The Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Director Wes Anderson’s twee dramedies seem increasingly divorced from reality, but his tale of talking animals paradoxically proves to be one of his most affecting films. In this extremely loose adaptation of the Road Dahl novel, Mr. Fox (voiced by George Clooney) suffers a mid-life crisis and dares himself to steal the produce of a trio of grotesque local farmers, putting his family life at risk. The film boasts a gorgeous, autumnal design, great music selections and an off-kilter approach to comedy unique in family films. Animation purists can critique some its stylistic limitations—jokes involving facial expressions don’t always land—but it’s a one of a kind movie that deserves to be a Thanksgiving Day tradition.
Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)
England’s Aardman Animation may be the most beloved animation studio in the world, next to Pixar, thanks primarily to the Plasticine exploits of the addle-minded English adventurer Wallace and his tactiturn beagle Gromit. Aardman’s team-up with DreamWorks to bring the deadpan duo to the big screen relies too much on weak puns, as if underestimating its audience. Nevertheless, Wallace’s werewolf-like transformation into a massive bunny delivers great set pieces that spoof Jaws, King Kong and Universal Studios’ classic monster stories.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
The classic one-hour TV special deserves mention as many people’s first exposure to the stop-motion form in the person of Rudolph, Yukon Cornelius, Sam the Snowman and the rest. The Rankin-Bass special launched numerous follow-ups, but none quite lived up to the snappy personality of the original, and the toy-like designs perfectly match the holiday season. In a sign of Rudolph’s enduring quality, people still make references to The Island of Misfit Toys and wonder what that seemingly-normal ragdoll is doing there.
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
On simply a shot-by-shot basis, The Nightmare Before Christmas ranks as one of the most visually splendid films ever made. Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, becomes obsessed with Christmas and decides to hijack the holiday. Often presented under the title Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, the film echoes many of the hit director’s pet themes, with Jack being one of Burton’s many brooding artistic protagonists. The film’s actual director was Henry Selick, who oversees an ingenious design and a cast of endearing monsters. The film doesn’t quite have the narrative fuel and graceful song lyrics to match Disney’s best animated musicals, but every year the film looks better and better.
Coraline (2009)
Director Henry Selick matches the Gothic whimsy of Nightmare Before Christmas and adds even more compelling emotional content with this adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novella. An unhappy little girl discovers an alternate reality that seems to offer all the magic and wonder her real home lacks, only to discover the sinister implications behind the candy-colored exteriors. Gaiman’s inventive approach to fairy-tale rules matches Selick’s luminescent colors and blend of everyday emotions and dream-like wonders. It even looks great in 3D.