So begins the first 2010s retrospective post.
Before I begin this lookback, I will let you know that the following films are those that I have seen (though not all because that would take too long), so no, I will not be discussing Avengers: Endgame, Toy Story 4, or other such films simply because I have not seen them. Also, these movies will be listed alphabetically and by release date. So without further ado, let's begin.
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A surprise success for Disney's live-action branch, making a billion dollars worldwide, Alice in Wonderland is a sequel to the original story by Lewis Carrol and is directed by Tim Burton. Many people panned this film likely because they compared it to the animated Disney version. But when judging it on its own, it's actually pretty alright. I like the designs for the characters, and the world of Wonderland actually being called Underland is a very Tim Burton-y thing. Can't say much for the sequel released a few years later. That was a waste of time.
Official rating: PG / My rating: 10+
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DreamWorks Animation starts the decade off strong with How to Train Your Dragon, a film based on the book series of the same name. In a similar vein to Shrek, the film takes liberties from its original source material. The flying scenes are some of the best animated sequences ever put on screen in my opinion, and the film does not contain any pop culture references, something that is usually present in DreamWorks films. While nowhere near as grand as other DreamWorks classics like The Prince of Egypt and Shrek, it definitely soars above their other mediocre works (*cough* Boss Baby *cough*).
Official rating: PG / My rating: 7+
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Disney's 50th animated film in their ever-expanding canon, Tangled is a great Disney princess film that draws inspiration from the fairy tale Rapunzel. The songs are great, the CGI is impressive, especially in regards to Rapunzel's hair, which I've heard was tough to animate, and the characters are endearing and worthy of Mickey Mouse's ears of approval. The film did so well that it even has its own TV series which is still ongoing as of this post.
Official rating: PG / My rating: 7+
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After over a decade since Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3 is the satisfying conclusion to a fantastic trilogy of Pixar films...at least it would have been if Toy Story 4 didn't happen. But anyway, I really enjoyed this movie. The villain was really well handled and the climax scene was tough to watch, but it was worth it afterwards seeing the toys given to another worthy owner after Andy. You've got a friend in me, Toy Story 3.
Official rating: G / My rating: 3+
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5. Winnie the Pooh (2011)
I am probably in the minority for saying this, but Winnie the Pooh is a Disney movie that I thoroughly enjoyed and one I believe is underrated. I am a big Pooh fan in general, so my opinion is a little biased, but I do recommend you watch this if only once. Story-wise it's generic for a Pooh plot, but the animation and character interactions are the film's strong points. Many of the voice actors are new to the Pooh universe since the old ones either died or retired, but I have no problem with the new editions to the cast, such as Tom Kenny voicing Rabbit. Unfortunately the film flopped in theaters, making a little more than its budget back, and it being released at the same time as the last Harry Potter movie didn't help. But as movies like The Iron Giant have taught us, a movie doing bad at the box office doesn't make it a bad movie.
Official rating: G / My rating: 3+
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Another win for Disney in the 2010s, Wreck-It Ralph is a great homage to retro video games and the art of Disney storytelling. It is nice seeing familiar faces like Sonic the Hedgehog for cameos, but what really sells this movie is its humor and heart. Vanellope von Schweetz has got to be one of my favorite characters in this, probably because she reminds me a lot of Mabel Pines from Gravity Falls. And the plot twist as to the identity of the villain was very clever.
Official rating: PG / My rating: 7+
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*sigh* I guess I'm obligated to mention this one. If Winnie the Pooh is Disney's underrated film this decade, then Frozen is the overrated opposite. It made over a billion dollars and is currently the highest grossing animated film of all time. Whether it truly deserves all the money and praise is another story. I will give it credit for subverting traditional Disney princess tropes and emphasizing a type of love that is not always shown in media, that being sisterly love, and the songs are passable, but its characterization leaves something to be desired, especially the film's treatment of Elsa. I would have preferred if the creators stuck to the original story of The Snow Queen and have Elsa with her army of snow monsters, but I digress. It says something when the concept art looks better than the final product.
