Shark Tale (2004)
Sep 24, 2004Animation/Talking Fish
DreamWorks animated talking fish film that was dismissed in the shadow of Pixar’s earlier Finding Nemo but is perfectly likeable in its own right
DreamWorks Animation
Flushed Away (2006)
Feb 11, 2007Animation/Talking Rats
Aardman Animation abandon Claymation for regular animation in this story of a pet rat thrown out of his comfort zone down into the sewers. Alas, this only serves to make it just another talking animals animated film
Bee Movie (2007)
Dec 15, 2007Animation/Talking Bees
Appealingly nonsensical DreamWorks animated film written by Jerry Seinfeld who also voices a bee who befriends a human woman and then stands up against the exploitation of bees
Shrek the Third (2007)
Jun 24, 2007Animation/Fairytale Spoof
The third of the Shrek films settles in with a formulaic blandness where the characters turn up more because everyone expects them to than the film finds much for them to do
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
Dec 12, 2008Animation/Talking Animals
A reasonable sequel to DreamWorks' Madagascar that this time actually takes the characters to Africa where it determines to give each of them their own story
Kung Fu Panda (2008)
Jun 29, 2008Animation/Talking Animal Martial Arts
Massively successful animated film for DreamWorks, a comic riff on the martial arts training film that proves amiable and crowd-pleasing without ever being riotously funny
Monsters vs Aliens (2009)
Apr 4, 2009Animation/Friendly Monsters vs Alien Invaders
Cutley appealing DreamWorks animated film that brings together a bunch of oddball creatures clearly intended as an affectionate homage to various 1950s sf films
Megamind (2010)
Nov 16, 2010Animation/Comic Travails of a Super-Villain
DreamWorks animated film about a super-villain that might have worked better had its thunder not been stolen by the far superior Despicable Me a few months earlier
Shrek Forever After (2010)
Jun 19, 2010Animation/Fairytale Spoof
The fourth of the Shrek films. By this point, the freshness and originality of the first film has been buried under animated film formula, while the plot is a tired rehash of It's a Wonderful Life
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Apr 3, 2010Animation/Boy Befriends Dragon
Popular animated adaptation of a children's book. This hits all the right story arcs and in sufficiently likeable measure to work amiably. Two sequels and a live-action remake followed.
Puss in Boots (2011)
Nov 17, 2011Animation/Talking Cat Adventurer
Spinoff of the popular Antonio Banderas voiced character from the Shrek sequels, this is lightweight and amiable but can be quickly forgotten
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Jun 16, 2011Animation/Talking Animal Martial Arts
Sequel to DreamWorks hit animated film, this does little more than repeat its predecessor. The detail and texture is amplified to a work of art, although you cannot help but wonder if the under tens care about this
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012)
Jun 6, 2012Animation/Talking Animals
The Madagascar series was a cute idea first time around but has been stretched more than its worth by the sequels. Nevertheless, this works at you with a colourful light-heartedness that is hard to resist
Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Dec 12, 2012Animation/Team-Up Between Imaginary Characters
The concept – sort of akin to but with various imaginary beings (Santa, Jack Frost, The Easter Bunny, The Tooth Fairy etc) teaming up in an adventure – has a mild amusement to it but the film itself feels like an utterly processed piece of modern animated children's movie formula
Turbo (2013)
Jul 26, 2013Animation/Racing Snail
The 24th film from DreamWorks Animation – the studio that once offered a reasonable challenge to Disney is now starting to slip into the bland formula of competitors like Blue Sky. While passable, this feels like a film substantially lacking in originality and where you can predict its every move
The Croods (2013)
Mar 31, 2013Animation/Prehistoric Comedy
What gives the expectation of being a formulaic animated film about a prehistoric cave family instead comes with a fresh and naturalistic sense of humour that proves oddly appealing
Penguins of Madagascar (2014)
Apr 11, 2015Animation/Talking Animal Spy Capers
This spinoff from the Madagascar films is a lot more fun that I was anticipating – how could you dislike a film with John Malkovich as an octopus super-villain? Essentially cast as a spy parody, the film has a gonzo insanity that hits in with a manic delirium
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
Jun 20, 2014Animation/World of Dragons
This is a film that leaves you in two minds – one that is constantly going wow at the animated artistry and detail before us; the other that is realising that this is yet another formula animated film
Home (2015)
Apr 4, 2015Animation/Alien Visitors Comedy
An animated alien visitor film that is more likeable than anything suggests – it has a bubbly, juvenile pitch but generates a good deal of humour out of the alien fish of water amid human culture routines
Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)
May 30, 2016Animation/Talking Animal Martial Arts
The Kung Fu Panda series are films for couch potatoes – martial arts films with a hero who proclaims the virtues of laziness, overeating and goes into combat with an self-inflated sense of his own awesomeness
Trolls (2016)
Feb 6, 2017Animation/Small Cute Creatures
A perfect example of all the things I hate about modern animation. Based around the popular Troll dolls, this is vapidly designed, content-free product based solely around simplistic storylines, manic slapstick sequences, song and dance numbers, and inane contemporary pop culture in-jokes
The Boss Baby (2017)
Jun 11, 2017Animation/Ruthless Corporate Executive Baby
This has one of the most original nemeses created for an animated film - a baby in business suit and briefcase and with the demeanour of a ruthless corporate CEO – only for the film to then go and soften the character
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)
Apr 20, 2019Animation/World of Dragons
One of the most beautifully made formula animated films of recent vintage but at the end of the day no more than a film that is by the numbers where the artistry is unsupported by the banal script
Abominable (2019)
Dec 8, 2019Animation/Cute Yeti
Animated film in which a girl befriends a Yeti. Essentially a rewrite of E.T. that never much rises out of banal formula. On the other hand, I do have an issue with a children's film pushing blatant political propaganda
The Croods: A New Age (2020)
Aug 13, 2021Animation/Prehistoric Comedy
The sequel to DreamWorks' animated prehistoric film. For a very low expectation effort - the modern animated sequel - this emerges as far more colourful and entertaining than one expects
The Wild Robot (2024)
Nov 16, 2024Animation/Robot’s Adventure
A winning animated film about a robot trying to find its way among the animals on an island. Tender and heart-warming, the sort of film that Pixar used to do so well
Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)
Mar 21, 2025Animation/Talking Animal Martial Arts
The fourth entry in DreamWorks popular animated series, which by now is just another entry in the series that is coasting by on recognition factor, while offering minimal difference