My top 20 favorite movies of all time list

[MyLittlePonyTales]

Alright, here are my top 20 favorite movies. Since this topic kind of died down, I don't feel so bad hijacking it with MY top 20.

Spoilered because wall of text and images.

20. Charlotte's Web

This is just one of the many movies I grew up with. I also read the book sometime later, and E.B. White's stuff is worth a read (Stuart Little, The Trumpet of the Swan). The songs are pretty catchy, and the ending isn't entirely happy... which gets kinda iffy when you're making a kids film! I think this is a great movie about friendship, being brave when the odds are totally against you, and also letting people go when it's their time (which is, again, kind of a dark theme for a kids movie).

19. Kiki's Delivery Service

This one might be higher on the list or not at all if I actually grew up watching it. As it was, I was over eighteen when I saw this (my parents had a thing against witches). And gosh dangit, this is a great movie! Although, that shouldn't surprise you seeing as it's one of Hayao Miyazaki's works. It's a really coming of age story about a girl who strikes out on her own even though she's like... what, thirteen? But I guess for witches, it's kind of like that coming of age test where you transform from a girl into a woman. Anyway, it's a pretty touching story, and it's a Studio Ghibli film, so really... if you haven't seen it, why not?

18. Treasure Planet

I may have just watched this one too many times because my family owns it. If I could sum it up... Treasure Planet in space. Yes, that is exactly what this movie is. I think the first time I saw it was in theaters with a bunch of other teenagers. It's a pretty unique twist on the classic tale that... overall doesn't suck. The ending is happy and has resolution, although there is a minor cliffhanger that I'm okay with. The one thing that kind of gets me (and probably a lot of people) is how the dog guy and cat girl had kids at the end. Spoiler, yes, they do end up together.

17. Tarzan

What can I say? Disney did it again with one of their last late and great's of the 90's. Ya I've had like 3 hours of sleep, not entirely sure what that sentence meant. It's funny how Disney can take a story you've never heard of and be like... let's make a movie! And then you realize that there's like a book or fairy tail it's based off of... although Disney isn't the greatest at staying true to the original.

Still, I love the music in this. Again, Disney put a neat twist on this, making Tarzan slide along vines and branches. I remember seeing something on the Disney channel about how one of the guys working on it was inspired by his skateboarding son. Anyway, the movie is cool, animation great, music is great, and story is great.

16. Atlantis: The Lost Empire

Gosh, where to start? The animation for this movie is, frankly, pretty unique. It's got this weird kind of style that's also pretty cool. The cast of people in this movie is very diverse, from tomboy girl to geeky guy to, well, bad guy. And there's not just one 'villain' either. You think the Kraken is it, but no. It's the entire crew! Although by the end most of them redeemed themselves and realized they were doing wrong. Those that didn't died. Along with a bunch of background crew members no one really cared about.

But really, the movie explores the lost city of Atlantis, and then this one obsessive fanboy ends up saving their race. And then he also marries the princess... even though she looks slightly younger but is like four hundred years older. Aside from that being a little weird, this guy pretty much gets to live his dream... or fantasy. Is there a difference?

15. The Rescuers Down Under

Now, you may be wondering why I didn't put The Rescuers on this list as well. Well... I guess I just don't like it as much as some other movies. I mean, I still think it's great (heck, I had over fifty movies to pick from!), it just didn't make it into the Top 20.

This movie does have a happy ending, but there's this one point where you're like... shoot, is this going to be a happy ending? Overall, same thing with Tarzan, the music and story are great. Also... this is kind of an environmental, in a hidden roundabout way. There's this kid, Cody, and he just wants to hang out with animals and save them from a poacher(s). Oh ya, and somewhere in there mice save him.

