Top 10 Western Genre Movies of All Time

Defining the Genre

AFI defined the Western as a movie "set in the American West that embodies the spirit, the struggle and the demise of the new frontier". The online Encyclopedia Britannica specifically defined the setting of a Western as something "set in the American West, usually in the period from the 1850s to the end of the 19th century".

A writer at a website called Filmsite agreed with both of these descriptions saying "Westerns are often set on the American frontier during the last part of the 19th century (1865-1900) following the Civil War, in a geographically western (trans-Mississippi) setting with romantic, sweeping frontier landscapes or rugged rural terrain". Overall though, we know the general time and the general place that define Westerns.

I also liked their description of the feeling and attitude of a Western where they wrote that a Western is "a nostalgic eulogy to the early days of the expansive, untamed American frontier (the borderline between civilization and the wilderness)". I like that emphasis on the borderline between civilization and wilderness, where people in the frontier were not living in big cities or developed areas, but they weren't exactly surviving in the wild either, for the most part.

Westerns are generally also defined by the presence of cowboys, which when you see one you know what it is. Sometimes the cowboys are soldiers fighting Native American warriors, sometimes they're marshals fending off bandits and outlaws, but no matter what there's always revolvers and rifles involved. Most often a cowboy is a lone wolf and a heroic legendary figure, though sometimes they rely on allies and shed back the legendary layers to become rounded, vulnerable people.

AFI's Top 10 Westerns List

1. The Searchers
2. High Noon
3. Shane
4. Unforgiven
5. Red River
6. Wild Bunch
7. Butch Cassidy Sundance Kid
8. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
9. Stagecoach
10. Cat Ballou

Majority of these, especially the Top 3, are very well known and well renowned Western genre movies. I had not really heard much of #8 before and I surely never heard of #10 before. Notice also that, while not totally dominating the list in the same way that Disney dominated the Animation list, John Wayne leads 3 of these movies, and there is a surprising lack of Clint Eastwood, though again that might be because AFI was limited to American movies and could not include the Spaghetti Western subgenre selections.

My Outline for My Genre List

I had two guides for helping me outline my own defining features of the Western genre. The first was the basic principle definitions found above. The second was a list of various subgenres of Westerns I found on the New York Film Academy website. Those subgenres include: Epic, Spaghetti, Revenge, Outlaw, Marshal, & Revisionist

-Character archetypes: Heroic cowboy, tough prostitute/saloon gal, marshal/sheriff, prim-proper lady
-Cowboy's features: Wide-brimmed hats, bandanas, boots, spurs, and horse-back riding.
-Morality examination: Right versus wrong and lawful versus unlawful, asks when it's okay to take law and order into one's own hands.
-Beautiful vista shots of rural landscapes including plains, sagebrush, desert, and mountains.
-Small developing town with a hotel, a saloon, and/or a tavern.
-Guns constantly used or play an important role.
-Late 19th century timeframe, not around modern times.
-Romanticized view of the past and the cowboy figure.
-Honest look at the reality of men and the frontier life, if not romanticized.

Honorable Mentions

-Assassination of Jesse James
-True Grit (Coens, I haven't seen the original all the way through)
-Open Range
-3:10 to Yuma (both versions)

As you can tell, majority of these mentions are more contemporary and newer movies. The themes and attitude come from a more modern sense, so they have a more honest look on life and philosophy in the west than older romanticized cowboy movies.

I generally consider Assassination of Jesse James to be more of a melodrama than a Western, though it certainly has the setting, gunplay, and thematic qualifications to be a Western. Not to mention Jesse James is a pretty common figure in Western cowboy mythology and media.

Ultimately, even though movies like Open Range and True Grit have sleek looks and fit within the confines of the Western genre, they ultimately do not hold my interest and excitement upon rewatching them, nor do I find them unique enough to be definitive examples of the genre.

