MRQE Ranks: Cinema's 50 Best CGI-Animated Movies

1

Toy Story (1995)

Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn

Director: John Lasseter

Synopsis: Toy Story was the first feature-length film animated entirely by computer. If this seems to be a sterile, mechanical means of moviemaking, be assur... [MORE]

2

Toy Story 3 (2010)

Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, Don Rickles

Director: Lee Unkrich

Synopsis: Pixar returns to their first success with Toy Story 3. The movie begins with Andy leaving for college and donating his beloved toys -- including Wo... [MORE]

3

Toy Story 2 (1999)

Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles

Director: Ash Brannon, John Lasseter, Lee Unkrich

Writer: Ash Brannon, John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton

Synopsis: Woody the Cowboy, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of their friends from the toy box return in this computer-animated sequel to the 1995 hit Toy Story.... [MORE]

4

Up (2009)

Cast: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo

Director: Pete Docter, Bob Peterson

Synopsis: A feisty septuagenarian teams with a fearless wilderness ranger to do battle with a vicious band of beasts and villains in this computer-animated a... [MORE]

5

WALL·E (2008)

Cast: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy

Director: Andrew Stanton

Writer: Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton

Synopsis: Disney and Pixar join forces for this computer-animated tale about a wide-eyed robot who travels to the deepest reaches of outer space in search of... [MORE]

6

The Incredibles (2004)

Director: Brad Bird

Writer: Brad Bird

7

Finding Nemo (2003)

Director: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich

Synopsis: Andrew Stanton, who helped write Toy Story and Monsters, Inc., co-wrote and directed this computer-animated comedy-adventure about finding a very s... [MORE]

8

Ratatouille (2007)

Director: Brad Bird

Synopsis: A scrawny rat named Remy (voice of Patton Oswalt) finds his dreams of culinary superstardom stirring up sizable controversy in the kitchen of a fin... [MORE]

9

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

Director: Peter Docter, David Silverman, Lee Unkrich

10

A Bug's Life (1998)

Director: John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton

Synopsis: John Lasseter, director of Pixar's movie phenomenon Toy Story, has set new standards in computer animation with this effort, another Disney-release... [MORE]

11

Shrek (2001)

Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow, Vincent Cassel

Director: Vicky Jenson, Andrew Adamson

Synopsis: In this fully computer-animated fantasy from the creators of Antz, we follow the travails of Shrek (Mike Myers), a green ogre who enjoys a life of ... [MORE]

12

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Director: Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois

Synopsis: The son of a Viking chief must capture a dragon in order to mark his passage into manhood and prove his worthiness to the tribe in directors Chris ... [MORE]

13

Antz (1998)

Director: Eric Darnell, Tim Johnson

Synopsis: DreamWorks and Pacific Data Images collaborated on this all computer-animated comedy-adventure about the ant angst of misfit worker ant, Z (voice o... [MORE]

14

Avatar (2009)

Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez

Director: James Cameron

Synopsis: A paraplegic ex-marine finds a new life on the distant planet of Pandora, only to find himself battling humankind alongside the planet's indigenous... [MORE]

15

Shrek 2 (2004)

Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Julie Andrews, Antonio Banderas

Director: Conrad Vernon, Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury

Synopsis: The cranky beast with a heart of gold returns to the big screen in this sequel to the computer-animated smash hit Shrek. After massive green ogre S... [MORE]

16

Azur et Asmar (2006)

Director: Michel Ocelot

17

Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Director: John Stevenson, Mark Osborne

Synopsis: A clumsy panda bear becomes an unlikely kung fu hero when a treacherous enemy spreads chaos throughout the countryside in this animated martial art... [MORE]

18

Tangled (2010/I)

Cast: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy, Ron Perlman, Jeffrey Tambor

Director: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard

Synopsis: The classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale gets a lavish CG makeover as directors Byron Howard and Nathan Greno team up to tell the tale of a fair-haire... [MORE]

19

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009)

Director: Christopher Miller, Phil Lord

Synopsis: Inspired by Ron and Judi Barrett's beloved children's book of the same name, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs follows inventor Flint Lockwood (voi... [MORE]

20

Monster House (2006)

Director: Gil Kenan

Synopsis: A suburban home has become physically animated by a vengeful human soul looking to stir up trouble from beyond the grave, and it's up to three adve... [MORE]

21

Cars (2006)

Director: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft

Synopsis: A pedal-to-the-metal race car determined to prove his worth on the tracks discovers that life isn't always about crossing the finish line first in ... [MORE]

22

Bolt (2008)

Cast: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell

Director: Byron Howard, Chris Williams

Synopsis: From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes Bolt, the tale of a superstar TV pup (voiced by John Travolta) who gets plopped in the middle of America w... [MORE]

24

Flushed Away (2006)

Director: David Bowers, Sam Fell

Writer: Sam Fell, Peter Lord, Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais

Synopsis: A previously pampered society mouse must fight his way back to the comforts of Kensington after he is sent spiraling into an underground world fill... [MORE]

25

The Polar Express (2004)

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Synopsis: Directed by Robert Zemeckis and based on children's author Chris Van Allsburg's modern holiday classic of the same name, The Polar Express revolves... [MORE]