14. The Great Mouse Detective

Dang, I love the music from this. Or at least, the opening fanfare (or whatever you call that). Looking back, this movie is actually kind of dark and scary for kids. Not only is there that weird scene in the toy store about half way through, while the inventor guy is building the queen replacement robot, she looks pretty freaky while in post-production. But that toy store... possibly my favorite scene from the movie, and yet so dark. Not to mention later in the film when you think Basil just died. I mean, for a kids movie, it was convincing. Sure, Basil was needed for the story... but it wasn't like he was some love interest or someone who needed to come back. He'd fulfilled his role, and were this something like an Anime, he may have actually died.

13. Aladdin

Another classic, that spawned a song everybody knows. However, that's not the only good song in the movie. Much like The Lion King (coming up), a lot of the songs in this movie are upbeat and maybe even catchy. Not only that, but it teaches kids things like... 'always be yourself' and 'always tell the truth'. Because as we saw, Jasmine loved Aladdin for who he was as a person... not because he was a prince. And she got pissed off at him when he lied to her, so... while he probably need the whole prince thing to get inside the palace walls, in the end it didn't matter to Jasmine. But wait, that's not even why I like the movie!

I guess I like it, again, because of music and story. And also animation. Hand drawn movies are awesome! Plus, there is a happy ending for all. Except Jafar. Because he was evil.

12. Mulan

It kind of surprises me that this came out in the 90's... holy crap, I was eight when this came out. Seriously? Well, anyway, this is movie that I enjoy because of... well, the main character. The movie is named after her, I guess anyone who likes this movie has to.

So Mulan decides to reject stereotypes and risk all odds (one of the odds being her life) in order to save her father. That's pretty... cool, and heavy. I mean, I see most kids being like, 'bye dad, love you'. But Mulan was like screw that, I got this! And then she joined the army and saved China and married this hot general. And then they made a sequel about Yin and Yan or something where they just talked about marriage problems and then... Mushu saved the day? Also the songs were far too catchy and ARGH!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjfzcBzQVlo

11.The Lion King

Come on, who is not a fan of this movie? Other than the fact that it stole from Kimba the White Lion, it was a good movie... and apparently borrowed the idea of Hannibal? (I say borrowed rather than stole, because who hasn't done a remake of something Shakespearean?) The music is not only awesome, but the songs are catchy... and everyone knows the opening 'yell' of the movie. I don't mean just the songs are awesome, the background music is great as well. This movie is also beautifully animated. Also animals.

10. Beauty and the Beast

Gees, for all of these old Disney classics, I pretty much want to say the same thing: Great music, great animation, great voices, great story. Although I think a lot of people are iffy on the ending of this, since they think the beast was more handsome than the prince... ya, what happened there? Maybe it's just that we've spent the entire movie with this guy, and suddenly he's someone else... and I guess maybe that's not quite the ending we were expecting?

09. The Little Mermaid

Great music, great animation, great voices, great story. Yep. Well, mostly great story. I hadn't really noticed until Nostalgia Chick pointed it out that Ariel pretty much gives up everything for a guy she's fangirling over. She like saw him once and was like ONE TRUE LOVE. But, it's also a Disney movie and a fairy tail... and actually the original fairy tail is kind of dark and I don't think it has a totally happy ending. But again, great songs and great background music. The ending I guess is a bit bittersweet, since she has to leave her entire family behind... But I guess it's not much different than living in a different state from your family.

08. Pete's Dragon

Gees, only at #8? Ah ya, Pete's Dragon. It has a few good songs in it, but in addition to that it's a story about imagination. Yes, this kid has an actual Dragon, but no one else can see him... and in the end, he has to go away. That's bittersweet, and kind of seems like they were maybe setting up for a sequel. But I guess it's a lesson in letting go of childish things and eventually growing up and moving on... and your imaginary friends will be okay with that.

07. Mary Poppins

Julie Andrews. Gosh is she amazing. The songs are amazing, the story is unique (well, aside from the fact it's based on a book), and the ending is a bit like Pete's Dragon. Mary Poppins comes in, helps the family come closer together, and then leaves to help some other family because her work there is done... ya, kind of like Pete's Dragon, except it doesn't leave you wondering if they were planning a sequel. Actually, reverse that, since Mary Poppins came first.