My Top 10 Westerns List

10. Sukiyaki Western Django

A twist on Spaghetti Westerns, where instead of European actors having their lines dubbed over by native English speakers, this movie has Japanese actors speaking their own broken English dialogue. You have the heroic cowboy figure, clad in hat, boots, & spurs, staying in a small town in a desert mountain area. There's lots of gunplay involved, obviously influenced by the more ridiculous B-level Spaghetti Westerns of yore. Though there is also the presence of Japanese samurai movie artistry, it's cool to see another nation and culture interpret the American cowboy mythos and Western genre and put their own spin on it.

9. Hostiles

I was hesitant to put this movie on the list since it is the most recent out of the bunch and not necessarily even the most memorable movie I've seen in 2018. There's not even a typical cowboy figure. What impressed me the most about this movie was the landscapes. The places that this group journeys through out in the wild frontier really reminded me of the kind of landscapes I saw when I spent time in Montana and Colorado. These are very definitive Western locations and the cinematography captures them beautifully. Add in the struggle of frontier survival and antagonistic relationships between white soldiers and Native Americans and you have a recipe for a subtle yet realistically human Western.

8. Tombstone

There had to be some interpretation of the infamous O.K. Corral battle on this list, and it just happened to be the most fun, most Hollywood version of it (technically also the only one I've seen). There's drinking, there's cigar smoking, there's gambling in saloons and taverns. Handsome mustaches, cowboy hats, revolver twirling, marshals battling outlaws. It's very much a definitive Western. What makes this movie stand out though is Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. He embodies that tough heroic cowboy figure often given in to vices, but he's a charming southern gentleman and a good friend to other tough heroic cowboy figures.

7. Magnificent Seven

Yes, a part of me put the movie here for a joke. Courageous cowboys stand up against insurmountable odds out of a sense of honor and pride. Poor farmers take the law into their own hands in a place without law & order. There's plenty of gunplay and dusty trails covered. The cowboys are very romanticized in this movie since they are the heroes, even if they are selfish or troubled.

6. Unforgiven

I initially had this movie in the Honorable Mentions area because of just how dark and revisionist of a Western it is. Our protagonist used to be a ruthless killer who has worked to amend for his past sins but in the end reverts to his old ways. And the antagonist is not really anything too different, it's just a beyond-tough lawman who abuses his power without remorse. There's nothing very noble going on about either of their actions since the main conflict revolves around the protagonist accepting a financial reward by killing men in order to avenge an abused prostitute.

I think what makes this Western work and stand out compared to the others is that if this was a Clint Eastwood movie 20 years earlier (like Outlaw Josey Wales), his character and actions would be glorified, but here it's depressing and examined in a negative light. No one is heroic or glorified here in the traditional sense of standard Western films.

5. Rio Bravo

This one is just more of a model of fun, action Western. You've got John Wayne in his typical cowboy gear with rifle in tow. Dean Martin is an alcoholic gunslinger. There's carefree yet tense use of guns throughout. It's about the courage of a few in the face of many enemies, an alternative take on High Noon. The marshal must defend himself and his friends from outlaw thugs bent on freeing their captured leader. Like I stated earlier, I mainly just remember this movie for the fun interaction between the romanticized cowboys and the gunplay involved throughout the movie.

4. High Noon

What puts this movie ahead of Rio Bravo is the philosophical, moral quandary at its center. Is it better to give up violence and run away, or to stand up and fight even if it means doing it alone? There's the law versus the outlaws. There's a tense gun battle at the end. The protagonist sheriff is obviously afraid and nervous about having to face the battle alone, but none of the other men in town have the courage and loyalty to fight alongside him. The sheriff wants to put away the past, but there's a new prim and proper Quaker wife that he has to live for and protect.

3. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Once again, it's the philosophical questions that really make this film special. When is it okay to kill someone? Is truth or legend the better reality? Should a man avoid guns at all costs or learn to live with them? Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne are both known for their dramatic roles in Western movies and these performances are highlights of that fact. This movie both romanticizes the wild past of the west and gives an honest examination on what the men, life, and ideas were really like in the wild west.

2. The Searchers

The cinematography is one of the most outstanding elements of this movie. It really captures the look and feel of living out in the American western frontier. The colors really stand out and the shots are framed with purpose. John Wayne plays more of a gritty Clint Eastwood type in this movie, having a sense of purpose in his actions but lacking the romantic charm and friendliness of cowboys in earlier Westerns. This seems to be the start of the divide between fun, idealized cowboy movies and the gritty honest look at real frontier living. I think had Johns Ford and Wayne not visited this location and made such a stellar team up in an earlier movie, this may have been the number one. 

