Animated Movie Guide

Going beyond the box-office hits of Disney and Dreamworks, this guide to every animated movie ever released in the United States covers more than 300 films over the course of nearly 80 years of film history. Well-known films such as Finding Nemo and Shrek are profiled and hundreds of other films, many of them rarely discussed, are analyzed, compared, and catalogued. The origin of the genre and what it takes to make a great animated feature are discussed, and the influence of Japanese animation, computer graphics, and stop-motion puppet techniques are brought into perspective. Every film analysis includes reviews, four-star ratings, background information, plot synopses, accurate running times, consumer tips, and MPAA ratings. Brief guides to made-for-TV movies, direct-to-video releases, foreign films that were never theatrically released in the U.S., and live-action films with significant animation round out the volume. Here, for the first time in print, is an accurate and complete guide to every animated movie ever released in the United States. This lavishly illustrated companion traces the origin of the art form, discusses what it takes to make a great animated feature, and guides the reader through all manner of hits and flops that make up this previously uncharted world. Every film listing includes reviews, four-star ratings, background information, plot synopses, accurate running times, consumer tips, and MPAA ratings. Disney's legendary output is fully represented, but hundreds of other films, many of them rarely discussed, are analyzed, compared, and catalogued. The book doesn't only cover classics such as Gulliver's Travels , Fritz the Cat , Yellow Submarine , and An American Tail , it also evaluates such recent hits such as Shrek , The Incredibles , The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie , and The Polar Express ; examines art-house movies such as Waking Life , Spirited Away , and The Triplets of Belleville ; and gives a clear perspective on the influence of Japanese animation, computer graphics, and stop-motion puppet techniques. Appendices include top-20 guides to made-for-TV movies, direct-to-video releases, foreign films that were never theatrically released in the United States, and live-action films with significant animation. The Animated Movie Guide is an entertaining overview for moviegoers of all ages, as well as an invaluable reference for film scholars, animators, cartoon enthusiasts, and video collectors.