Anyway, the movie tries to teach you the importance of being a family and not letting work come between you and your kids/family, and also to learn to laugh a little. There's also that song 'Feed the Birds', which I guess implies that you should look for and appreciate the little things. That a beautiful song, and I feel like it kind of gets overlooked in the midst of A Spoonful of Sugar and especially Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

06. Balto

Alright, so I have a thing for wolves. Wolves are pretty cool and kind of badflank. Even though this movie really doesn't follow the original much (based on a true story... yes, loosely based), I liked it for what it was as a kid and still do. Heck, when I was a kid, I didn't even know the story was partially true... even with that whole statue thing at the beginning. Anyway, I guess this is so far up because wolves? But the story is cool, if a bit unrealistic. The bad guy(s) (nature and Steele) end up defeated, but nothing bad really happens to Steele... he's just humiliated and gets what he deserves for acting like a jerk the whole movie. He wasn't really evil, he was just a jerk. And Balto, the hero, saves the day and gets the girl, and all the other dogs realize he's a cool guy. The music isn't really anything spectacular, and in fact I don't think anyone sings in this movie. But, I like the story, the problem solving parts (like where Balto used Steele's scent to get them home when he messed up the tree markers), and action sequences (like when they're in the cave and the ice falls).

05. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

This scored surprisingly high on the list. I didn't expect that, but looking back, apparently I really like this movie. Well, at least the second bit where they're in the factory. I guess you could call the story touching; it's about a poor kid who gets a lucky break in life. Sure, his family can survive, but in the end all that effort is unexpectedly rewarded.

Not to mention what they made the kids go through. If you researched it, none of them had met the guy that played Willy Wonka until he walked out of the factory. Those were ACTUAL REACTIONS. And also when they opened the Chocolate Room. Legit expressions. Also, when they went down that tunnel... ya, the kids weren't informed on what was going to happen there either. I think the adults were, but maybe not. And then when Wonka gave that crazy yell, and everybody just kind of stares at him... ya, they weren't told he was going to do that.

I mean, that's kind of a bold move. 'Here, we're doing this in one shot, taking the first reaction, and going with it'. Also, not only is the set interesting, but the music isn't too shabby. We all know the Oompa Loompa song... and speaking of that, I think it's cool they got actual midgets to play the Oompa Loompas. I think at most you see like, nine. And there's also, 'The Candyman Can' which is a pretty good song as well. In addition to the songs, each person gets to learn a lesson. Even Charlie learns that it's better to be honest.

04. The Land Before Time

Here we go, in the Top 5 and getting to the good stuff. So, I was watching this movie after I hadn't in several years, and Little Foot's mom dies. I was a bit surprised to find myself in tears. It's a bit weird how this stuff doesn't bother you as a kid, but then you grow up and ;_; .

Again, I'm going to mention music. I guess that's a big factor in how I pick favorite movies or something. Not only does it show a kid (Little Foot) struggling along on his own, he's kind of an orphan. I mean, he's got his grandparents, but you never see his dad and his mom just died. That's rough!

But along the way he meets some friends, some tough, some not so bright, and some who are just crazy. They're all going through the same thing where they've lost their entire families and are alone. I guess it kind of sends the message that you are never alone, and you don't have to be... and people will excuse you if you don't put on a brave face. And ya, it's okay to cry when people we love pass on. Sometimes we'll fight with friends, but in the end you make up and things turn out okay. It's definitely got a lot of lessons that, even if you don't learn from this movie, you'll learn in school/life, and can then relate to this characters.

03. The Secret of NIMH

Alright, I'm not entirely sure why I like this movie so much. I mean, I liked it as a kid, but as I've gotten older I guess I've just taken a special liking to it. Well, you know the drill... Yes, I enjoy the music... and most of it is background music. The song 'Flying Dreams' has a nice lullaby feel to it, and is just an awesome ending song to the movie.

