#40

Frankenweenie

Released: October 5, 2012

Runtime: 87 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: hand-crafted stop-motion animation

Studio: Disney & Tim Burton Productions

The classic tale of a boy and his dog, which dies and is reanimated by the boy. Frankenweenie was a charming, heart-felt take on the Frankenstein creature and the beautiful black and white makes it feel like one of the old Universal Monsters films.

Voice cast: Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Winona Ryder, Robert Capron, James Hiroyuki Liao, Conchata Ferrell, and Tom Kenny.

#41

Shrek 2

Released: May 19, 2004

Runtime: 93 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: computer-generated (CG) 3D animation

Studio: DreamWorks

This the sequel to the classic original and it brings us the debut of Puss In Boots!

Voice cast:  Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy,  Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Rupert Everett,  Jennifer Saunders, Larry King, Aron Warner, Cody Cameron, Christopher Knights, Simon J. Smith, Chris Miller, Mark Moseley, and  Conrad Vernon.

#42

Kung Fu Panda 3

Released: January 29, 2016

Runtime: 95 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: 3D CGI animation style blended with traditional Chinese painterly aesthetics, ink wash techniques, and hand-drawn 2D sequences

Studio: DreamWorks Animation

Voice Cast:   Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong, Jackie Chan,  Jean-Claude Van Damme, Randall Duk Kim,  Bryan Cranston, J. K. Simmons and Kate Hudson

#43

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Released: November 21, 2018

Run time: 112 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: 3D computer-animatd style

Studio: Disney

A sequel thast took the original characters and expanded the world even further than the original did. It focused in on the theme of friendship, particularly between Ralph and Vanellope.

Voice cast: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch,  Ed O’Neill, Gal Gadot, Taraji P. Henson, Alfred Molina, Alan Tudyk,  Pamela Ribon, Jennifer Hale,  Kate Higgins, Roger Craig Smith, Maurice LaMarche, Brad Garrett, Corey Burton, Anthony Daniels, Vin Diesel,  Tim Allen, Melissa Villaseñor, Bill Hader, and John DiMaggio.

#44

Zootopia 2

Released: November 26, 2025

Runtime: 107 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: 3D computer-generated (CG)

Studio: Disney

Zootopia 2 was a sequel to a surprise hit from a few years ago that absolutely took off, making over a billion dollars at the box office. The Zebros were a hit in the film, voiced by WWE Superstars CM Punk and Roman Reigns.

Voice cast:  Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Shakira, Idris Elba, Alan Tudyk, Nate Torrence, Don Lake, Bonnie Hunt, Jenny Slate,  Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Patrick Warburton, Quinta Brunson, Danny Trejo, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Michelle Gomez, David Fane, Stephanie Beatriz, Wilmer Valderrama, Jean Reno, Macaulay Culkin, Brenda Song, John Leguizamo, Tiny Lister, Maurice LaMarche, Raymond S. Persi, June Squibb, Jenny Slate, Josh Dallas, Auli’i Cravalho, Blake Slatkin, Bob Iger, Tig Notaro, Nick DiGiovanni, Ed Sheeran, Yvette Nicole Brown, Michael J. Fox, Josh Gad, Robert Irwin, Tommy Chong, Dwayne Johnson, Mario Lopez, and Anika Noni Rose.

#45

The Wild Robot

Released: September 27, 2024

Runtime: 102 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: hand-painted, illustrative CGI style

Studio: DreamWorks Animation

The Wild Robot is a beautifully written, shot and produced animated movies and was one of the top films overall in 2024. I had it as the #6 of the EYG top 30 for the year.

Voice cast:  Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Matt Berry, Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, and Matt Berry.

#46

Mitchells vs. the Machines

Released: April 30, 2021

Runtime: 1 hour 54 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: a hybrid blend of 3D computer animation and hand-drawn 2D elements

Studio: Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation

One of the biggest hits on Netflix that was also one of the biggest surprises of recent memory. This was a great story and a beautifully animated film.

Voice cast:  Danny McBride, Abbi Jacobson, Maya Rudolph, Rianda, Eric André,  Olivia Colman, Mike Rianda, Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Lo Mutuc, Blake Griffin, Conan O’Brien, and Doug the Pug.

#47

Teen Titans Go to the Movies

Released: July 27, 2018

Runtime: 1 hour 24 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: bright, flat, 2D digital chibi art style

Studio: Warner Brothers Animation and DC Entertainment

I was never a big fan of the animated TV series this movie was based on, but I still gave the film a chance. I had so much fun and was so entertained that I was very surprised. The Manga style always felt so over-the-top, but it truly worked here.

Voice cast:  Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Tara Strong, Hynden Walch, Will Arnett, Kristen Bell, Jimmy Kimmel, Eric Bauza, Nicolas Cage, Greg Davies, Joey Cappabianca, John DiMaggio, Halsey, David Kaye, Stan Lee, Vamnessa Marshall, Phil Morris, Patton Oswalt, Alexander Polinsky, Meredith Salenger, Fred Tatascoire, Dave Stone, James Arnold Taylor, Whil Wheaton, and Lil Yachty.