1. Stagecoach

In my Valuable Films list, I placed Stagecoach as the top Western movie and I still stand by that. Some of the defining traits of the Western film genre that I mentioned included: character archetypes, guns, horseback riding, particular landscape locations in southwest US, 19th century time period. I also mentioned how it lacked gritty violence and anti-heroism seemed to define later Western movies. People are not as good as they seem nor as they as bad as they may seem. I'd say the only characters that really lack depth or complexity to them is the thieving banker, Mr. Gatewood, and the whiskey drummer Rev. Hancock...I mean Mr. Peacock.

Movies That May Replace Choices on My List Upon Future Viewing

Shane
Red River
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
Once Upon a Time in the West

Valuable Movies: Mission Impossible Fallout

Warning: Your mission, should you choose to accept the consequences of reading this review, is to not freak out when you see any spoilers for the movie without having seen it first. You have been warned.

So, the sixth Mission Impossible movie came to theaters recently. As someone who has been entertained by several of the MI movies, most especially the previous two installments before this latest release, I looked forward to seeing this movie on the big screen.

This was also the first time I can recall seeing a movie in IMAX in a long time. Here's what I thought in terms of artistic and moral values to the movie.

Artistic Value (Rating: 4)

It's hard to talk about this movie without breaking up its artistic value (how the movie was presented) into two categories: Stunts/Action Scenes and Story Plot Points.

I came in wanting crazy Tom Cruise action scenes and I got them! We saw a HALO (high altitude low opening) jump, an intense fisticuffs brawl, obligatory motorcycle chase, obligatory yet hilariously awesome Tom Cruise running, and even a helicopter chase/ literal cliffhanging finale.

The best thing was that none of these stunts were super-hyped in the marketing as far as I can remember (unless I just wasn't paying attention). In Rogue Nation, they pushed the fact that Tom Cruise was hanging onto a flying airplane and held his breath for 4+ minutes underwater. In Ghost Protocol, they wanted you to know that Tom Cruise really was climbing the tallest building in the world.

Here, there's several crazy stunts, and you get a sense of them in the promotional trailers, but I can't really recall hearing things like "Come see Tom Cruise soar through the air in a HALO jump" or "Can you believe Tom Cruise really hung from a rope underneath a flying helicopter?". I was just stunned and impressed by Cruise's running here, especially when he's sprinting along on top of the London train station.

Sound effects and music were prevalent and essential here. These are the second best parts of the movie after the action stunts. Music emphasized important moments and established emotional highlights. Noises stood out too, like the gun shots or moments like Ilsa riding her motorcycle down a Parisian walkway with columns and highlighting the engine and wind tunnel sounds.

Now like I said, the artistic value is mainly split by the action and the story, and unfortunately here's where the weaknesses pop up. Rarely does the script explain much in between the action. It's almost like when developing the story, the action scenes were the primary focus and the idea of how to get from Point A to Point B was only thought up when they needed to set up the next stunt.

Moments of exposition dialogue really highlight this fact, such as the opening mission briefing or the team's drive in to Kashmir and establishing the goals to accomplish the final mission. All of this is to get the audience up to the speed to understand what all is about to happen.

The reason why this is a weakness is because I found myself asking questions I shouldn't have to be asking, wondering what's going on in the story. Here are a few major problems I thought of during my viewing of the movie (heavy spoilers ahead):

-Where is Jeremy Renner?
-Alec Baldwin's character matters in this movie, but he's completely forgotten after his death.
-No real resolution at the end. No "where do we go from here?" moment with intention to establish what's going to happen next time.
-Cruise's wife character comes back, but there's not really much time given to have closure.
-How did the bad guys run away with the plutonium in the middle of the movie? I thought they were supposed to be making a rendezvous with White Widow to trade Lane for the plutonium. All of the sudden, poof, they have plutonium and are about to annihilate the world.