I guess what I like most is just Mrs. Brisby. I get confused because in the book, she's Mrs. Frisby, but in the movie, she's Mrs. Brisby. But I really admire her courage. She's got four kids, and one day her husband is gone... not explanation. She doesn't know if he was killed or just got tired of her and the children and left. So now she's suddenly a single mom who has to leave her kids home alone to do things like scavenge for food.

Plus, in addition to that, she risked her life to stop the tractor so she could save her son Timothy. And she was FREAKING OUT. So much so that Auntie Shrew actually stopped the tractor after Brisby failed. But later on she has to poison a cat, and she visibly starts shaking and is like WHAT AM I ABOUT TO DO?! But then she thought of her kids and was like, BANZAI! Even though she was really, really scared. There were things that were more important to her that made her face her fear. Pretty much any time she does something brave in this movie, she's risking her life—and doing so for the sake of her children. I mean, ya, she's totally scared, but she's like... I know what I have to do, and I'm going to do it despite my fear.

02. The Wizard of Oz

Blame Wicked. I thought that The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie, but I guess not. This is overall a fun movie to watch, not just because of the beautiful fantasy world, but because of the mistakes. At some parts, Dorothy isn't wearing the red shoes. Sometimes, you can see a shirt under the Tin Man's outfit. I mean, the story is great, as are the songs, but this is also a fun movie to look for mistakes, errors, and what have you... like how you can sometimes tell when there's a backdrop.

The trivia surrounding this movie is also interesting. Plus, the book is good. Okay, blame Wicked.

01. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron

Here we are, #1! Kind of a surprising, but hey... I guess I love this movie! The composer was great, and thus, so was the music. I like how this movie tells the story from the point of view of a horse, but doesn't actually have them speak. The movie isn't quite about animals, it's about the story. There are parts where there is no talking at all... and you just feel the scene through the music and action. And yet it's a kids movie.

Yes, the horse Spirit narrates the whole thing, but the only people who talk are humans. Heck, Rain doesn't even get a voice! Giving voices to the other horses wasn't important. Everybody can clearly see what is happening on screen without someone saying something the entire time. We interpret what the horse(s) might be saying through their body language and the use of background music.

It's just a cool story. Plus, horses. I have a thing for horses. Ever since I was a little girl, I have liked horses. I guess I never grew out of that. So, seeing a cartoon movie where I'm not spoon fed a dull story is... kind of refreshing. So, animation is amazing, music is amazing, story is amazing (and unique), and movie is amazing.

Ya, that was a lot of writing.

[RarityDash]

Alright, here are my top 20 favorite movies. Since this topic kind of died down, I don't feel so bad hijacking it with MY top 20.

Spoilered because wall of text and images.

Nice list. So many great nostalgic animated classics, well deserving of the praise.

And since somepony else has done a top 20 list now, I figured I'd go ahead and do mine.

Here goes:

20: Plan 9 from Outer Space

I love bad movies. Or a certain type of bad movies that is. it's just fun to watch something so totally inept that its laughable. Plan 9 is a well remembered bad movie classic, and for good reason. Between the unbelievably cheap special effects, sets so terrible they have to be seen to believe, acting ranging from wooden to simply bizarre, blatant use of stand ins for Bela Lugosi, and just terrible writing culminating in the most ridiculously wonderful confrontation between humans and aliens ever in film, this movie just has it all. It's easy to see why Ed Wood's film had such a lasting impact on cinema, and of all his films, while this might not be the worst, it's the most fun to watch. It'd be higher, but stretches of it are just a little dull. it's also not quite as re-watchable as certain other bad movies once you've already seen it a number of times.

19: SIn City

Frank Miller is a interesting if somewhat controversial figure in comic books. I haven't read a lot of his comics, so I can't really comment on much of that. Just looking at this film based on one of his works, I see a lot to love. The visual style is compelling and often stunning. It's wonderfully dark, often brutally violent take on pulp noir is something I find just remarkably visceral. Director robert Rodriguez has made a lot of really stylishly interesting films, but of all of them, this is the one that sticks out the most. Great fun.

