Iain Harvey, Carol Greenwald and Claude Huhardeaux reveal their top ten animated films.
This month, we asked some respected animation producers what ten animated films they would want to have with them on a desert island. Iain Harvey is a producer with The Illuminated Film Company. He is currently working on an animated adaptation of A Christmas Carol, and his most recent productions are the animated short film, T.R.A.N.S.I.T and the animated series The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Stories by Eric Carle. Carol Greenwald is director of development for Children's Programming at WGBH in Boston, and executive producer on the animated series Arthur, which is in its third season of production. Claude Huhardeaux is chairman & CEO of 2001 in Paris, whose current projects include two feature films and three animated series: Funny Monsters, Ludo Kid and Tranches de foot. Most recently, he produced Marie Paccou's short film, Un Jour.
Among the favorites of our three participants, The Simpsons, Pinnochio and Nick Park's Wallace & Gromit films all tallied in with multiple selections.
Iain Harvey's Top Ten:
1. The Sinking Of The Lusitania by Winsor McCay. "An early and still one of the best demonstrations of the dramatic - and propaganda - possibilities of animation." 2. Fritz The Cat by Ralph Bakshi. " For its sheer exuberance." 3. Pinocchio (Disney). "Selected ahead of Fantasia if only because of its superb dramatic structure. In any case probably Disney's best." 4. Damon The Mower by George Dunning. "For poetry in animation." 5. Granpa by Dianne Jackson. "For the imaginative possibilities of animation." 6. The Hill Farm by Mark Baker. "The Village is more technically perfect, but somehow this film displays the freshness of a new talent discovering his art." 7. Duck Amuck by Chuck Jones. "For the joy of the possibilities of animation." 8. The Wrong Trousers by Nick Park. "...or A Close Shave or Creature Comforts. How do you choose from Nick Park's wonderful films?" 9. The Nightmare Before Christmas by Henry Selick (Disney). "For its sheer technical brilliance." 10. Jungle Book (Disney). "For its wonderful musical track and even then I discover I have left out Toy Story and so many other favorites!"
Carol Greenwald's Selections:
1. The Snowman (TVC Studios). 2. Wind in the Willows. "The Cosgrove Hall version, and any of their other wonderful model animation folk and fairy tales, like The Pied Piper." 3. Any and all of Nick Park's Wallace & Gromit films. 4. Horton Hears A Who and Horton Hatches An Egg by Chuck Jones. 5. John Matthew's adaptations of Arnold Lobel's books, the Frog & Toad series and Uncle Elephant, with his version of Stanley & the Dinosaur a close runner-up. 6. The Simpsons (Film Roman). 7. Babar & Father Christmas directed by Gerry Capelle for Atkinson Film Arts/Crawleys. 8. The first Madeline episode by Robert Cannon (DIC Entertainment). 9. Toy Story (Pixar/Disney). 10. Pinocchio (Disney). "I can't go through a whole list without at least one Disney movie!"
Claude Huhardeaux's Favorites:
1. Ren & Stimpy by John Kricfalusi. 2. Duckman (Klasky Csupo). 3. The Simpsons (Film Roman). 4. The Wallace & Gromit films by Nick Park (Aardman). 5. Les Shadoks by Jacques Rouxel. 6. La linea by Osvaldo Cavandoli. 7. Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote films by Chuck Jones. 8. Le tombeau des lucioles by Isao Takahata. 9. Nausicaa by Hayao Miyazaki. 10. Ghost in the Shell by Mamoru Oshii.
Wendy Jackson is a former associate editor of Animation World Magazine.
