Finals week is coming up! And you know what that means? Time to study! No, but really …time to take a break and marathon a few animated classics. At least, that’s what I’ll be doing. I’ve compiled a list of underrated animated movies I loved as a kid and still love to this day! Instead of starting your sixth essay this week, take a walk down memory lane and watch one of these old favorites.
The Swan Princess
This is my all-time favorite animated movie, so I may be biased. But, come on! It’s iconic. The song numbers are hilarious and catchy as hell, the princess saves herself without the use of a human body and there’s a talking French frog! What more could you want in a movie?
Anastasia
I think just about everyone loves this movie, but it’s never mentioned when discussing classic films. Maybe because it’s forgotten? Maybe because it’s not Disney? Whatever the reason, take a minute (or ninety-four, to be exact) to enjoy this amazing production about a duchess with amnesia who falls in love with a con man.
The Black Cauldron
It’s honestly a constant disappointment to me how many people haven’t seen this film. It’s such a classic! It may be a little dark and creepy, but if you watch this film, you will not regret it. Just don’t ingest any mind-altering drugs before you click play, or do. Who am I to judge?
Treasure Planet
Everyone loves Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but did you know he voiced a young Jim Hawkins in this intergalactic adventure? Accompanied by a robot sidekick and his hoverboard, Jim takes on space pirates as he races to discover the legendary, Treasure Planet. Come for Gordon-Levitt and stay for the gorgeous space animation and complex relationships. Check it out here.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Remember this movie? About the explorer who joins forces with a wacky group of people to find the lost city of Atlantis? Even if you haven’t though, you should take a second to watch it. This is one of the most diverse films of the early 2000s, especially for Disney animation. So if you want a movie that’s not about whiney white-men, give this one a try!
Thumbelina
If the songs weren’t reason enough to watch this underrated classic about a thumb-sized heroine and her search for home, then I don’t know what to tell you. Except maybe that it also features a family of circus toads, a villainous beetle and an old mole who just wants to be loved. This movie is strange, especially from an older perspective, but it’s very endearing and has everything you could ever hope for in a movie about a tiny woman.
Meet the Robinsons
I love this movie and I cannot express that enough. It is one of the most quotable animated films I’ve ever seen. From the dinosaur saying, “I have a big head and little arms. I’m just not sure how well this plan was thought through,” to the infamous Robinson motto, “Keep Moving Forward.” It’s all about family, science and a lot of time travel. Please watch this movie, I’m literally begging you.
The Great Mouse Detective
Sherlock Holmes is a mouse. Do I need to continue? I feel like that’s enough of a log line to sell this movie. A mouse girl’s father is kidnapped so she takes it on herself to get help. Enter Basil of Baker Street and his trusty sidekick, Dawson. The group finds themselves hunting down an evil rat and encountering a cat or two along the way.
James and the Giant Peach
A surrealist fantasy dream that you just can’t wake up from, but you also can’t stop watching. As you shouldn’t. James and the Giant Peach has everything you could ever ask for: a giant peach, talking bugs who treat James like family and stop-motion animation. It asks the age-old question: Are these giant people-sized bugs or is James a tiny bug-sized person? As James and his new bug family roll their way to New York, you’ll find yourself thinking, wow. I wish I were also in a giant peach with bugs.
FernGully: The Last Rainforest
Robin Williams is a genius in this underrated classic about a group of fairies facing off against deforestation. Magic and environmental awareness go hand in hand in this classic animated film about fighting for what’s right.
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Studio Ghibli is applauded for such films as Howl’s Moving Castle and My Neighbor Totoro. However, no one seems to remember the cutest film they’ve ever created, Kiki’s Delivery Service. In this heartwarming Japanese film, a young witch starts up a courier service to help out the public.
Brother Bear
This movie is about a young Inuit boy who disrespects his culture and is taught a lesson by getting turned into a bear! It’s culturally diverse and showcases familial relationships, as well as the importance of the people/creatures in your life. It sounds silly, because the protagonist is a bear, but it’s one of the cutest movies on this list and it features very important topics.
So if you’re bored of studying, pretending to study, or just doing nothing in general, head on over to Netflix (or whichever movie-watching site you use) and check out one of these old classics! They’re all fun, strange and endearing in their own special ways.