18: Pee Wee's Big Adventure

I have a fair amount of nostalgia for Pee Wee. When I was very, very young, I loved Pee Wee's Playhouse. We had this film on VHS and I watched it many times. That said, even when I don't view it through the prism of nostalgia, this is an impressive film. Tim Burton's feature directorial debut, you can see some of the marks of his style in early development. Unlike some Burton films though, everything works. Paul Reubens' Pee Wee character is at his comedic best here and the situations he gets wrapped up in are hilarious and unforgettable.

17: Best Worst Movie

Troll 2 is one of the bad movie classics, and a delightfully terrible, wonderfully amusing film. It narrowly missed this list however. That said, this documentary about the film does make the cut. It's just a well made, engaging look at both the people involved in putting together one of the "worst films ever made" and where they are decades after the films release, and the growing cult popularity that has made the film a sensation. The people are likable, the stories are entertaining and it just enriches the original film while standing out as entertainment in its own right.

16: UHF

I love Weird Al. I've seen him like four times in concert. The guy is both a comedic and musical genius. I'd say his sole feature film is a gem as well. Is the main plot great? Not really. It's not really about that. it's about the other stuff, namely the brilliantly offbeat spoof sequences. Much as his music parodies popular music, UHF parodies film and television every chance it can get. There are so many perfectly memorable gags and sequences it's just incredibly endearing. Great comedy.

15: In Bruges

Entirely riveting pitch black comedy. Great performances, great scenery, and just superb writing. Nearly every scene offers something fun and memorable. Leaves me very intrigued to see what this writer/director might come up with in the future. As dark and wrong as the comedy can get, it might not be for everyone, but for me, everything in this film just works.

14: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

I rather like Star Wars, as much as the series can frustrated. Of all the films, this is the most perfect. It offers everywhere in the action, plot, and in creative and fun visuals. It's the point in series where everything was clicking, and is the least flawed. Not much more to say. Just fun stuff.

13: Toy Story

I love Disney's animated films, but I also love Pixar. Pixar has released almost nothing but great films. Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, WALL-E, so many films that I've really loved. If I had to pick one though, probably their original film still resonates with me the most. Engaging plot, amusing characters, it's just fun to watch, and I just loved it growing up. It's simply a fun animated film. With it as the starting point, it's easy to see why Pixar has remained such a dominating force in animation since this film.

12: The Dark Knight

I love Batman. i was raised on The Animated Series, which is still probably one of the best cartoons ever made, I've seen all the films (some of which are much better than others) and fairly recently I've started really getting immersed in the comics. The Dark Knight is, next to B:TAS, probably the most perfect anything Batman has ever gotten. Sure, there's some silliness to Christian Bale's performance, but it's just a great film. Heath Ledger's performance is unforgettable.

11: Birdemic: Shock and Terror

This entire film has to be seen to believed. rarely does filmmaking get this laughably inept. It's mind boggling that somebody would make this, watch it and think it ready to release to an audience. It has terrible pacing, virtually no plot, some of the worst editing and sound mixing I've ever seen, acting so wooden it hardly seems human, a bafflingly script, a ham fisted environmental message that gets pushed incessantly, scenes that literally contribute nothing and lots of stuff that is just remarkably awkward. And none of that is to mention the birds themselves. Nothing can prepare you for the birds in this film. I didn't know how bad computer generated special effects could get until I saw this film. It's so abysmal, and because of that, it's just endlessly entertaining.

10: The Lion King

Like most kids, I grew up on Disney. Disney was making a lot of great films when I was a kid. None resonated with me quite like The Lion King. This was just my favorite film as a child. Even without the nostalgia, it's a great animated film, full of gorgeous scenery, excitement, fun songs, entertaining characters and a fun story, with a fair amount of depth. Maybe other Disney films are technically better, but this one means the most to me.

