Listmania!
An inadequate list of great Animation (Little Anime bias!)
Princess Mononoke (Special Edition) [DVD]Princess Mononoke (Special Edition) [DVD]
Buy new: £6.98 / Used from: £4.69
A beautiful and powerful introduction to Hayao Miyazaki's work. A brilliant action adventure with a strong environmentalist core.
Grave Of The Fireflies [DVD] [1988]Grave Of The Fireflies [DVD] [1988]
Buy new: £6.88 / Used from: £4.17
An acclaimed and deeply moving war film, sometimes described as Animation's Schindler, and not without reason. Easily Isao Takahata's greatest work, and among Ghibli's greatest.
The Lion King (2 Disc Special Edition) [1994] [DVD]The Lion King (2 Disc Special Edition) [1994] [DVD]
Buy used from: £49.95
A wonderfully composed, energetic musical animation with so many memorable set-pieces and songs. A must in the collecton of any film fan. Shame it's currently in the Disney vault.
Monsters Inc. [2002] [DVD]Monsters Inc. [2002] [DVD]
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £4.48
Brilliant fun, full of the originality and inventiveness that sets Pixar apart. Sadly, the current DVD releases fail to do it justice.
Little Mermaid (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [1989]Little Mermaid (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [1989] by Walt Disney
Buy used from: £14.99
Blessed with some of the catchiest songs in Disney's history, The Little Mermaid revived Disney with its simple but endearing fairy-tale plot. Have had many a great night in with this DVD.
Finding Nemo (2 Disc Collector's Edition) [2003] [DVD]Finding Nemo (2 Disc Collector's Edition) [2003] [DVD]
Buy new: £6.78 / Used from: £4.44
Stunning, stylish CGI animation with a heartwarming story and some great comedy moments.
Kiki's Delivery Service [DVD]Kiki's Delivery Service [DVD]
Buy new: £6.98 / Used from: £4.69
Beautiful and good fun. May be too sugary sweet and girlish for some, but give it a chance and you'll find it to be one of Miyazaki's best.
The Incredibles (2-disc Collector's Edition) [DVD] [2004]The Incredibles (2-disc Collector's Edition) [DVD] [2004]
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £3.00
A brilliant send-up of Superhero comic books that manages to flesh itself out to become far deeper than the stuff it sends up. Acutely directed, a very artistically composed 3D film.
The Simpsons - Season 6  [DVD]The Simpsons - Season 6 [DVD]
Buy new: £14.28 / Used from: £9.50
Whilst many feel it has over-stayed its welcome, there is no question that at its height, the Simpsons is a classic of 20th/21st century comedy. Iconic characters / episodes have shaped a generation.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut [DVD] [1999]South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut [DVD] [1999]
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £1.74
A hell of a lot more clever than you would expect. Whilst the animation is hardly stunning, it is valuable as a send up of many more straight-laced animation productions. Anarchic and Brilliant
Peter Pan (2 Disc Special Edition) [1953] [DVD]Peter Pan (2 Disc Special Edition) [1953] [DVD] by Peter Pan
Buy used from: £25.00
A great adaptation of Barrie's stories and plays, has some of early Disney's most likeable characters. Captain Hook in particular is a blast, a wonderfully exaggerated caricature. Solid songs too.
Alice In Wonderland (Special Edition) [DVD] [1951]Alice In Wonderland (Special Edition) [DVD] [1951]
Buy used from: £14.95
A little too episodic perhaps, but this animated Alice plays beautifully to the strengths of the animated medium and does justice to everything it takes from the source material.
Futurama: Season 2 [DVD]Futurama: Season 2 [DVD]
Buy new: £13.48 / Used from: £7.98
Shamefully cancelled, Futurama is solid comedy gold throughout. Never quite as brilliant as the iconic Simpsons, it never quite scrapes the barrels that the Simpsons does either
Tokyo Godfathers [DVD] [2003]Tokyo Godfathers [DVD] [2003]
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £2.25
A heartwarming and entertaining Christmas story with the three most unlikely - yet likeable - hero(ines) imaginable.
Whisper Of The Heart [DVD]Whisper Of The Heart [DVD]
Buy new: £6.98 / Used from: £4.19
Often overlooked among the Ghibli canon, a simple, romantic and hugely endearing love-story. Often marketed on the "strength" of its short fantasy section, it will surprise you for other reasons.
Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: Chapter 1 [DVD] [2005] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam: Chapter 1 [DVD] [2005] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]
Buy used from: £14.95
Brilliant if dated Sci-Fi. Reasonably mature for a mecha anime, it sucks you in and keeps you immensely entertained. Sadly not available on UK Region 2 DVD, one can only hope that Beez will release it
Spirited Away [DVD]Spirited Away [DVD]
Buy new: £6.98 / Used from: £4.49
Single handedly responsible for bringing Ghibli to the popularity is has now achieved, Spirited Away is completely enchanting if a little slow paced and over-long. Absolutely stunning animation.
Paranoia Agent Vol.1-4 [DVD]Paranoia Agent Vol.1-4 [DVD]
Buy used from: £29.75
A strange look at Japanese social psychology and hysteria. Very interesting though occasionally opaque.
Aladdin (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [1993]Aladdin (2 Disc Special Edition) [DVD] [1993]
Buy used from: £8.99
Though the plot rushes a little, Robin Williams' Genie is a master-stroke and electrifies every brilliant scene he is in. A solid Ani-Musical, though in the Disney Vault for now.
Dumbo (Special Edition) [1941] [DVD]Dumbo (Special Edition) [1941] [DVD]
Buy used from: £19.45
Short and oh so sweet. The Pink Elephants On Parade sequence alone contains several times more imagination than most modern animated feature films.
Escaflowne - Collection 1 [DVD]Escaflowne - Collection 1 [DVD]
Buy new: £17.98 / Used from: £29.98
A genre oddity, treading lines between Female/Male interest and Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Escaflowne is among the most commendable of Anime TV. Gripping and Entertaining.
Castle Of Cagliostro [DVD]Castle Of Cagliostro [DVD]
Buy new: £7.88 / Used from: £7.00
A straightforward, very fun action anime likened to James Bond. Solidified Hayao Miyazaki's reputation.
Ghost In The Shell - Stand Alone Complex - SAC 2nd GIG - Complete Collection [2005] [DVD]Ghost In The Shell - Stand Alone Complex - SAC 2nd GIG - Complete Collection [2005] [DVD] by Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
Buy new: £19.98
Whilst the philosophising of the movies is still present, the series is not nearly as dry (and unwatchable) and it shows a more human side to its protagonist. Plenty of twists and turns, great anime.
Millennium Actress [DVD]Millennium Actress [DVD]
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £2.95
Satoshi Kon's most placcid work, it does interesting things with human psychology and tells a wonderful and inspiring story of life and love.
Howl's Moving Castle [DVD] [2005]Howl's Moving Castle [DVD] [2005]
Buy new: £7.88 / Used from: £5.99
The current pinnacle of cell animated visual achievment (the titular castle looks amazing), the story has a few odd and poorly explained elements that bring it down.