Now, while the script had a few problems, there were also a few strong emotional moments with great drama. There is a particularly touching scene delivered by Ving Rhames that actually worked surprisingly well because the movie took its time to put character development ahead of action. I'm glad to have characters and plot threads from previous installments back and continued here in this story. That continuation in the series is the saving grace of the script's plot.

The visual element, the way that the movie looks, is a mixed bag for me here. In my eyes, the cinematography or types of cameras kept changing. Some shots looked so smooth and high resolution, they looked like they came from a GoPro. Other shots, especially in the dark or distanced from action, looked grainy and low resolution like film stock. Could this have been because of my IMAX movie screen? Either way, the lack of consistent visual style bothered me.

This two hour movie in some ways almost felt like an extended TV show episode. The editor used wipes to move between scenes/ locations. The expositional style of dialogue between the characters was very TV-esque. Even the abrupt ending just made it seem like we'll see these characters again soon in next week's episode. This is not necessarily a bad thing when this is the sixth movie in a major franchise based on an older TV series, with homages and connections to both.

I wasn't initially sure what rating on the 1-5 scale to give this, but I think ultimately I am won over by the astounding and thrilling action scenes. They are the most important element of this movie, and in certain ways made up for any storytelling elements that may have been lacking.

Moral Value (Rating: 3)

Mission Impossible as a movie series has always been a good guys versus bad guys plot line, though understanding who is on which side has been a little more blurred in some movies than others. Thankfully, it's pretty well established here that Ethan Hunt and his friends are all good guys while Solomon Lane and his Apostles are the bad guys.

In this movie, the bad guys, the Apostles, like to pretend that they're the good guys because their ultimate goal is "world peace" but the means with which they're wanting to achieve that goal is by demolishing a third of the world's population. Even the CIA in this movie is willing to do whatever it takes, even if it means killing potential threats, in order to achieve their missions, so they're presented as more anti-heroes, or at least not the primary protagonists.

I do appreciate the fact that in this movie they emphasize the fact that Ethan Hunt cares a great deal about lives on an individual basis, especially the life of an innocent bystander. They put a moral ethic in the good guys and a lack of empathetic morals in the bad guys. However, I often wondered why Tom Cruise...I mean Ethan Hunt...has a problem with killing innocents, but not bad guy lackeys? We see him struggle to shoot people in certain circumstances, but shows no remorse or concern whenever he kills a villain or their henchmen. Just because they work for the bad guy does not mean that their lives are anymore expendable.

I do think the movie makers tried to establish important figures in Ethan's life and had an interesting contrast near the end. This movie builds up the fact that Ethan has a budding relationship with Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) and an antagonistic relationship with Walker (Henry Cavill). Near the end, Ethan is reunited with his former wife (Michelle Monaghan) and her new husband (Wes Bently). It may just be me but not only do Monaghan and Ferguson look similar, but (at least in the eyes and facial features/ facial hair) so do Bentley and Cavill. I think it presented an interesting character dilemma where we see where Ethan's passions, concerns, and struggles really lie.

The movie presents some potential religious themes and ideological overtones at first. There was the opening wedding dream sequence, the group name The Apostles, the fake nuclear disasters to three holy sites, and the constant quote "There cannot be great peace without first great suffering". This opening led me to believe that there would be some discussion or examination on themes and ideas from a religious or theological perspective, almost a battle of philosophy and ideology. In some ways it was a battle of philosophy (life is sacred versus peace through death), but the religious aspect quickly quickly disappeared and I feel like that was a missed opportunity.

Some action movies are all about the spectacle, the crazy visuals they can throw on the screen, and that's it. The Mission Impossible franchise, especially here, understands that a good movie with action has to have more than just spectacle. You have to care about characters and have them overcome personal struggles in order to have a good movie (my artistic value and moral value highlights this). Fallout takes some time in between the spectacle to build up characters and relationships, even if that's not the scripts strongest suit.