9: Reservoir Dogs

Quentin Tarantino is one of my favorite filmmakers. I've liked some of his films more than others, but really he's yet to do entirely wrong by me. His directorial debut is almost his best film. The dialog is brilliant, creative and never tired. The film is a thorough delight. Hard not to smile through it all. Fun, amusing, often funny, offbeat, it's just a good movie.

8: A Clockwork Orange

A dark, uncompromising film. Kubrick's best in my opinion. Engaging, bleak, occasionally strangely humorous and really just amusing to watch. So much to love and remember in this film. A great work form one of the great directors.

7: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

I haven't read the books, but I really love the trilogy of Lord of the Rings films. I find the first one a little slow, but by the second one I was into it. The third film really is easily the best though. Visual magic, pure and simple. The battles are intense and exciting, as is everything else. it's a culmination of everything that came before it in the series, and as a climax to the trilogy it really delivers in every way I could ask for. It's just a thoroughly great fantasy action film.

6: Ed Wood

A perfect film for me. A director I like taking on a figure and a subject matter I already find fascinating. Doesn't hurt that it's Tim Burton's best film. This biopic about the legendary trash filmmaker Ed Wood is just delightful, funny, and touching in parts. Unlike an actual Ed Wood film, the acting is superb all around. The characters are likable. You root for Depp's Ed Wood, even as inept and ridiculous as he is. The black and white presentation is just perfect for the film, and really gives it the exact right atmosphere.

5: Pulp Fiction

Probably Tarantino's most acclaimed film, and also probably my favorite. Everything just works. it's effortlessly fun. The script is perfect. The acting is all great. So many memorable scenes. Samuel L. Jackson's performance is unforgettable. Not much else I can say about it. it's just thoroughly great.

4: Princess Mononoke

I'm a huge anime fan. It might be surprising then that there aren't any other anime films on this list. There just aren't a lot of anime films that are really special to me. I like a number, but, for the most part, they just don't wow me. Miyazaki, with this film, however, did just that. This is just an exciting, beautifully animated, engaging, inventive film, anime or not. I love a lot of Miyazaki films, but none quite come to the high point of this (Nausicaå is the closest, for the record). Miyazaki's best and one of my favorite films ever.

3: Unforgiven

Clint Eastwood is a great filmmaker and a pretty awesome actor too. This is him at his best in both roles. A thoroughly rewarding film that really goes beyond the western genre to simply be just a great film for any genre. Rewarding, well-written characters, wonderful acting, a gripping, surprising and satisfying story, and even a far amount of thrilling action. Pretty close to perfect.

2: The Big Lebowski

More than Tarantino or anyone else, the Coen Brothers are probably my favorite directors. I'm surprised this is the only film of theirs that made this list. If I was to do a top 50, I'm sure you'd probably see almost all of their films. Certainly No Country for Old Men, Fargo, O Brother, Where art Thou?, Blood Simple, True Grit and probably a few others. They're just gifted filmmakers. Their kind of dark but mostly just silly Big Lebowski is my favorite work of theirs though. It's just hilarious and weird but so very satisfying. The characters might be the best part. Jeff Bridges and his character The Dude are just amazing. Just delightful with every successive re-watch.

1: The Room

As much fun as watching the Big Lebowski is, I'm not sure I'd call it perfect entertainment. I don't think there is a "good" movie I can call perfectly entertaining. There is, however, a bad movie. This one. Tommy Wiseau's timeless masterpiece is almost surreal. It's almost mystifying. Birdemic might be more ineptly constructed, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of perfect bad cinema that Wiseau managed here. His performance is just... it cannot be described. Every line delivery he has is just amazing. And the other actors can be just as bad, especially since they're going off Wiseau's script. Every scene is ridiculous and hilarious for one reason or another. I've watched it many times with many people now and it never gets tired.it's just perfect.