message about acceptance, Zootopia’s message hit me like a jolt by its end. This was a movie not only about bigotry and injustice, but also about sexism. Focusing on the city of Zootopia, a mammal metropolis, the lead character Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) becomes the first rabbit to join the police force, however, being a female rabbit renders her an outsider — it doesn’t help that she uncovers a conspiracy to oust animals that may be deemed “different” from Zootopia. It wasn’t just the themes that made directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore’s Oscar-winning film such a treat, it was also the gorgeously realized visuals and brilliant voice work from the like of Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman. An animated classic.
4) Anomalisa
When we heard that Charlie Kaufman's latest meta-physical endeavor was going to be a puppet movie and that it was going to include a graphic sex scene, our first thoughts went back to 2004's Trey Parker and Matt Stone romp Team America: World Police and the hilariously over the top coitus featured. of course, this being Charlie Kaufman, we should have known better, and what we got instead was Anomalisa -- a beautifully rendered, personal film about loneliness, depression and the connections we make. The sex in Anomalisa is both believable and heartbreaking, with two lonely strangers trying to find comfort and resolution to their never-ending problems. Our depressed hero Michael Stone (voiced by David Thewlis) seems to have lost faith in humanity, but finds resolve in Lisa -- indelibly voiced by an Oscar deserving Jennifer Jason Leigh. She's a shy, self-conscious woman staying at the same hotel as Michael. He first notices her by her unique voice -- the only one not voiced by Tom Noonan-- that stands out compared to every other mundane noise he hears on a daily basis.
5) Isle of Dogs
"Isle of Dogs" delves into the world of immaculately cultivated figurine canines, the detail is again second to none, but the setting is anything but beautiful. Co-written by Anderson, Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman and Kunichi Nomura, "Isle of Dogs" takes place in the fictional Japanese city of Megasaki. Snout-fever, a form of dog-flu, has hit the capital and its Mayor Kobayashi has decided enough is enough, the dogs need be deported. Enter Trash Island, which is mountainous in its accumulation of garbage, filled with worms, fleas, Sake bottles, and uneaten food, this is a landscape in which you can almost smell the disagreeable stench. It doesn't even matter, the pure pleasure of watching "Isle of Dogs" resides in its obsessive attention to detail, the off-center symmetry that is now a given in Anderson's films, and the scurrying, relentless nature of Anderson-ism laid bare on a tableau of pure stop-motion artistry. Like all of his other films, a second viewing is almost mandatory to truly absorb the accomplishment.
6) How To Train Your Dragon
Directors Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois changed 3D animation with this one. Tying with James Cameron’s “Avatar” as the Most Creative 3D Film of 2009 at the Venice Film Festival, “How to Train Your Dragon” used its 3D to boost the already imaginative and artistic film to the next level. Both funny and moving, this story of a young dragon-hunting Viking who strikes up an unlikely friendship with the enemy was a surprise success, that featured rousing action, incredible visuals and – last but not least – plenty of dragons!
7) Coco
The colorful designs that come with the Día de los Muertos celebrations are on full glorious display in “Coco.” From the Ofrendas (altars of worship), to the brightly lit orange petals that separate the bridge between the living and the dead, all the way to the papal picados, this is a representation of Mexican traditions in as realistic and authentic a way as possible. Unkrich takes full advantage of the imagination that comes with this highly colorful holiday; even the alebrijes, the brightly luminescent spirit animals, are there to help the dead in times of need. Just when you think you know where Coco is headed, Unkrich takes surprising turns leading to a poignantly effective finale. What was seemingly a simple story of a boy trying to find his way back home becomes something altogether different? The waterworks are cued as guitar strings and heartstrings are equally and authentically plucked in exuberant fashion.
8) The Lego Movie
Directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord's little building blocks movie made Chris Pratt a star. His Emmet, a Lego character who learns he's the chosen one who must save the universe from the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell), was the driving comedic force behind “The Lego Movie.” This hilariously self-aware animated flick could have easily delved into a feature-length advertisement for Lego; And yet, what we got instead was an endlessly inventive take on “1984,” a goody but subtly dark take on authoritarianism that has a joke-per-minute intensity which doesn’t let up until its final frame.
9) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," an animated take on the Marvel superhero, is the closest a movie has coming to making a comic book spring to life. The film tells the coming-of-age story of Miles Morales (voiced by Sameik Moore), teenage son to an African-American cop and a Puerto Rican nurse, who gets bitten by a radioactive spider and...well you know the set-up. "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" uses a meta-universe of alternative Spideys to pull off an unexpected deft and humane comic touch. However, if the story is what I would qualify as "OK," the visuals are the real sell, the eye-popping frames, concocted by directors Peter Ramsey, Robert Persichetti Jr, and Rodney Rothman and producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, has the feel of stepping inside a page-turner. Lord described this style of animation as "totally revolutionary" and it is. Prepare to be impressed by this visually groundbreaking work. I can't wait to see it again.
10) The Illusionist
A French illusionist loses his job and decides to travel to Scotland, where he meets a young woman. Their intimate but poignant friendship recalling the likes of Tati and Chaplin escapism. As far as adult animated film went, not much came close to touching Sylvain Chomet’s follow-up to Belleville Rendezvous this decade. In The Illusionist Chomet’s breathtaking visual style was a wonder to behold, a lovely minimalist film with barely any dialogue, recalling the days of yore when visuals were the driving force of cinema.
Runners-Up: Shaun of the Sheep Movie, Kubo and the Two Strings, The Wind Rises, Brave, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Wreck-it Ralph