Official rating: PG / My rating: 7+
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The first American version of Godzilla that actually gets it right, Legendary Pictures's Godzilla, while lacking in story and characters, impresses audiences with its special effects and the Toho monsters themselves, even if they don't have enough screentime. The anti-human sentiment is an unfortunate addition though, but I won't dwell on that since I've discussed that in my review of the 2019 sequel Godzilla: King of the Monsters. So if you like giant monsters and/or Godzilla, you'll have a heck of a time with this.
Official rating: PG-13 / My rating: 13+
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Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the same duo behind Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 2018's Spiderverse, give us a movie that is fun as it is heartfelt. The Lego Movie is a great watch even if you're not already obsessed with the Lego toys, and no, I was not compelled to buy some after watching this. The astronaut guy is my favorite with his off-the-wall personality. Unikitty is cool too; she was popular enough to have her own spinoff series. The animation is also really impressive; looking at the trailers I was convinced that it was done in stop-motion! It's actually CGI, but the frames per second were greatly reduced, giving it that stop-motion look to it. Overall, in the words of the theme song, everything is awesome!
Official rating: PG / My rating: 7+
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Continuing Hollywood's modern obsession with reboots and sequels, because screw making anything original anymore, Jurassic World proved to be a huge nostalgia ride for fans of the Jurassic Park series. As a sequel to the previous films, it's okay, but on its own it's pretty weak. I mean come on, you'd think after Jurassic Park failed the first time InGen would have learned that domesticating dinosaurs in a theme park was a bad idea. Oh well, at least Chris Pratt is decent in this. And Mr. DNA has a cameo!
Official rating: PG-13 / My rating: 10+
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Blue Sky Studios, whose work includes the Ice Age series, gives us a film that is a rare treat in modern cinema; a rehash of a pre-existing franchise that doesn't do it dirty and is very faithful to the source material. That fits the description of The Peanuts Movie, the first and so far only CGI adaptation of Charles Schultz's beloved Peanuts comics. Not only is this not modernized like other reboots are (no smartphones or modern pop songs present!), but the way the animation is done is very clever in its execution. It's clearly CGI, but the characters are "flat" in their appearance giving the visuals a 2D look. Also worth mentioning is that this is one of the few modern films that is rated G like 2011's Winnie the Pooh. Charles Schultz would be proud of this one.
Official rating: G / My rating: 3+
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Better than Frozen, hands down. Moana continues the Disney princess tradition by telling the story of a Polynesian princess who journeys across the ocean to return a mysterious stone to its rightful owner in order to save her people. Accompanying her on her journey are a dumb chicken named Hei Hei and the demigod Maui, voiced by the one and only Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. The first act feels like a reverse Little Mermaid (or the plot of The Little Mermaid II) as Moana wishes she could travel beyond the island while her chief father forbids her from doing so. The movie has great visuals especially in how the ocean is animated. The songs are nice as well. My favorite has to be Maui's "You're Welcome."
Official rating: PG / My rating: 7+
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A visually stunning anime film from Kyoto Animation (RIP to the animators who died in the studio fire a while back), A Silent Voice is a very touching story about forgiveness. The main character bullies a deaf girl in elementary school and years later realizes the error of his ways and tries to make up for it. I find it hilarious that one of the side characters happens to resemble Steven Universe from the show of the same name. Worth pointing out is that the voice actress who plays the deaf girl in the English dub is an actual deaf person, which gives the role some authenticity.
Official rating: NR / My rating: 10+
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A film commemorating over 20 years of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions is a direct sequel to the original manga series by Kazuki Takahashi set during the protagonists' senior year of high school. One should have at least a basic understanding of Yu-Gi-Oh! to truly appreciate it, whether it's through reading the manga or watching the first Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series. A more seasoned fan may notice that the villain looks more-or-less like Yusei Fudo from the third anime Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's. The English dub was gracious enough to have the original English cast from the hilariously censored 4Kids dub. Thankfully there is no censorship present here. While not the first movie based on the brand, this film is arguably the best one.
