#36

The Little Mermaid

Released: November 17, 1989

Runtime: 83 minutes

Rating: G

Animation Style: classic, hand-drawn traditional cel animation

Studio: Disney

The Little Mermaid is one of the iconic films in one of Disney’s greatest run of animation in history. It has some of Disney’s top songs ever in a film. Urusla has to be considered on a list of the best Disney villains too.

Voice cast: René Auberjonois, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Paddi Edwards, Buddy Hackett, Jason Marin, Kenneth Mars, Ben Wright, Will Ryan, Frank Welker, and Samuel E. Wright.

#37

Monsters Inc.

Released: November 2, 2001

Runtime: 93 minutes

Rating: G

Animation Style: 3D computer-generated imagery (CGI)

Studio: Pixar/Disney

One of the early classic Pixar movies that capitualized on two amazing voice performances from Billy Crystal and John Goodman.

Voice cast:  John Goodman, Billy Crystal, Steve Buscemi, James Coburn, Jennifer Tilly, Mary Gibbs, Bob Peterson, John Ratzenberger, Frank Oz, Bonnie Hunt, Jeff Pidgeon, Daniel Gerson, and Sam Black.

#38

Incredibles 2

Released: June 15, 2018

Runtime: 118 minutes

Rating: PG

Animation Style: retro-futuristic, mid-century modern graphic style combined with advanced computer graphics

Studio: Pixar/Disney

Incredibles 2 was a sequel to the iconic original that was great, but just a little underwhelming. When your first movie is so amazingly received, the sequel has a long way to go to be as good. While this is not as good as the first one, it is still a highly entertaining film with the Parr family front and center, and a hilarious fight between Jack Jack and a racoon.

Voice cast:  Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Vowell,  Samuel L. Jackson, Huck Milner, Bob Odenkirk, Catherine Keener,  Jonathan Banks, Brad Bird, Sophia Bush, Phil LaMarr, Paul Eiding, Isabella Rossellini, John Ratzenberger, Barry Bostwick, Jere Burns, Adam Rodriguez, Adam Gates, Kimberly Adair Clark, and Usher.

#39

Hunchback of Notre Dame

Released: June 21, 1996

Runtime: 91 minutes

Rating: G

Animation Style: blends traditional 2D hand-drawn characters with early computer-generated imagery (CGI)

Studio: Disney

Hunchback of Notre Dame is an underrated classic from Disney that did not reach the levels of some of the Disney films of the time, but was every bit as great. There were some great songs and they truly have one of the most sinister villains in Judge Claude Frollo. I was also shocked when I looked up the rating of the movie, which was G, as this was one of the darker installments in the Disney Vault.

Voice cast:  Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Tony Jay, Kevin Kline, Jason Alexander, Charles Kimbrough,  Mary Wickes, Paul Kandel, David Ogden Stiers, Corey Burton, and Bill Fagerbakke.

#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.