If viewers thought the old-time animated movies were for kids, the genre has disproved that notion for the past several years. With the advent of new technology that makes the animation so lifelike and with storylines that have earned several modern animated movies Academy Award nominations, it's perhaps never been a better time to make – and watch – animated movies.
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Here are five animated movies since 2000 that have shaped the modern genre:
1. "Finding Nemo" (2003)
The animators behind this Pixar film probably didn't envision that their movie would have this kind of impact. As
Real Clear Science wrote, clownfish sales soared after the movie "Finding Nemo" was released, and "the clownfish populations of some reefs dropped by 75 percent in the five years following the movie's release. The fad has also affected the reef itself because collectors sometimes use chemicals to knock out the fish, causing lasting damage to tropical ecosystems." It was a messy sidebar to what had been such a popular, feel-good movie.
2. "WALL-E" (2008)
The idea that the filmmakers could make such a heartwarming movie about robots who don't speak a human language is an impressive accomplishment, and it took a certain amount of guts for Pixar to produce it.
"'WALL-E' is a striking and amazingly distinctive piece of animation," wrote the Pixar Times in 2014. "It is unquestionably the riskiest film, to date, that Pixar has ever made, and it succeeds not only because of its remarkable technical achievements but because its creators trusted the worldwide audience."
3. "Toy Story 3" (2010)
The finale of the "Toy Story" trilogy (so far), it was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and although it didn't win, the movie completed the series that's known for its glorious storytelling, impressive acting, fantastic songs, and innovative computer animation.
Wrote the New York Times about the animated film: "Perhaps no series of movies has so brilliantly grasped the emotional logic that binds the innate creativity of children at play to the machinery of mass entertainment. Each one feeds, and colonizes, the other."
4. "Frozen" (2013)
Although not necessarily an innovator in technical achievement, there hasn't been a Disney movie made this century that captured the country's attention and its children's love in quite this way. "Frozen" is one of the highest-grossing films in history, and as anybody with young children knows, the movie has seeped into themes for birthday parties and ice skating parties. It's inescapable and, unfortunately, for those parents who are sick of the "Let It Go" song,
Disney is planning a sequel to the original movie.
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5. "The LEGO Movie" (2014)
Featuring an infectious song called "Everything is Awesome," the cultural impact of the movie was easy to see, especially when
LEGO, after the movie's release became the world's No. 1 toymaker, surpassing Mattel, the maker of Barbie, according to Forbes.