Official rating: PG / My rating: 7+
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Another Disney movie better than Frozen, hands down. Zootopia tells the story of a newly minted bunny cop (haha, get it?) named Judy Hopps who along with her fox sidekick Nick Wilde has to solve a case in which various predators are mysteriously reverting back to their primitive ways. This is a very effective allegory about prejudice. The mammals, both predators and prey, have learned to coexist, similar to how various human races have learned how to live together peacefully. When some of the predators become savage, the prey mammals become suspicious about all predators, causing civil unrest. This part of the film hits home for some groups of people who have been discriminated against due to bad things that a few of their own have done. I wonder what would have happened if this had been released back in the 1960s during the civil rights movement in America. It would have caused a stir in the same way that To Kill a Mockingbird did, most likely.
Official rating: PG / My rating: 7+
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My Little Pony: The Movie is a film that is based on the popular TV series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It takes place roughly after the events of the seventh season. Twilight Sparkle and her friends have to stop the Storm King from taking over Equestria. The animation is superb (made on Toon Boom Studio), much better than on the show, and the animation on there is great to begin with (Flash). The songs are also fine, but not as memorable as those in the series (except for "Rainbow" by Sia). If you're a fan of the show, I guarantee you'll enjoy this film. I personally consider this the finale of the show, since I don't want to acknowledge the existence of seasons eight and nine. But that's a discussion for another time.
Official rating: PG / My rating: 3+
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Best movie of 2018, and I can say this with a degree of certainty since I saw plenty of films that year. Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse is every bit as entertaining whether you're familiar with the Spider-Man mythos or not. Miles Morales is the main protagonist, and he teams up with other spider people from other dimensions to stop Kingpin from tearing a hole in the multiverse, thereby destroying the other universes. The animation is amazing to look at, and each spider person has a unique look, each representing different art styles such as film noir, anime, Looney Tunes, and others. As I mentioned before, this film is headed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller who manage to make yet another fun and heartfelt movie that will linger in your consciousness for a long while.
Official rating: PG / My rating: 7+
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18. Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus (2019)
Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus is a companion piece to the Invader Zim television series, the brainchild of Jhonen Vasquez who also created the comics Johnny the Homicidal Maniac and Squee! One does not need to know anything about the series to enjoy the movie. I found myself laughing hysterically at the jokes; one is a running gag about a piece of meat being a plot element. The animation is a step above the show's, and the story is just as zany and absurd as you would expect Invader Zim to be, cranked up to maximum. I feel like this film will introduce a new generation to the franchise, which may lead to a resurgence of the "scene" culture. Hot Topic better get ready. Gir wants his waffles.
Official rating: TV-Y7-FV / My rating: 7+
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19. Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019)
Gotta catch 'em all! Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is the first Hollywood film based on the Pokémon franchise, and dang is it a good one. Based on the video game of the same name, the movie feels kind of like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? in a way since it is a detective film and the setting is a world where humans and non-humans (Pokémon) live side by side. The Pokémon look amazing, which is no surprise since the character designer is a famous DeviantArt Pokémon artist. There is some actual emotion to this film, which is not something you'd expect from a movie like this. I've already discussed this movie in a previous post, so go ahead and read that for a more in-depth look.
Official rating: PG / My rating: 7+
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20. Steven Universe the Movie (2019)
The best movie of 2019 (in my opinion), Steven Universe the Movie takes place two years after the events of the Steven Universe TV series. Now 16, Steven faces a new threat to Beach City, and it is up to him and the rest of the Crystal Gems to save the day. The animation is phenomenal; some of the sequences are animated by Takafumi Hori who used to be on Studio Trigger and did some scenes in the series proper. And don't get me started on the songs. They were just fantastic as were the voice actors who sung them. The movie really reminded me a lot of old Disney movies, which makes me pine for a future in which 2D theatrical animation makes a comeback in America. The movie was the highest-rated premiere on Cartoon Network in two years, generating 1.5 million viewers in September. Overall, a great TV movie of a great cartoon.
Official rating: TV-PG-V / My rating: 10+
...And that was my lookback on significant films from the 2010s. Come back next time when I go over some prominent TV shows from this decade.
ADDENDUM (11/25/2019): Added ratings
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