I found that I laughed at moments I maybe shouldn't have. I laughed because of the overblown action scene over-the-top-ness. Most memorably this was Cavill's death scene at the end. This is where Hunt's blurred line on when it's okay and not okay to kill causes confusion or struggle. We're supposed to root for Tom Cruise because he cares who he is shooting at, but then the moments like Cavill's death scene went to such heights of crazy movie spectacle that I couldn't help but grin and chuckle at the absurdity of it all. It's one of those moments when I become more conscious of how a movie influences the way I think and feel. If the movie examined its good vs. evil themes with some more depth instead of basic action movie formula, I may have given it a higher ranking.

Mission Impossible Fallout is rated PG-13 mainly for the violence of the action, which sometimes can get bloody, as well as profane language, from some using the Lord's name to even a use of the F-word, though ultimately none of the negative language is necessary for this movie.

Overall, this movie is thrilling throughout. Tense action scenes and even tense character moments in between the stunts are all part of the fun. This is a great movie to wonderful on the big screen, despite any weaknesses or issues.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Top 10 Most Influential/ Important Movies In My Life (Thus Far)

Inspired by social media posts from acquaintances and my own interest in lists involving movies, I present to you my personal Top 10 list of the most important and influential movies in my life.

The greatest challenge with something like this is narrowing down such a large, broad scope. With other movie lists, I have some sort of framework like genre, time period, theme, or some other defining features that make it easier to choose what to put down.

Here for this list, it's basically just taking every single movie I've ever seen in my life and trying to discern which 10 left the biggest impression. Not necessarily just impression, but also taking into account how it impacted my taste in movies, the way that I view movies, how my thoughts and beliefs are reflected in my choice in movies, and how my life is transformed by viewing the movie.

I've seen a lot of different movies over the years. It's especially hard to remember all the movies I saw in my childhood. It's even harder to forget all of the terrible crappy movie selections I've made over the years, though I suppose we grow because of the mistakes we make in the past.

On this list, I selected movies that I've seen more than once, with the exception of one choice. I tried to cover a range of history, styles, languages, and genres.

This list will reflect how I view movies as a media/ art form, as well as give you some insight on why I have such a passion and joy for watching movies. We'll start from the bottom, leave no breaks for honorable mentions, and end with my top choice for most influential and important movie in my life.

10. Tree of Life

This is the one movie I included that I've only seen once, and if you've seen it as well you probably know why that's okay. Basically, this movie was not just something I viewed, it was an EXPERIENCE! The style and cinematography lets you know it's a Terrence Malick movie. There's themes and ideas about life, God, prayer, family, the bad and the good that people can do, all sorts of philosophical questions pop up all while visuals are flying past you in unusual ways. It's a slow-paced movie, but the editing keeps things moving and interesting. I have never seen or experienced a movie like this before.

9. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

This movie has an understandably slow pace, but with great tension and intrigue to keep me interested watching it. If you want to know how, why, or when I find a slow pace to be acceptable in a movie, this is the answer. I watched this at some point in undergrad, though I forget how I came across it. This was my introduction to Casey Affleck as an actor, and he holds his own against Brad Pitt and Sam Rockwell. The story is a tragedy in more than one way, and even presents itself as a drama but has a documentary feel (narrator coming in and out to give us history or factual information).

8. Fiddler on the Roof

I think I may have some bias here based on nostalgia and history with this movie. I first watched it because it was the first musical in high school I auditioned for/ was a part of, which led me into being involved in theatre ever since. That should tell you why it has some sentimental significance for me. Though really, I appreciate how it brought the musical to life, like you're really witnessing these poor Russian Jewish peasants experiencing life's joys, sorrows, traditions, and changes. The songs are classics, Topol is the definitive Tevye, and it has great respect and reverence for the Jewish religion and culture.

7. Calvary

I was really afraid of watching this a second time because I was worried my satisfaction from viewing it the first time was just a fluke and any additional viewings would fall flat. Thankfully, it's just as powerfully good, if not better, upon additional viewing.

I love the brutal, realistic honesty of this movie. These feel like real people that you can find and interact with in Ireland today. Personally for me, as a Catholic living in a secular Western society, it hits home with how sins of the past, especially from authority figures in the Church, can have negative consequences on people's thoughts, relationships, and feelings regarding God, the Church, and even other people. While it is, for the most part, sad and tragic, there is something uplifting about Brendan Gleeson's priest character. He has a charm, a hope, and a love that acts as a light shining even in the darkest moments when all seems lost.

