10. Rise of the Guardians (2012)
I’m starting this list off with a DreamWorks film that I became obsessed with when it first came out. At the time that obsession came from having a crush on Jack Frost and being very ingrained in the fan fiction world but now it has more to do with the writing and character development. Already, reimagining stories for characters which have been done hundreds of times before, you’re faced with a bit of a challenge, but rise of the guardians does it perfectly; making Santa a huge Russian thug but still loveable, Tooth being part hummingbird with hummingbirds helping her do all the work, and so on. Also making their common enemy the literal bogeyman that lurks in the shadows puts you on edge even as an adult. Finally, Jack’s character arc as he learns who he is and how he was chosen to be a guardian gives hope to all as he grows from his trauma and is rewarded for being such a good person when he is mortal.
9. Kung fu Panda (2008)
Next we have another DreamWorks classic which was so well done that the Chinese government even sat down and asked themselves how they hadn’t made such an amazing cultural film. The main Character, Po, is made fun of constantly for being fat which would bring this film down in my opinion however he still goes on to become the dragon warrior regardless of his weight which also doesn’t change as he is trained, already doing leagues for body positivity. Furthermore, the film doesn’t fall into the horrible trap that animation often does of over sexualising its female characters and still makes all the animals look like animals despite the anthropomorphism. And although I’m not a massive fan of the sequels, they do show a successful relationship between an adoptive parent and child.
8. Megamind (2010)
Many films have tried to show life from the perspective of the villain, but often these are marketed towards adults. Megamind, however, takes the concept of villainy and superheroes and shows you the pros and cons of each. It teaches kids that getting everything you want, like Megamind does, doesn’t always lead to happiness. It teaches them that running away like Metroman does doesn’t always solve your problems. Really Megamind proves that it’s all in personality; Roxanne falls for Megamind organically because he becomes a nice person, Metroman is a nice person but he has become disconnected due to his privilege, and Hal’s character is very important in villanising a group who many often dismiss. Hal’s “entitled male” persona finally demonises men who believe that women owe them something just because they are nice, even after Hal becomes someone he thinks Roxanne loves… he learns the hard way that personality is much more important than superficial traits.
7. Matilda (1996)
Finally! Something non-animated! Matilda was one of my childhood favourites and I can still quote almost the entirety of the script, however, it’s only been as I have got older that I’ve realised how important this film would be to someone who is in a similar situation to Matilda. The whole film gives power to a group which is otherwise abused and downtrodden by their family. She also finds her solace and eventually her escape through books and her intelligence, giving a much more productive outlet to these children who would be more likely to go down the same path as their parents later in life. Finally, its wholesome ending gives hope to those both in Matilda and Miss Honey’s position, that no matter what, life can get better.
6. Shrek 2 (2004)
I am going to talk about the first Shrek later in this list but I do think the second Shrek deserves recognition in its own right. Many sequels can’t always be justified very well however Shrek 2 perfectly expands on the universe of Shrek, explaining where Fiona comes from and why she a princess, subtly implying why she was cursed, and showing the relationship after the “happily ever after” giving children a more realistic impression of relationships and how they form. Plus we are introduced to new characters who are lovable and three dimensional which is often difficult to do in a sequel with already established characters.
5. Finding Nemo (2003)
I absolutely love this film! When I was younger it was because of the colours and the idea of fish talking but now for me, this film is much more about the relationships that form in life. The first relationship of Coral and Marlin is one that is very loving and very well portrayed by her early film death which leads to Marlins over protectiveness. Marlin and Nemo’s relationship is central to the story and goes through many changes as Marlin learns to trust Nemo and Nemo comes to understand his father’s protectiveness, this is done through the relationships they have with others while they are apart. Nemo and Gill’s relationship helps Nemo to realise that although he wishes his father would trust him as much as Gill does, Gill constantly puts him in danger. Marlin and Dory’s relationship helps Marlin realise that sometimes being over protective can lead to disaster as many of the times he does trust dory they end up in a worse off position. And I just have to add that thank goodness they didn’t try and force a love story out of this film!
4. Shrek (2001)
Here it is! As promised! I love Shrek for that same reason as many, because it puts personality above superficial features and creates a love story that slowly blossoms, rather than what the old princess films would do and make the two main characters fall in love without ever having a conversation. Plus, Fiona is a badass and saves herself from the merry men in a matrix style battle, and another one is given to the women in the form of Dragon who takes down the main villain of the whole film! Even more so it teaches that opening yourself to new things in the way that Shrek does can lead to much happier things.
3. The Spy Kids trilogy (2001-2003)
Yes, you heard me, trilogy… I am not counting the 2011 reboot in this. You may also be asking why I split up Shrek and Shrek 2 and not these three films, and that’s because I like those two films for separate reasons but I love these films for the same reasons. Firstly, because of the representation of the Latinx community, contrary to common depictions, they are a well functioning, relatively wealthy family who all stick together regardless of their hardships, the first film very clearly saying that the kids can’t do everything without their parents but the parents are also pretty helpless without the kids. The ridiculously star studded cast also adds to my love of these films and it baffles me that they all agreed to be in them! Also the fact that these films are based in, and very strongly linked to, the Machete universe and Machete is literally their uncle, is something else that baffles me about these films, and makes me love them even more!
2. Brave (2012)
I couldn’t help but put a Disney princess film in here, but one that meant a lot more to me than any of the others that I loved when I was much younger. Brave was the first princess film to stray completely away from the idea of a love story. Although of course the main conflict comes out of Merida’s betrothal, the focus of the film is on Merida’s relationship with her mother and how important that connection between them is. The design in this film is also something I love because again neither Eleanor nor Merida are sexualised and the costume designs of all the characters are incredible (although I may be biased because of my Scottish heritage).
1. Klaus (2019)
Now this one doesn’t spark nostalgia because it came out only last year but this Christmas film is one of the best films I saw last year. Much like Rise of the Guardians, it’s difficult to reimagine a character that is done hundreds of times every year, but Klaus creates the myth of Santa in a way that is very tangible and probably close to the actual story of St Nicholas (however I am still waiting on a proper Turkish Santa). Klaus’ back story makes the audience care for him and the outcome of the story and all characters that are introduced are properly fleshed out and even those who aren’t important to the story become recognisable due to the unique style of animation and character design, which stick to the genetic truths of the races shown in the film. Overall, this story is incredibly wholesome and really pulls at the heart strings.
Sophias film blog 