The Best CGI Films in Recent Memory... And more

[Mynameisdean]

In my opinion, I feel Wall-E is the best movie Pixar has ever made, followed by pretty much everything else which is good as well, except for Cars 2, Brave, and Toy Story 3, which were actually not very good, and Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur which I haven't seen, although my sister said Inside Out was fantastic.

One of the main reasons Wall-E was so great was that it was definitely a standalone, with no sequel. It had a great plot, with many different parts to it, and it ended on a good note, and to make a Wall-E 2 would've been difficult, as who really needs to see the rebuilding of earth... But with a bunch of Fatsos... And no real storyline... So yeah, a nicely executed movie.

 

[D'Snowth]

BRAVE was pretty good, but it had poor timing: being released so soon after DreamWorks released HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON made it feel like Pixar was trying to top DW with a similar movie, and in fact, that critique of mine was actually spoofed somewhat in this comic:
http://idget.comicgenesis.com/d/20120101.html

I thought TOY STORY 3 was wonderful: it was a very heartwarming, heartfelt, and bittersweet conclusion to the saga, and it was great they brought back all of the original actors for the voices after all those years (with the sad exception of Jim Varney, obviously, though Blake Clark was actually a buddy of Varney's, so that helped).

It didn't even occur to me, but you're right, WALL*E was a standalone feature makes it all the more special. I supposed the same can be said for RATATOUILLE - even though I'd love to see more Pixar movies headed by Brad Bird (and it looks like we'll get that chance with THE INCREDIBLES sequel), I can't imagine how a follow-up to that story would work. Likewise, I'm a little leary about FINDING DORY: on the one hand, I loved FINDING NEMO, and it's hard to deny that Dory stole the show, but on the other hand, that's just it, Dory stole the show as a supporting character . . . can she really carry a whole movie as the main focus rather than a tagalong? Ditto for her short-term memory?

 

[Drtooth]

BRAVE was pretty good, but it had poor timing: being released so soon after DreamWorks released HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON made it feel like Pixar was trying to top DW with a similar movie, and in fact, that critique of mine was actually spoofed somewhat in this comic:
http://idget.comicgenesis.com/d/20120101.html

Brave suffered from behind the scenes problems and having its original director pushed out of the project. It felt uneven. I respect what they were trying to do and I enjoyed it. I especially like how much they did to subvert every princess movie and some of the "Well Done Son" (in this case, daughter) style tropes. Plus, it's great to have a teenage princess in a Disney film not look like a 20 year old fashion plate but rather a real human being. Seriously? Pocahontas was like what, 14 when the alleged story took place. It just felt that something was missing in the film. I don't know what, but it seems there should have been another few scenes to round the film out.

 

[Pig'sSaysAdios]

Seriously? Pocahontas was like what, 14 when the alleged story took place.

Even worse, she was twelve in real life and it's been said that they had a very older brother/younger sister type relationship.

 

[Mynameisdean]

BRAVE was pretty good, but it had poor timing: being released so soon after DreamWorks released HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON made it feel like Pixar was trying to top DW with a similar movie, and in fact, that critique of mine was actually spoofed somewhat in this comic:
http://idget.comicgenesis.com/d/20120101.html

I thought TOY STORY 3 was wonderful: it was a very heartwarming, heartfelt, and bittersweet conclusion to the saga, and it was great they brought back all of the original actors for the voices after all those years (with the sad exception of Jim Varney, obviously, though Blake Clark was actually a buddy of Varney's, so that helped).

It didn't even occur to me, but you're right, WALL*E was a standalone feature makes it all the more special. I supposed the same can be said for RATATOUILLE - even though I'd love to see more Pixar movies headed by Brad Bird (and it looks like we'll get that chance with THE INCREDIBLES sequel), I can't imagine how a follow-up to that story would work. Likewise, I'm a little leary about FINDING DORY: on the one hand, I loved FINDING NEMO, and it's hard to deny that Dory stole the show, but on the other hand, that's just it, Dory stole the show as a supporting character . . . can she really carry a whole movie as the main focus rather than a tagalong? Ditto for her short-term memory?

Oh yeah, Ratatouille. That was a great movie too. I remember some of the early trailers tried to make it look dark and edgy. Instead, it was a fun and adventurous cooking movie. The part with the dead chef in the sewer and the rest of the sewer scene was pretty cool. A underrated movie, but I still think Wall-E is supreme.
Also, about Dreamworks. What happened? Ever since Rise of The Guardians, they seem to make the okay not THAT edgy movies that gross below expectations.