6. Hot Fuzz

This is my selection for best/favorite comedy, though it's unconventional as a standard comedy choice. I could've gone with The Big Lebowski, which had me howling with laughter the first time I saw it, but maybe I've watched it too much since it hasn't held up as well upon recent viewings. I could have chosen another parody film like Black Dynamite, which again had me crying from busting a gut laughing upon initial watch, but over time it just has content that I cannot really condone in good conscience (maybe the animated series just ruined things for me overall).

Point being that Hot Fuzz has held up as a great enjoyable movie, no matter how many times I see it. I love the wordplay and wit found in the script, with little nuggets of comedy buried underneath serious deadpan delivery. There's great visual jokes that pay off over the course of the movie. I love how well it parodies the buddy cop action genre while simultaneously creating an engaging story on its own.

5. Stagecoach

It's kind of a simple movie in hindsight, but I still enjoy the adventure every time. Save for 1 or 2 of the characters, everybody on the eponymous piece of transportation is interesting, has a clear want or desire, and has great chemistry. Everyone is not as bad as they seem, nor as they as good as they seem, they're complex and intriguing. The gunplay/ chase scenes are thrilling, the drama is emotional, and it's iconic in its use of landscape shots and character archetypes. While some people may enjoy the more realistic, gritty, anti-hero stuff found in later westerns, for me this will always be the definitive Western movie.

4. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

I can still remember the first time watching this movie in theaters. Admittedly I had an active imagination at that age, but I was so caught up in the movie that I was genuinely creeped out by the Ringwraiths and Gollum in this movie, so much so that I did not want to see the other two movies in theaters. It was only after playing the VHS of this movie on repeat that I got comfortable enough to watch the other two movies (and not fastforward through the Gollum/Nazgul stuff).

I think that out of all three LOTR movies, this one has the best blend of CGI and practical effects. Everything looks and feels real. The locations are spectacular, the action is heartpounding (I personally think the final action scene at Amon Hen is the best action scene of the series), and fantasy characters become real people. This is the movie that makes us fall in love with the Shire, it makes the Ring a real threat without bogging us down in dark gritty despair, and it gives us the hope and joy that the hobbits and Gandalf share in the midst of peril.

3. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

There's something so calming and pleasing about the titular Valley of the Wind. I just want to hang out and live there. While not necessarily Miyazaki's best animation, I think it is a signature style from him that has held up over time. This was one of the first Miyazaki movies I saw and it made me better appreciate his work, as well as the anime style of animation in general. The soundtrack and sound effects bring me a sense of nostalgia and futurism at the same time. I like the themes and ideas of this movie, which for the most part don't abusively try too hard to hit me over the head.

2. Monsieur Vincent

It's such a Catholic movie! Even if we don't necessarily see St. Vincent doing much pastoral duties. There are many great scenes in this, from the opening cleansing of the church building and restoration of a town in fear of the plague, to the moment when Monsieur Vincent refuses a pleasant apartment for a rundown squalor in the midst of horrific poor people, to the dilemma of St. Louise de Marilliac being overcome by the demands of the sick & dying, to Monsieur Vincent's final moments where he confesses that after all the many great things he has done for the poor that he feels like he's barely done anything at all.

This was another movie I was afraid wouldn't hold up upon second viewing, but it's still so impactful and powerful despite its age, style, and French language. It shows us the reality yet importance of mercifully caring for those in poverty. It shows the courage and will power it takes for someone to help the poor with compassion and patience. You see and understand why the Catholic Church honors St. Vincent de Paul as a Saint.

1. The Passion of the Christ

Granted, I haven't really seen many other biblical movies/ movies about the Passion (I know, shame on me, right) but I feel like no other movie worked so hard to honestly and realistically bring the Gospels Passion narratives to life. The people all speak the different languages of the time and place. The scourging, the carrying of the Cross, and the Crucifixion are all done with violent realism. I have watched this movie annually for the last few years, right around Good Friday. Sometimes it's hard to get through, sometimes I don't feel anything or my mind tries to wander. Yet, I find this movie to be a great contemplation on the significance and importance of Jesus' Passion and Death. I can't help but appreciate the movie's dedication to realism and how it brings the words of the Gospels to life.

