It's been called Hamlet with fur, which isn't a bad description for a modern Disney classic that addresses big themes (responsibility, destiny, uncontrollable flatulence) while plastering the screen with stunning visuals, toe-tapping musical numbers and instantly iconic characters.
A twisted fairy tale that set the template for animated features from the DreamWorks stable: sassy humour, pop culture references and larger-than-life heroes voiced by top Hollywood talent. Mike Myers is the ogre reluctantly dragged out of his swamp to rescue a damsel in distress..
Proof that animation is not just for kids comes in Trey Parker and Matt Stone's outrageously funny comedy, which hurls the foul-mouthed characters from their cult TV series into a deranged fantasy that takes gleeful pot-shots at America's war-mongering moral majority.
Japanimation remains an acquired taste, but if you want to acquire it look no further than Hayao Miyazaki's surreal Oscar-winning masterpiece, which spurns the CG innovations championed by Hollywood studios in favour of beautifully crafted, hand-drawn artistry.
Pixar again, and in many ways the best of their impressive bunch (though there are some who feel Toy Story 2 is even better). Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are brilliantly paired as Woody the Cowboy and Buzz Lightyear in a buddy comedy with a difference.