#48

Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Released: June 15, 2001

Runtime: 95 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: Combines traditional 2D hand-drawn animation with 3D computer-generated vehicles, machinery, and crystal energy effects

Studio: Disney

One of the most underrated Disney movie of all time. Atlantis: The Lost Empire is a classic, with animation features a distinct graphic style heavily inspired by comic book artist Mike Mignola.

Voice cast: Michael J. Fox, James Garner, Cree Summer, Don Novello, Phil Morris, Claudia Christian, Jacqueline Obradors, Florence Stanley, David Ogden Stiers, John Mahoney, Jim Varney, Corey Burton and Leonard Nimoy

#49

Meet the Robinsons

Released: March 30, 2007

Runtime: 95 minutes

Rating: G

Animation Style: stylized, caricature-heavy 3D CG

Studio: Disney

Meet the Robinsons is one of those fun, comedic films that kind of gets lost. Has one of my absolutely fsvorite sight gags with the T-Rex involved in the chase stopping to be upset over his short arms.

Voice cast: Daniel Hansen, Jordan Fry, Wesley Singerman, Angela Bassett, Tom Selleck, Harland Williams, Laurie Metcalf, Nicole Sullivan, Adam West, Ethan Sandler, Tom Kenny, Don Hall, Paul Butcher, Aurian Redson, Joe Mateo, and Stephen Anderson.

#50

Moana

Released: November 23, 2016

Runtime: 107 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: 3D computer-animated style

Studio: Disney

See the line where the sky meets the sea? It calls me.

The original Moana was a wonderful, breath of fresh air and it featured some of the best music, written by EYG Hall of Famer Lin-manuel Miranda. The song How Far I’ll Go is a masterpiece. The sequel and live action remake could not recapture the magic of this film.

Voice Cast:  Dwayne Johnson, Auliʻi Cravalho, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk, Oscar Kightley, Troy Polamalu, and Puanani Cravalho.

#51

Castle in the Sky

Released: August 2, 1986

Runtime: 124 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: traditional hand-drawn cel animation style paired with rich, hand-painted watercolor and gouache backgrounds

Studio: Studio Ghibli

Voice cast: James Van Der Beek, Anna Paquin, Cloris Leachman, Mark Hamill, Jim Cummings, Richard Dysart, John Hostetter, Michael McShane, Andy Dick, Mandy Patinkin, Tress MacNeille, and Debi Derryberry.

#52

Batman: Under the Red Hood

Released: July 27, 2010

Runtime: 75 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Animation Style: 2D traditional anime-influenced style

Studio: Warner Brothers and The Answer Studio

The DC Animation has had its moments as some of the best straight to video films ever and this takes a classic comic storyline and put it on the screen.

Voice cast:  Bruce Greenwood, Jensen Ackles, John DiMaggio, Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Isaacs, Wade Williams, Jim Piddock, Gary Cole, Carlos Alazraqui, Robert Clotworthy, Brian George, Kelly Hu, Phil LaMarr, Kevin Michael Richardson, Dwight Schultz, Fred Tatasciore, and Bruce Timm.

#53

Mr. Peabody and Sherman

Released: March 7, 2014

Runtime: 92 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: 3D computer-generated (CGI)

Studio: DreamWorks

I was a fan of Mr. Peabody and Sherman from the Rocky and Friends Show. The Wayback Machine was one of my earliest examples of time travel. I really enjoyed the DreamWorks movie, though in retrospect, I do not think it was as great as I was first saw. Nostalgia hit me hard, but I did still enjoy this comedy.

Voice Cast: Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Ariel Winter, Stephen Colbert, Leslie Mann,  Allison Janney, Stephen Tobolowsky, Stanley Tucci, Adam Alexi-Malle, Patrick Warburton, Zach Callison, Steve Valentine, Dennis Haysbert, Karan Brar, Leila Birch, Joshua Rush, and Thomas Lennon.

Steve Valentine as Ay, King Tut’s Vizier.Leila Birch as the WABAC^[19]

#54

Hercules

Released: June 27, 1997

Runtime: 92 minutes

Rating: G

Animation Style: 2D hand-drawn animation with CGI integration

Studio: Disney

Hercules came out near the end of the golden era of Disney’s return that had seen releases like Lion King, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. It may not have reached the level of those films, but it has its own levels of success.

Voice cast:  Tate Donovan, Danny DeVito, James Woods, Susan Egan, Rip Torn, Samantha Eggar, Lillias White, Cheryl Freeman, LaChanze, Roz Ryan, Vaneese Thomas, Bobcat Goldthwait, Matt Frewer, Hal Holbrook, Barbara Barrie, Paul Shaffer,  Jim Cummings, Wayne Knight, Keith David, Frank Welker, and Charlton Heston.