Nimona (2023)

A knight unjustly accused of a crime, aligns himself with a teenage girl who has many hidden tricks and a strange desire to be a villain.

'Nimona' is a modern animated film, belonging to the fantasy genre. It has interesting elements of futurism mixed with medieval specifics and tries quite effectively to teach lessons about tolerance and the differences between people.

Director:  Nick Bruno, Troy Quane    

With: Chloë Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Eugene Lee Yang, Frances Conroy

Rating: 8/10

Strange World (2022)

The Clades family is a legendary family of explorers, but their attitudes and opinions are very different.

'Strange World' is an animated film full of adventures and imagination. It succeeds in taking the Disney style away from its overused templates in an attempt to cover more modern tastes and new ideas. The film did not have the success it deserved, unfortunately.

Directors:  Don Hall, Qui Nguyen  

With: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jaboukie Young-White, Gabrielle Union, Dennis Quaid

Rating: 8/10

Soul (2020)

A jazz pianist ends up stuck somewhere between Earth and the afterlife, after he has an accident right before enjoying his chance at success.

'Soul' is an animated film with a lot of soul. With a visual presentation worthy of the brand it belongs to, the story is the one that impresses, being an allegory about the balance in the human soul, the need for passions and time and freedom for them.

Director:  Pete Docter, Kemp Powers       

With: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House

Rating: 9/10

Enchanted (2007)

Giselle is punished by the evil queen and sent away from Andalusia, an animated world, to the real world, New York.

'Enchanted' is a Disney film that combines the magic of animation and the usual clichés with current reality, in a very original, ironic way, not shying away from laughing at itself and manage to find a very engaging and fulfilling middle ground, full of music and a joyous time.

Director:  Kevin Lima  

With: Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Susan Sarandon, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, Julie Andrews

Rating: 9/10

Onward (2020)

Two elf brothers, very different to each other, embark on a magical adventure to see their father one last time.

'Onward' is a fantasy animated film, with a family story that has appropriate messages about tolerance, accepting each other's differences and recognizing hidden qualities. Fun and emotional

Director:  Dan Scanlon      

With: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer

Rating: 8/10

Toy Story 2 (1999)

Woody is noticed by a toy collector who steals him hoping to make a lot of money but his friends put together a rescue mission.

'Toy Story 2' is a worthy sequel to a beloved story. It brings originality despite the limited subject matter and delights young souls of any age.

Director:  John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, Lee Unkrich   

With: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, John Ratzenberger, Wayne Knight

Rating: 9/10

Coco (2017)

Miguel lives for music but is part of a family that bans it, and decides to enter the Land of the Dead to find his ancestor who is a legendary musician.

'Coco' is a Disney-branded animated film that celebrates the Mexican cultural heritage in an artistic way full of music and soul. Through an adventure without boredom, characters that are easy to understand and very likeable, and even with a slightly predictable twist, 'Coco' manages to touch our hearts.

Director:  Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina   

With: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach

Rating: 9/10

Luca (2021)

Luke is a mythical sea monster that takes human form on land and is attracted to the human world and its possibilities.

'Luca' is a Disney animated film that touches the viewer's soul through a fun story about tolerance and differences between people, races, personalities and other similar human traits.

Director:  Enrico Casarosa      

With: Jacob Tremblay, Jack Dylan Grazer, Emma Berman, Saverio Raimondo

Rating: 8/10

The Addams Family (2019)

The Addams family moves to the suburbs where the closeness to ordinary and conformists people in the area creates a growing conflict.

'The Addams Family' is an animated film that brings the tragi-comic family back to the screen. The new format is surprisingly appropriate, the black humor makes an appearance as expected, the story is not just superficial and touches on current social issues related to genuine and assumed identity, and the soundtrack is wonderful.

Director:  Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon   

With: Oscar Isaac, Charlize Theron, Chloë Grace Moretz, Finn Wolfhard, Bette Midler, Martin Short, Allison Janney, Aimee Garcia, Catherine O'Hara, Nick Kroll

Rating: 9/10

The Mitchells vs the Machines (2021)

A dysfunctional family becomes humanity's last chance in the face of complete takeover by artificial intelligence.

'The Mitchells vs The Machines' is a fun animated film for the whole family. The humour is inspired by the current generic lifestyle and consistent, the love of family and closeness also makes an appearance, and the characters are likeable and credible, within the limits in which one can call an animated character credible.

Director:  Michael Rianda, Jeff Rowe   

With: Abbi Jacobson, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Michael Rianda

Rating: 8/10

The Lion King (1994)

Simba is tricked by his uncle into thinking that he accidentally killed his father, which causes him to run away and grow up separately from his lion family.

'The Lion King' is a beloved animation that has become a popular classic. The story is simple but effective, based on the natural cycle of life and basic family feelings. The unusual friendships displayed on screen and the well-known soundtrack make the film a favorite that does not fail even with the newer generations of children.

Directors:  Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff   

With: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Whoopi Goldberg

Rating: 8/10

Moana (2016)

Moana, a Polynesian princess, responds to an ancestral call in an attempt to undo the curse triggered by the Demigod called Maui.

'Moana' is a Disney movie that tries to combine more modern feminine (and not only) goals with the classic recipe for stories with princesses and princes. And it succeeds wonderfully, in a beautiful film about the pursuit of one's dreams and talent, with memorable music which easily reaches its emotional goals.

Directors:  Ron Clements, John Musker, Don Hall, Chris Williams     

With: Auli'i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison

Rating: 8/10

Finding Dory (2016)

Dory begins to remember fragments of her childhood, which causes her to run in search of her parents with no second thought, to the despair of her friends who are trying to find her.

A successful animation film, a sequel to another famous animation (Finding Nemo). The story is nice and diverse, the rhythm is constant and without any boredom, the characters are well thought out and not just superficial schetches. A good story for a family with small children but also for bigger children.

Director:   Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane     

With: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Kaitlin Olson

Rating: 8/10

Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

Dracula tries everything possible to prove that his grandson's vampiric side is the dominant one.

A family animation film, a sequel to the popular Hotel Transylvania, made famous 3 years before. Produced by and starring Adam Sandler, it was a guaranteed success from the beginning due to his presence, the vampirical appeal and a children's story with roots in modern problems. The film is nice, just right for the target audience.

Director:  Genndy Tartakovsky     

With: Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James

Rating: 8/10

Fantasia (1940)

A series of short animations paired with a soundtrack of famous classical music pieces.

Impressive. The music is flawless, the ideas of the short films are attractive for both the little ones and adults. Fantasia is perfect for directing young tastes towards the classics and is a visually impressive achievement, especially considering the work behind animations of this size in the 1940s.

Directors:  James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Ford Beebe Jr., Norman Ferguson, David Hand, Jim Handley, T. Hee, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Bill Roberts, Paul Satterfield, Ben Sharpsteen    

With: Leopold Stokowski, Deems Taylor, The Philadelphia Orchestra, Corey Burton

Rating: 10/10