So many great stories were told and developments made, with films like Toy Story (1995) and A Bug’s Life (1997) being pivotal in the widespread success and adoption of 3D animation a an artform. However, for every The Iron Giant (1999) or How to Train your Dragon (2010), there is a Strange Magic (2015)or aSinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003), children's movies forgotten by time. Many of these forgotten movies are by no stretch bad -- just not grabbing the cultural zeitgeist in the same way and therefore falling by the wayside. Here are 5 "forgotten" kids movies that are absolutely worth revisiting!
Epic (2013)
Epic is an action-adventure/fantasy movie that follows teenager MK as she, after moving into her fanatical father’s woods house, ends up magically shrunk down to aid the leaf-men (a group of tiny humanoid soldiers) in their defense against the evil Boggans. Released in 2013 between The Croods and Monsters University, the film had middling success at box offices before falling into irrelevancy.
The movie has a traditional but still nuanced Good vs Evil plotline, telling a really interesting narrative about human involvement in nature. This is backed up with spectacular visuals, animation, and character designs that make the movie feel like its title: Epic. (Stream on HBO Max)
Cats Don’t Dance (1997)
Cats Don’t Dance is a brilliantly hand-animated talking-animal musical comedy. The plot follows Danny, an ambitious orange tabby, as he moves to 1930s Hollywood in order to fulfill his aspirations of big time stardom; however, he is met with the harsh prejudice/minimization of talking animals in movies and must ultimately face off alongside an ensemble cast against the humans who want to keep it that way. Released in 1997, the film was received overwhelmingly positively and took home “Best Music in a Feature” and “Best Animated film”, yet failed domestically and fell into obscurity.
One of the biggest highlights of the movie is the primary antagonist, Darla Dimple. Outwardly a sweet chubby little girl, her true unhinged self spends most of the narrative secretly sabotaging and continuing to oppress the talking animals to guarantee her maintained spotlight. The animation does an excellent job amping up her anger and two-facedness, really leaving us with an iconic villain. The topic of the movie is also evergreen. As long as the entertainment industry has existed, there has been prejudice within it; it's no surprise the movie still holds up today, both as a story and a fun time. (Available on VOD/Digital)
Speed Racer (2008)
Directed by the Wachowski Sisters, Speed Racer is a bright, faced-paced sports/action film. Inspired by his late older brother, titular character Speed Racer is driven to compete in and win the Grand Prix; on his way up the ladder, however, he is pitted against the fury of evil mega racing corporation Royalton industries. Released in 2008 after extensive development hell, the anime adaptation bombed at box offices and received mixed reviews.
Despite all that, the film has begun to make a very real return as a cult classic. Between the corny but endearing comedy, the heavily stylized CGI, and the genuinely impressive uses of montage and editing, there is a lot to love in this movie. The message of trying your hardest for your dreams without compromising your morales, while common, is done extraordinarily well here, with an ending of pure catharsis. (Stream on Prime Video and Pluto TV)
Treasure Planet (2002)
Treasure Planet is an animated adventure-epic sci-fi adaptation of the classic Robert Louis Stevenson novel, Treasure Island, following youth Jim Hawkins on his journey to follow a holographic map to the fabled Treasure Planet. While the film was received positively, it was unable to make back its budget of $140 million, remaining the most expensive traditionally animated film to date.
The high animation costs absolutely show, though, as the movie is completely gorgeous. One of the first and only films to consist of 2D animation set atop 3D animated surfaces, the look and style is something unmatched even in the rest of Disney’s catalogue. The traditional pirate and sci-fi elements blend seamlessly together to create something new. Jim’s developing son/father-like relationship with the treacherous cook John Silver is a personal highlight of the film, with both ultimately needing to decide whether to betray their aspirations or their friend. It is a real shame the film didn't have the wide appeal of other similar time-period Disney animated movies like Tarzan and Brother Bear. (Stream on Disney+)
9 (2009)
Produced by Tim Burton, 9 is a dystopian sci-fi dark fantasy feature based on the director's 2005 short film of the same name. The movie follows 9, a ragdoll-like homunculus who wakes up in a post-humanity apocalypse sparsely populated by monstrous machines and must work alongside the other 8 homunculi to find the truth of the past and their origin. The film was received with mixed reviews and was a box office success; however, it never truly reached its audience and therefore never flourished.
The movie has a bit of a niche, being one of the first more mature features made with 3D animation. The setting is bleak; with no organic life remaining, much of the film is just the characters exploring the ruins of human civilization. The movie suffers a bit from the oddities of early 3D in its protagonists, but, while not a horror movie, the machines and how they are animated are genuinely terrifying to this day. There really is nothing else like it. If you are a fan of post-apocalyptic films and Tim Burton’s signature style, we cannot highly enough recommend this movie. (Stream on Tubi)