26

Despicable Me (2010)

Cast: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett

Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud

Synopsis: A mysterious criminal mastermind has stolen one of the pyramids in Egypt, sparking a fit of jealous envy in evil genius Gru (Steve Carell), who has... [MORE]

27

Happy Feet (2006)

Director: George Miller, Warren Coleman, Judy Morris

Synopsis: In the world of the emperor penguin, a simple song can mean the difference between a lifetime of happiness and an eternity of loneliness. When a pe... [MORE]

28

Over the Hedge (2006)

Director: Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick

Synopsis: A group of feisty forest critters awaken following the winter freeze to discover that not only has a new neighborhood cropped up during the cold mo... [MORE]

29

Ice Age (2002)

Director: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha

Synopsis: A team of "sub-zero heroes" band together to save a human infant in this digitally animated feature from Oscar-winning director Chris Wedge, whose ... [MORE]

30

Surf's Up (2007)

Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, James Woods

Director: Ash Brannon, Chris Buck

Writer: Shia LaBeouf

Synopsis: A surfing penguin currently riding the wave of success enters his first professional competition in this computer-animated family-oriented comedy f... [MORE]

31

Beowulf (2007)

Cast: Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, John Malkovich, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Synopsis: Inspired by the epic Old English poem of the same name, director Robert Zemeckis's digitally rendered film follows the Scandinavian hero Beowulf (R... [MORE]

32

Meet the Robinsons (2007)

Director: Stephen J. Anderson

Synopsis: An orphan who dreams of someday finding a family to call his own finds his fate taking an unexpected turn when a mysterious stranger named Wilbur R... [MORE]

33

Megamind (2010)

Cast: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross

Director: Tom McGrath

34

Monsters vs Aliens (2009)

Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Seth Rogen, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland

Director: Rob Letterman, Conrad Vernon

Synopsis: When human-hating aliens disrupt earthbound cable-television signals, it's up to a monster-hunting superhero to take out the pesky extraterrestrial... [MORE]

35

Robots (2005)

Director: Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha

Synopsis: For this follow-up to their mega-hit Ice Age, directors Carlos Saldanha and Chris Wedge team with the screenwriting duo behind Parenthood and City ... [MORE]

37

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)

Director: Hironobu Sakaguchi, Motonori Sakakibara, Jack Fletcher

Synopsis: The first feature-length motion picture to use computer-generated imagery to create not only effects, props, and environments but also the human ca... [MORE]

38

The Tale of Despereaux (2008)

Director: Rob Stevenhagen, Sam Fell

Synopsis: A diminutive mouse strives to make a mammoth change in his troubled kingdom in this adaptation of author Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal-winning chi... [MORE]

39

Shrek Forever After (2010)

Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews

Director: Mike Mitchell

Synopsis: A domesticated Shrek hatches a plan to recapture his mojo and discovers what life in Far Far Away land would have been like had he never existed in... [MORE]

40

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001)

Director: John A. Davis

Writer: Debi Derryberry

Synopsis: This animated feature from Nickelodeon is the story of ten-year-old genius inventor Jimmy Neutron, whose penchant for gadget-creation gets him and ... [MORE]

41

Madagascar (2005)

Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath

Synopsis: A pack of not-so-wild animals experience some serious culture shock when they move from the Big Apple to the Mighty Jungle in this computer-animate... [MORE]

42

9 (2009/I)

Director: Shane Acker

Synopsis: Academy Award-nominated for his groundbreaking animated short of the same name, filmmaker Shane Acker makes his feature directorial debut with this... [MORE]

43

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)

Director: Zack Snyder

Synopsis: Director Zack Snyder teams with screenwriters John Collee and John Orloff to adapt author Kathryn Lasky's popular series of children's books about ... [MORE]

45

Vexille (2007)

Director: Fumihiko Sori

Synopsis: Ten years after Japan withdrew from the U.N., cut their ties with all the nations of the Earth, and built an impenetrable electromagnetic field to ... [MORE]

46

Astro Boy (2009)

Director: David Bowers

Synopsis: A young robot with incredible powers, super strength, and the purest spirit on the planet discovers the joys of being human while embarking on a wo... [MORE]

47

The Ant Bully (2006)

Director: John A. Davis

Synopsis: A kid who hates ants finds himself living among the six-legged critters in this computer-animated comedy-adventure. Lucas Nickle (voice of Zach Tyl... [MORE]

48

Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)

Director: Kelly Asbury

Synopsis: The animated tale Gnomeo & Juliet knowingly follows the quintessential star-crossed lovers tragedy +Romeo and Juliet, with the unexpected twist of ... [MORE]

49

Terra (2007)

Director: Aristomenis Tsirbas

Synopsis: When the peaceful inhabitants of the planet Terra come under attack from humans in search of a new home, the friendship between a human pilot and a... [MORE]

50

Bee Movie (2007)

Director: Simon J. Smith, Steve Hickner

Synopsis: Barry B. Benson (voice of Jerry Seinfeld) is your average honeybee. Despite having recently received his diploma from bee college and being virtual... [MORE]