Top 10 Animation Genre Movies of All Time

I recently examined the 10 Top 10 Lists of Movies by the American Film Institute. These are lists compiled by a prestigious cinema organization and each list is split by a different genre, from romantic comedy to courtroom drama to epic and animation. After looking at some of the lists, I got inspired to create my own versions of them.

My goals are for these Top 10 lists are: to properly define and identify the genre in question, quickly examine the picks from the American Film Institute, and then present my own list to show my own take on the genre in question.

As per usual, my own personal list will be presented in descending order from 10 to 1 (least to greatest) and is just made up of movies I have personally seen all the way through, so chances are there may be some movies you think are missing from my list that deserve a spot. Feel free to let me know if that's the case. Anyway, without further ado, let's kick of these Top 10s with an examination of Animation.

Defining the Genre

The AFI's website broadly defined the Animation genre as movies where "the film’s images are primarily created by computer or hand and the characters are voiced by actors". The Merriam Webster Dictionary definition kind of further specified that by stating that an animated movie is "a motion picture that is made from a series of drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of inanimate objects (such as puppets) and that simulates movement by slight progressive changes in each frame".

So, as could be assumed, defining the genre for animation into a specific, finite definition is a challenge. This is mainly because animation is a form of art within a form of art, with various techniques and styles from around the world on display. Technology has also played a huge role in expanding the capabilities within the world of animation, making it tougher to narrow down.

Basically, what we really know is that "animation" means real-life actors are not the focal point of a movie's presentation and that some sort of series of handcrafted images are put together instead. It's basically like the cartoon found in the corners of a flipbook.

AFI's Top 10 Animation List

1. Snow White
2. Pinocchio
3. Bambi
4. Lion King
5. Fantasia
6. Toy Story
7. Beauty & The Beast
8. Shrek
9. Cinderella
10. Finding Nemo

Not too much to say here, other than Disney obviously dominates the genre selections. Which is expected since Disney has been the primary and dominate company creating movies in this genre. It looks like the AFI wanted to give a shoutout to computer-generated animation, though I'm somewhat surprised that movies like the first Shrek and Finding Nemo won over some of their counterparts in their respective studios. The list is also somewhat limited by the fact that, well, their selection was only from movies made in the U.S., which leaves out international companies like Studio Ghibli which could also dominate the list.

My Outline of My Genre List

This is basically the guidelines for how I'm going to select movies for this list. These are the standards by which I will hold the chosen animated movies to. The hope is that the movies on my personal Top 10 list will reflect the traits below and help us better understand what it means for a movie to be in the animated genre.

-Only 1 choice per studio (not a list full of Disney, Pixar, or Ghibli options)
-Still images coming to life through motion
-Variety of colors and hues
-Effective use of shadows and darkness
-Specially effective use of light
-Vivid textures
-Showcase the history of animation styles and artistic technological advances
-Show an improvement over time of a particular company or group's technique, if applicable.
-Timeless artwork

Honorable Mentions

The Thief & The Cobbler
Isle of Dogs
Titan A.E.
Fantasia
Bambi
Beauty & The Beast
Prince of Egypt
Toy Story
The Peanuts Movie

These are all movies that are high quality movies from within well-respected animation companies or they stand out as unique pieces of cinema. Basically, if I didn't have my option of watching the following 10 movies, these would be the backups I would happily watch again and again.

My Top 10 Animations List

10. Lord of the Rings-Ralph Bakshi

Hear me out. It's an example of doing animation with a miniscule budget. Infamous for its use of rotoscoping over live actors, especially in the second half of the movie. Lots of deep, painted backgrounds. Very dark and shadowy in the right moments. The hand-drawn characters on top of the landscapes really transports us to a fantasy setting.

