Oliver & Company (1988)
Aug 5, 2002Disney Animation/Talking Animals
One of the more forgettable Disney animated film of the 1970s/80s lull, this draws heavily on Lady and the Tramp for a talking animals retelling of Oliver Twist
Cheech Marin
Ferngully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
Apr 4, 2010Environmentally Aware Animation
Animated film where fairies face the threat to their forest posed by a logging operation. Preachy message-making that is all but a recruitment film for Greenpeace and the Sierra Club
The Lion King (1994)
Dec 31, 2001Disney Animation/Talking Animals
One of the best films to come out of Disney's animation renaissance during the 1990s, this uses all the studio as its disposal to create a work that is epic in its scope
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
Oct 19, 2002Getaway Thriller/Vampire Bar
Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino combine forces on a film that begins as a getaway thriller and then abruptly morphs into a vampire film. This has a smart edginess to it but the vampire scenes have not dated well
Spy Kids (2001)
Apr 3, 2001Juvenile Spy Adventures
Robert Rodriguez has a huge amount of fun by recasting James Bond antics with kids. The film was a success that spawned several sequels
Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (2002)
Jan 25, 2002Juvenile Spy Adventures
The second of Robert Rodriguez’s Spy Kids films is slightly the lesser of its predecessor – it makes the mistake of stripping out the gadgets – but is still fun and has the wacky surrealism Rodriguez gave the first film
Good Boy! (2003)
Aug 6, 2014Talking Alien Dogs
An infuriatingly inane film about a boy discovering that all dogs can talk and are alien visitors from Jim Henson Pictures. No sooner is the dog talking that it is tossing off smartass one-liners
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)
Jan 13, 2004Adventures Inside a Videogame
The third in the series is no longer even a Spy Kids film but a Virtual Reality videogame film. Robert Rodriguez has some fun creating the virtual worlds but the parody that the other films engaged in is missing
Cars (2006)
Jun 21, 2006Pixar Animation/Talking Vehicles
Winning animated film from Pixar based around the appealingly original idea of vehicles having personalities. The idea is spun out with considerable wit and sophistication. Two sequels followed.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
Oct 9, 2008Talking Dogs
One of the most inane talking animals film ever – the tale of a spoiled Beverly Hills dogs who has to make her way home after being abandoned in Mexico. Filled with excruciating slapstick and animals spouting smartass one-liners
Race to Witch Mountain (2009)
Apr 14, 2009Psi-Powered Alien Children/Disney Remake
Revival of the Disney Witch Mountain films of the 1970s. Now the films have been dragged into the post-X Files era and flashy effects added to negligible result
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil (2011)
May 7, 2011Animation/Fairytale Parody
A wholly unnecessary sequel to Hoodwinked!, this again runs the fairytale characters over with modern quips and pop culture references