 

[Drtooth]

Even worse, she was twelve in real life and it's been said that they had a very older brother/younger sister type relationship.

I knew it was either 12 or 14. And the film was to be a wacky adventurous romp with a John Candy voiced turkey, instead of the clumsy, preachy Oscar Bait wannabe it became. And that was at the insistence of the same guy who almost made Toy Story an unwatchable mess. Make of that what you will.

Also, about Dreamworks. What happened? Ever since Rise of The Guardians, they seem to make the okay not THAT edgy movies that gross below expectations.

Dreamworks is being too cautious, and that caution is their undoing. Rise of the Guardians didn't catch on because it was based on a series of book no one has heard of, but to be fair, were put back in print specifically for the movie. The DVD even comes with a flier on the inside advertising said books. Then again, ROTG has a cult fanbase, especially ones that really like Jack Frost. While I'd admit some of their films didn't perform well due to poor timing (look at Penguins of Madagascar the movie and HTTYD2, which should have been a slam dunk), they've been making Audience Alienating Premise type movies for a while now. Turbo was a pretty stupid concept, and it really didn't seem like something I'd enjoy but wound up liking anyway...even then it's for the voice cast sand animation carrying the film and the fact the animated series utilizes the concept better. Peabody and Sherman probably made the most money out of all the Jay Ward based films, but every one of them flopped, with Dudley Do-Right slamming the worst. Unless you count Boris and Natasha not even being released to theaters. And frankly, yeah. It's a terrible movie. I've heard kids were generally excited to see it, it just didn't translate to box office. Home was a domestic success, but I don't think it did well overseas. And the next thing they have is Trolls, which I still can't decide if it's going to be crap or not.

 

[Mynameisdean]

Dreamworks is being too cautious, and that caution is their undoing. Rise of the Guardians didn't catch on because it was based on a series of book no one has heard of, but to be fair, were put back in print specifically for the movie. The DVD even comes with a flier on the inside advertising said books. Then again, ROTG has a cult fanbase, especially ones that really like Jack Frost. While I'd admit some of their films didn't perform well due to poor timing (look at Penguins of Madagascar the movie and HTTYD2, which should have been a slam dunk), they've been making Audience Alienating Premise type movies for a while now. Turbo was a pretty stupid concept, and it really didn't seem like something I'd enjoy but wound up liking anyway...even then it's for the voice cast sand animation carrying the film and the fact the animated series utilizes the concept better. Peabody and Sherman probably made the most money out of all the Jay Ward based films, but every one of them flopped, with Dudley Do-Right slamming the worst. Unless you count Boris and Natasha not even being released to theaters. And frankly, yeah. It's a terrible movie. I've heard kids were generally excited to see it, it just didn't translate to box office. Home was a domestic success, but I don't think it did well overseas. And the next thing they have is Trolls, which I still can't decide if it's going to be crap or not.

That's strange. Dreamworks playing it safe could have to do with the fact that they have no real Franchise right now, and they are trying to find the safest, most "widely appealing" movies to make. Also, they really seem to want a Franchise, they do need one, the closest thing to a Franchise for them is a The Croods, which is getting a sequel. Was it really THAT successful to get a sequel? Because I remember the onslaught of commercials for it on Nick for a month that must have been part of a HUGE marketing expense. Also, if KFP is considered a franchise that is ongoing, good luck with doing more of those. Actually, they have HTTYD, so that must count, but that's kind of weak compared to Shrek and Madagascar, which WERE cash cows Check out the schedule for DreamWorks: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franch...d=dwanimation.htm&sort=date&order=DESC&p=.htm

 

[mr3urious]

I highly recommend the 2014 film The Prophet. It's about a mute little girl who befriends an exiled poet arrested for treason, while she and her mother help him escape to his home country. The animation of the main story is done in cel-shaded CG á la Feast (and is very well-done at that), but the gorgeous animation for the poetry and song segments are what really stand out. Each one is done by a different artist using different styles, including one by Bill Plympton. Liam Neeson and Salma Hayek (the latter of whom also produced this) are among the voice cast, as well.

 

[Luke kun]

Toonami has GREAT CGI during it's bumpers. I also have a crush on TOM. Sexy stuff.

 

[Colbynfriends]

Now, this may be controversial. I feel The Jungle Book (2016) was one of the best CGI films of recent years.
"But it's live action!"
Well, yes, but a good majority of the film was done in CG. Yes they looked Photo-realistic, but they hit that mark and above. It was SO believable. One of the best uses of CGI by far this decade in my opinion.