9. Shaun the Sheep-Aardman

Exemplary stop motion animation using play-doh-esque material, a.k.a claymation. Stylish and improved art style by Aardman studios (Chicken Run, Wallace & Gromit). Shiny and sleek appearance. Fluid movement yet malleable character designs for creative stop motion. It almost makes you think you really are seeing sheep walking about in a real life city.

8. Kubo and the Two Strings-Laika

A form of stop-motion, utilizing a combination of claymation and computer generated images.
Good use of Japanese-influenced artistry and scenery. Improved, definitive art style by Laika (Coraline, Paranorman). Proper atmosphere built between dark spooky moments and bright, lighthearted comedy. The designs and textures of our main characters really bring the animation to life.

7. Fantastic Mr. Fox-Wes Anderson

Stop motion using puppetry/ doll-like models. Very textured appearance, with specific details in the fur of the animals as well as phenomena like water and smoke. Hues of yellow, orange, and brown match the appearance of the titular character. Beautiful glow to the lighting in sunsets and apple juice basement scene. There's even an interesting scene with an alternative art style involving a cartoon wolf.

6. Shrek 2-Dreamworks

While Prince of Egypt stands out as the exemplary 2-D animation by Dreamworks, and later movies like How to Train Your Dragon or Kung Fu Panda are more fluid in motion/ colorful in design, Shrek 2 to me stands out as the model CGI animation work by Dreamworks. It sharpens the CGI from original Shrek. The humans look like real life humans, not obvious cartoons like Dragon. The fantasy and realism blend together well here, and all the characters have unique textured designs. The realism in the CGI artwork is so effective, at one point I really did believe a giant ginger-bread man wreck havoc on a Starbucks knockoff Godzilla-style.

5. Secret of NIMH-Don Bluth

I was very close to putting Titan A.E. on this list for its blend of CGI and hand-drawn animation. However, Secret of NIMH really shows the hard hard work that Don Bluth and company went through to achieve success from the get-go. It's very stellar hand-drawn artistry that equals the skills of early Disney masterpieces. What especially stands out is the glowing lights that pop up in characters' eyes and in the backgrounds. The movement is very fluid and while the characters are cartoonish interpretations of real animals, they still feel and look like real mice, rats, crows, cats, etc.

4. Secret of Kells-Cartoon Saloon

Hand-drawn animation with trippy uses of flats character designs and fleshed-out, developed backgrounds. Takes inspiration from the Illumination techniques used in Biblical artwork (ex...The Book of Kells) and translates it into bright, explosive layers of colors and lights. Finely detailed line work. The fantasy elements are given some special designs and treatment, but the animation still gives grandeur and respect to the religious elements.

3. Inside Out-Pixar

You can see lots of fine details in the various textures of the characters, from Joy's skin to Disgust's hair to Anger's fire. Creative physical representations of words, ideas, and phrases. The humans are drawn and presented in a realistic way, not cartoony. Tons of different shades of color and glowing lights, though the momentary uses of darkness and shadows are effective. There's even enough time for a playful experiment in abstract CGI animation. This movie shows the continuing development in Pixar's mastery of the CGI animation style.

2. Pinocchio-Disney

It is a signature Disney art style. It doesn't have similar problems to Snow White where the animation truly shows its age. It also has a higher quality to the animation than some of my favorites like Robin Hood. I think when people think of Disney, people think of this kind of fantastical 2-D hand drawn animation. It has some dark, shadowy moments, but also some color and pizzazz. Pinocchio almost looks and moves like a real boy, and it's only when he transforms into the real thing in the end that you realize he was really wooden all along.

1. Princess Mononoke-Studio Ghibli

Exemplary of the anime style of animation, and a particularly timeless example of Studio Ghibli's artistry. Presents both bright, colorful, well-lit images as well as shadowy, grotesque, violent images. Humans are either realistic or cartoonish as necessary, but the creatures are all impressive and vivid. Mixes fantasy with realism. Miyazaki's appreciation for nature and distaste for industrial interference with nature is on display in the animation. The battle scenes are all paced well and move in a way that is flowing yet understandable visually.

Movies That May Replace Choices on My List Upon Future Viewing

Akira
Triplets of Belleville
Wolf Children
The Adventures of Prince Achmed